Somewhere along the road religion got derailed, polluted, at the mercy of countless interpretations, one pitted against the other in an orgy of unbending sophistry. The result is sectarianism fuelled by religious dogma. Clearly, there is something amiss.
Such were the thoughts racing through my mind as I met with representatives of five major faiths two weeks ago. The argument that religion is responsible for major conflicts and human disasters is not entirely accurate. Think Bolshevism, Nazism and Cambodian kill-ing fields. Yet, religious thought re- mains problematic. We can surmise that as forms of worship were institutionalised, and God anthropomorphised, there emerged the first strains of contamination.
Further, religious precepts that promote man as the authority over nature have created a destructive hubris that threatens the planet. Can we wrestle ourselves from this downward spiral? I thought of religion in its pre-institutionalised form. You know, before our egos got in the way. Before our need to control our group with swords and sacred texts. And before we needed so-called scholars to devise tomes of jurisprudence that strangle our natural expression of spirituality.
Those were the days when animists held court, before being vilified, killed or converted by reli- gionists, competing for souls. Animists, we were told, are heathens, worshippers of trees and stones. It was primitivism, steeped in superstition and ignorance. But there is no revered book in animist culture. So how could proselytisers contrive such a damning indictment based solely on observation?
Today, with "kinder" and more accommodating researchers, animism is better understood and appreciated. Etymologists suggest that the word "animist" is a derivative of "animus" or soul, a kind of life force that permeates everything. Here, the intent is not to romanticise animism. Admittedly, there are so many strains of this expression, from the Bon culture of Asia to the Native Indians and Africans. Yet there is evidence that there are fundamental teachings shared by these primal peoples; a circumpolar culture, so to speak.
According to notable anthropologist EB Taylor, animist beliefs and practices form the basis of every religion today. In upholding the principle that the world is organic, a giant womb of interconnected, indissoluble parts, animism has taken the concept of love to a level that modern society can hardly fathom. That plants, brooks, trees, valleys, rivers, mountains, forests, and animals are all imbued with a life force, a spirit similar to what resides in us, is as thought-provoking as it gets.
I am not sold on the belief that animists worship nature as commonly believed. There is a fine line between reverence and worship. What I know is that we distort what we don't understand. Maybe in our myopia we just cannot understand their ritualistic interplay and interconnectedness with nature. As one writer put it, "(Animists) have less need to destroy or reshape the world as more technologically developed countries do. The goal could be described as achieving harmony in the personal, social and economic realms."
Ron Barton develops this theme in The Sacred. Of Native American spirituality, he writes: "It is nature-based, growing out of a strong sense of interrelation with the earth, shared communal ritual and sacred traditions that are accompanied by ethics and morals."
Therefore, we are equal to creation, not superior to it. The assault on nature, the repercussions of which we face today, began with the skewed belief in our divinely mandated authority over our surroundings. But it is co-existence with nature that defines animism. We see some of these beliefs in Shintoism, Jainism, the vestiges of Native Ame-rican culture, and other indigenous peoples throughout the world.
Also interesting is the absence of patriarchy with all its pernicious effects. In stripping God, or rather the Great Spirit, from any particular gender, women and men rise as shamans to guide others in their vision quest. The emphasis on individual "journeying" blurs the lines between the shaman and members of the community. Here, there is no vicarious redemption. The key is personal responsibility for self, family, community, and environment.
Unquestionably, animism took on a far less noble countenance as societies grew. It too was derailed, morphing into religions that took on troubling and indefensible narratives. But the core of animism, unlike religion, cannot be humanly contrived and manipulated. It's organic-and the centre of today's religion vs spirituality debate. It offers an unadulterated dialogue between humankind and the Great Spirit who manifests in every living thing, animate and inanimate. It is a doctrine that is more constructive and healing than we care to imagine.
This and more I contemplated during my meeting with the five clerics, wishing they were joined by another. An animist.
• It was an engaging year. Thanks for all the comments and support