Welcome
Welcome to “Religion is Garbage.com,” a blog that is courageously devoted to taking an honest look at religion—its shadowy dark side and liberating light sides. A word of warning: if you are an angry, dogmatic, fundamentalist atheist looking to bash religion and ridicule believers, then this blog is not for you. This blog is directed at three categories of people:
1. Intelligent people who consider themselves “spiritual but not religious” who have legitimate concerns about organized religion, and may not want any part of it.
2. Intelligent People deeply wounded or abused as a consequence of organized religion, and whose faith experiences have been trampled by rigid religious fundamentalism.
3. Intelligent people who remain connected to a faith tradition, and wish to create a genuine, authentic, love-based, inclusive, and nonjudgmental community. These people value the essence and teachings of the world’s great religions at a mature level.
I want people in these categories to know, especially those who may have been born into Christianity, that not all of us who remain connected to organized religion have lost our minds or spirit of unconditional, nonjudgmental love. Many of us, in fact, experience religion as an infinite fountain of spiritual wisdom and beauty.
God’s Greatest Enemy—Religion Itself
It is my belief – and this may sound strange to you coming from a priest (that God’s greatest enemy is religion itself), but that is sadly the case, when it’s most extreme and fundamentalist manifestations make their ugly appearance.
God’s greatest enemy is religion itself.
Organized religion is habitually entrenched in uncompromising dogmatism, and often operates at a very low level of spiritual maturity. This practice has scared countless intelligent, insightful, ethical, and Spirit-hungry people away from churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.
Political agendas with religious overtones often generate violence around the world. Too frequently, religion is used to wage war, instigate terror, and suppress human rights while advancing authoritarian political agendas.
Religion has a very dark, shadowy, and destructive side. The human capacity to subvert something that is, in essence, beautiful, liberating, and LOVE-infused into something putrid, dark, and murky is frightening. This, however, is not the result of religion but rather our own underlying innate human capacity to undermine our great institutions, be they religion, government, family, etc. There is no such thing as a human institution that is not flawed, and religion is no exception.
Please join me on this journey. I pray to God, Allah, the Spirit of Creation (or whatever you may call your Higher Power) that this blog will bring good and heal wounds. I hope that my writing, photography, and poetry will inspire and touch something within. Finally, I hope that fears will be put to rest for those brave souls on a quest for meaning. May religion in all its authenticity be rediscovered in its transparency. Please know that this blog is devoted to YOU, and the One Love that makes us One Humanity. Blessings, mercy, and grace to us all!
Sincerely,
The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez,
Authentic Religion Is Spiritual and Liberating
I suggest that we make a distinction between what I call “Authentic Religion,” which is always liberating and yes, SPIRITUAL, and “Shadow Religion,” which swims in an ocean of ignorance, shame, fear, guilt, ego-based agendas, violence, etc. Like all things human, religion has two sides: a shadow side and a light side. It is time to reclaim what is beautiful about religion and return it to its rightful place of spiritual authenticity.
An Invitation to You
Please join me on this journey. I pray to God, Allah, the Spirit of Creation (or whatever you may call your Higher Power) that this blog will bring good and heal wounds. I hope that my writing, photography, and poetry will inspire and touch something within. Finally, I hope that fears will be put to rest for those brave souls on a quest for meaning.
May religion in all its authenticity be rediscovered in its purity. Please know that this blog is devoted to YOU, and the One Love that makes us One Humanity. Blessings, mercy, and grace to us all!
Sincerely,
The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez,
Wilfredo Benitez is an avid photographer and Episcopal priest. He is a strong advocate of religion without the garbage. He is the current Rector of Historic Saint George’s Church, Flushing. N.Y.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tao-Way-Photography/1578303112399776
https://www.facebook.com/SaintGeorgesFlushing.org?fref=ts
Religion Is Garbage. Why Bother? 