Defiance

Every god can be defied.

No choice, no devotion.

There have been many rebels who have chosen to defy their gods. Without this option, there can be no true devotion to a holy concept. For devotion is only valuable  when a conscious decision is made to follow that course, even in acknowledgment  of the difficulties ahead.

Choosing to be a devout person is good. Choosing to defy  the gods is also good, for it reaffirms the basic ability of human beings to make  choices. We cannot support religions which say that there are no choices.

Metaphysical totalitarianism of any kind stifles the freedom we have as human  beings. It is not acceptable to have a religion where the alternative to faith is punishment that’s how you train dogs, not develop people.

Spirituality is only great  when it allows that utmost freedom to follow it. If we suffer from difficulties, that is  not holy retribution, and we should not allow it to create debilitating questions.

If you endure a crisis in your life, it may well challenge your faith. Perhaps you  will even respond bitterly to your gods and cry out:

How could anything holy permit this atrocity to happen to me?

But gods are not our parents or protectors. They  are there only to inspire us to be better people. They symbolize the inherent choice  of this existence. It is secondary whether we choose belief or defiance.

What is precious is that we are always able to choose.