Kelly Magovern

"I am against all religions because I am for religiousness, and religions are barriers to creating a humanity with a quality of religiousness. A Christian is not needed, nor a Hindu, nor a Mohammedan. These are the barriers to religious progress. What is needed is truthfulness, sincerity, silence, lovingness…a life of joy, playfulness…a life of deep search, inquiry into one's consciousness. And these qualities have nothing to do with Christianity or Judaism or Jainism or Buddhism." —Osho [x]

I watched this old YouTube video of Alex O'Connor, who identifies as an atheist. I found it very interesting because he is the first atheist I've seen who openly admitted to still having fears of "hell," due to him having been raised as a Roman Catholic. It just shows how insidious Christian conditioning is. I still struggle with this, as well, and I wasn't even raised religious. I think the "hell" idea is really the only thing keeping Christians in line. Without this idea of "hell," I think Christianity as a religion would fall apart.

A believer is the ugliest person in the world because his belief becomes a barrier into inquiry. I am not saying to become disbelievers, because disbelief is again belief from another side, from the negative side. Belief and disbelief are two aspects of the same coin. Don't be a theist and don't be an atheist. The real inquirer remains an agnostic. He remains open, he has no conclusions. He says, "I know only one thing: that I know nothing." He remains available.

The moment you have conclusions, you become unavailable to truth; conclusions close you. The moment you have a priori prejudices, how can you know truth? You have already concluded, you have already accepted certain beliefs; they will be like clouds in front of your eyes. Your eyes are no longer empty, clean, mirrorlike; they can't reflect that which is, they can only distort. They will distort according to your belief.

So, when the Hindu comes to experience "God" he sees Krishna with his flute. A Christian never sees that; that's strange. A Christian always sees Christ on the cross; a Hindu never sees that. That's strange! A Jaina will never see Krishna, Rama, Christ – no, not at all; and a Buddhist will never see Mahavira, Mohammed, Moses. They all see their own belief. The phenomenon is very simple: you see whatsoever you project. Your mind functions as a projector. You don't see that which is, you see that which you want to see.

Avoid beliefs. Drop all beliefs, Catholic or Communist. Don't believe in Kaaba, or Kashi or the Kremlin. Don't believe in the Bible or the Gita or the Koran or Das Kapital. Avoid all beliefs. Remain clean, empty.

—Osho, The Dhammapada Vol. 8 Talk 09 (Video credit: osho_guruji on Instagram [x])

Everybody you have come in contact with has been imposing fear on you, because fear is the antithesis of freedom. The more fear you have in you, the less is the possibility of freedom. The more fear is there, the less is the possibility of rebellion.

—Osho, The Last Testament, Vol. 3, Talk 23

In this video, Osho says that Christianity is the most repressive religion in the world, but I think Islam has taken that title now. Certainly, all the Abrahamic religions are highly repressive. In fact, I have yet to see any organized religion that allows for free thought and expression. [x]

"I do not believe in anything. It is not a question of God. I do not believe in believing. My approach is to know. And knowing is a totally different dimension. It starts from doubt, it does not start from believing. The moment you believe in something, you have stopped inquiring. Belief is one of the most poisonous things to destroy human intelligence. All the religions are based on belief; only science is based on doubt. And I would like the religious inquiry also to be scientific." —Osho [x]

Every religion tries to convert people, because those who are inside the fold are full of doubt. When the fold starts growing, their doubts are settled, their belief becomes thicker, weightier: "So many people cannot be wrong."

And have you watched this? Whenever a person moves from one religion to another religion, the new religion that he has entered gives him great respect and honor. The older religion condemns him, that he has betrayed, but the new religion gives him great honor because he has confirmed their belief: "Even people belonging to other religions are coming into our fold. Our fold must have the truth! Otherwise, why are people coming?"

All these missionaries all around the world bringing people to Catholicism are just making the Catholics inside the fold believe, "You are the real religion, and other religions are just so-so."

A man of truth never tries to convert you. A man of truth conveys his experience to you. He shares his experience with you, but that does not mean that you have to agree with him. It does not mean either that you have to disagree with him. It was his joy to share, and that's where he is finished.

No man of truth has ever been a missionary. All missionaries are trying to convince the insiders that they are right because outsiders are coming in. All missionaries are trying to convince themselves also, that their belief system must have some truth in it; otherwise, why do people get converted?

So that is the reason God-believers are always trying to convert other people. Otherwise, conversion is an interference into other people's freedom. You can enjoy sharing with your friends, with their consent, whatever you have experienced—not your beliefs, but your experience. And if you have no experience, be honest, be truthful. Say, "I don't have any experience. I have only a bunch of beliefs others have given me, which are not my experience. I am carrying borrowed knowledge, I don't know anything on my own. Hence, I cannot recommend anything to you."

In this interview from over 15 years ago, retired Episcopal bishop, John Shelby Spong, says religion is in the guilt-producing control business and that "hell" is an invention of the church to control people with fear. [x]

If anyone uses the Bible as proof that Christianity is true, ask them how they would feel if a Muslim person used the Quran as proof that Islam is true, or if a Hindu started quoting the Vedas as proof that Hinduism is true. All so-called "holy books" are claims, not proof.

Elbert Hubbard (June 19, 1856 – May 7, 1915)

Question: Do you believe in God? Osho: I do not believe in believing. That has to be understood first. Nobody asks me, "Do you believe in the sun?" "Do you believe in the moon?" Nobody asks me that question. Millions of people I have met. And for 30 years continuously I have answered thousands of questions. Nobody asks me, "Do you believe in the rose flower?" There is no need. You can see the rose flower is there. Or it is not there. Only fictions, not facts, have to be believed. God is the greatest fiction that man has created. Hence, you have to believe in him. Religion is based on belief. Belief is a dirty word, four-letter or not, but it is a dirty word. Belief simply means your ignorance has been covered. But that which has been covered is still there. It has not been removed. It is like a doctor who covers your cancer and tells you, "You are perfectly healthy."