The Dark Side of a Pope
4/03/05
If you look at just the
man/women after he/she has died, what part of the humanity do you eulogize?
Every person has something to bring to us in his or her
death; it is a gift from the other side and is the knowledge of the past and an
open door to a new path for the future. The life lived by any person can
motivate us to a brighter and more enlightened future.
Most of us try to eulogize all the good stuff we know of the
person, and yet there is much to be learned about of this person and his life
from the dark side as well, the side that we know little about. Our lives are
all physical statements of how enlightened we are and were we stand on the path
to total awareness; it is our thought process gone physical.
One’s light can only shine from the background of darkness
and if light was all that there was we would not know it.
The Late John Paul II, leader of the Roman Catholic Church
died leaving behind Christianity’s testament to the dark side of humanity.
On the lighter side of the Pope’s tenure at the Vatican, he
made several gestures of reform marking his higher level of awareness for all of
history to learn from. He openly admitted and apologized for the evil and wrong
doing of the Church over thousands of years of its history. He apologized for
the "Holy Wars," and the murders and persecutions of persons who spoke out
against Catholic policy and believes. He apologized for the persecution of the
Jews, reformers and other philosophers of the times.
The Pope recognized that some of the atrocities the church
did in the past did not work for it and he spoke out. The apologies brought to
light the need for reform in the Catholic Church, Christianity and all
religions. I believe that the Pope did not go far enough, and it may have been
the best that he could do in his short time. It may also be a move to try and
bring back believers to the fold by appearing to be progressive, repentant and
apologetic.
What the Pope brought into the light was the dark side of
humanity and the Roman Catholic Church. Men cloaked in good deeds are well
camouflaged; those that could not see suffered and died for the Church that was
in contradiction with itself.
The church has been primarily responsibly for the division
of man from man, man from woman and man from God and its general policies have
not changed in John Paul’s administration.
The church still promotes oppression, fear and guilt and I
don’t remember hearing the Pope proclaim that its members are free to explore
their own spirituality outside of the doctrine of the Catholic Church (the box).
I don’t remember hearing him say that the soul is a free spirit to choose how it
wishes to experience its physical life. Catholics are not free people within the
body of the church and Christianity continues to promote fear, guilt, oppression
and regression.
The Pope stopped short of freeing his people while the
church still practices assimilation.
As people from around the world eulogized the Pope, what is
the gift that they will receive from his death? Will they see the need to open
up the box and set the spirit free or make the reins even tighter? What was the
purpose for John Paul II and what did the man bring to the world? Was he just
another Pope perpetuating the doctrines of a dying church, or did he bring some
new life into it.
The man has died, but the Pope left a sign behind for all to
read and all people will not read it the same way. John Paul II represented the
light that shines in Catholicism and also the dark side of Christianity and
religion. In this new awareness comes the opportunity for change and
enlightenment.
Man can never be the light, he can only move back to it.
Religion can never be God; it is man’s attempt to explain God. The church can
never be God or represent collectively man’s awareness of spirituality and it
can never interpret what God wants for man, because God is in all men and women.
God is all that there is, and there is nothing else, all of life is God.
Humankind’s attempt to put spirituality into a box has failed; it is obvious
that what humanity wanted from the Church has not worked for him. To know what
God wants man only needs to look around him, and know that all that was created
is perfect and is in harmony with God’s will. Life has only one will and that is
to create more life.
What humanity gets out of the death of a Pope will be that
of his own resolve, from plain ignorance of the fact to loss and grief. The Pope
himself was just a physical symbol of ancient philosophy, but he was also a man
amongst men and his presence was known; he reached the epitome of a personal
wish to serve what he believed to be his truth, for better or worse and no man
can do more.
Let the death of this Pope be the death of the dark side of
the Catholic Church and Christianity. Let us celebrate the man that brought us
light and the beginning of a new age of awareness. It is my hope that it will be
used as a stepping stone into enlightenment.
Roy is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. An international published author, a student of NLP, spiritual philosopher, New Age Light Worker, Teacher and Phenomenologist. Roy's books and articles are thought provoking, and designed to empower your imagination.
Review Roy's new book at: http://www.yourlifewasnevermeanttobeastruggle.com
