More on Higher and Lower

The subject of religion is, of course, inexhaustible. Last time I pointed to Toynbee’s use of the term “higher religion.” His definition of that phenomenon is rooted in human communion with Absolute Reality. In higher religion, it is direct, in primitive religion indirect and mediated by society. The problem here derives from the fact that concepts are extremely malleable and their meaning depends on what is in the mind of the individual as he or she uses a word this time; tomorrow it may mean something else.

If religion is defined as communion with absolute Reality (to echo Toynbee again), this communion will have an almost infinite gradation and will of necessity reflect the almost infinite range in each human being, where an animal and a spiritual nature are inextricably mixed and, on the analogy of a smelting oven, are gradually sorted. The most basic communion here is the prayer for immediate Help!—asking an unseen Power to solve this very mundane earthly problem; that form of religious behavior is common in virtually any form that religion takes and in every individual, no matter that person’s actual state. The highest form that it takes absolutely depends on the individual’s stage of development, hence may occur no matter what form the prevailing religion, seen as a collective and therefore social phenomenon, may be.

Primitive religion, therefore, may then be viewed as a stage in which the principal social expression of religiousness is altogether pragmatic, focused entirely on earthly outcomes; its religious character derives from a belief that unseen forces may exist and may intervene in the visible dimension. Any well-known famous holy place where people leave slips of paper containing prayer requests testifies to the continuing existence of primitive religion today; there is one such place within driving distance of my house; and, yes: I’ve left such a slip there too. Sometimes we have a great need—and such a religious impulse is itself in a way initiatory to the higher ranges.

In Toynbee’s higher religions, which, of course, if they’re really alive, will be saturated with primitive religion still, the collective consciousness of the higher dimension is institutionalized and therefore formally taught. Such religions also serve as collective disciplines of the sort very helpful in stimulating and helping individuals advance spiritually. Alas, the disciplinary aspect of collectives (and there are none, religious or otherwise, that do not have it) tends to be the only one noted by those whom the inner message doesn’t reach. And this disciplinary aspect is always in the form of rewards and punishments.

The really higher religious phenomenon is only experienced in absolute freedom. Individuals who’re lucky enough to get that far know not to act in order to get rewards nor to escape punishments. Herewith a quote, from Idries Shah’s The Sufis. Shah here paraphrases Jalaluddin Rumi (p. 119, Octagon Press edition):

In the collection of his sayings and teachings called In It What Is In It (Fihi Ma Fihi), used as a textbook for Sufis, he goes even further. Mankind, he says, passes through three stages. In the first one, he worships anything—man, woman, money, children, earth and stones. Then, when he has progressed a little further, he worships God. Finally, he does not say, “I worship God,” nor “I do not worship God.” He has passed into the last stage.