JSR: What is the goal of religion? Is religion merely a means to get into the gardens in the stars? How is it that so many follow religion to their destruction?

Ezekiel: Religion has always been the expression of the innermost self through rite and ritual and belief. When we express our innermost selves in the rites of religion, even parts we are unconscious of and yet are filled with significance for us, we are being fully human; for it is only human to be religious. Those that have no religion are not quite fully expressing themselves, not quite fully experiencing what it is to be a human being; at the same time sometimes someone will be in the wrong religion for him in particular, and will not be expressing his innermost self with it, and it will only lead to guilt and unhappiness, and sometimes even wickedness. But those that are in the religion which is particularly right for them—and it takes some measure of searching to discover this at times—who express their innermost selves in their religion, even when most of their selves are unconscious to them—they are truly happy in their religion, and such religion won’t lead them to destruction. We can never save our souls with religion—religion and belief cannot do a thing to get us into the gardens in the stars—and this should never be our goal in religion. Rather, we should seek to express our deepest selves in the rites of our religion and the mission and journey and faith it gives us, and in this way we may find a heaven here on earth. To save our very souls—only good works can do that; for most in this world are deceived through no fault of their own, and God would never condemn them to hell merely because their beliefs don’t happen to be correct or true. Sometimes religion will lead to enlightenment, but enlightenment is something different from heaven; it is the true salvation, though the bliss in the heavens is beyond comparison, and many in the heavens aren’t enlightened. If religion were merely a means to enlightenment, we could never express the whole of our selves with it, for we are more than mere beings with the single goal of enlightenment; not even enlightenment is a purpose to life that is real, as the enlightened well know. Some will find enlightenment with religion, but some will find enlightenment who are completely non-religious; this does not form the whole purpose of religion. Some chase enlightenment to their destruction and never find it. But religion is for expressing all it is to be human, and to fully experience being a human being; to actually describe such rites as can be a means to this would take a full description of the human mystery, which is a bewildering mystery even to me. But when we are fully expressing our humanity in our religion, and our deepest, most hidden selves, we will be happy in religion; though religion can never save or condemn our souls.