Is The Divine Love Movement A Religion?
The divine love path is all about developing soul consciousness through receiving divine love and letting go of mindful ideas. With that in mind, I’m reticent about getting embroiled in philosophical questions such as whether it constitutes a religion or not. For all practical purposes, it doesn’t matter – at least to me. But for what it’s worth, here’s my take on it.
Discussing religion in detail would fill a book and be boring beyond words. Nor is there any hope of widespread consensus on the matter, so I’ll keep my comments brief and to the point.
A religion is most often defined as a belief in a non-human supreme being, divinity, the power of prayer, and the like. By this definition then divine love practitioners are following a religion since all of these things are intrinsically involved in the core divine teachings given to us by James Padgett.
It’s true that traditional religions tend to include ritual and dogma, which isn’t the case with the divine love movement. Nor does seeking divine love require an intermediary in the form of a religious institution between the practitioner and God. So following the divine path isn’t the same as following a traditional religion.
There are lots of spiritual movements that believe they are special and want to distinguish themselves from what’s gone before and so claim not to be a religion. But it seems to me no one outside those groups really buys that argument.
However, those beings who inhabit the celestial realms and whose souls have been transformed to be wholly divine emphatically do not see themselves as belonging to a religion. They live in a divine reality that is beyond the need for religious ideas and can actually see the form of God clearly. So these things are no longer a matter of faith for them. When you experience God’s reality then the role of religion disappears. Yes, they ‘follow’ Jesus but only in the way we might look to the head of an organisation for leadership.
Christian concepts and terminology formed the backdrop to James Padgett’s original writings. Some followers are happy to accept the Padgett Messages as essentially an extension or clarification of the bible. Others want to distance themselves from traditional religions, seeing themselves as ‘spiritual’ rather than religious. One way of doing this is to use universal language in place of overtly religious terms. For example, gender-neutral terminology might be used when referring to God. This may make the divine teachings more palatable to those who are looking for something beyond mainstream religion. Of course, the truth can be presented in diverse ways for the benefit of different audiences without diluting its power. However, it’s a tenuous argument to say that the use of universal language elevates the divine love path above being a religion.
Personally, I’m not too fussed about definitions or the terminology that’s used. I like both the clinical clarity of scientific language and the somewhat romantic imagery of the bible. But I accept that for others, the way the truth is presented could make the difference between them stepping onto the divine path or not. So I favour a diverse approach where advocates of divine love use a variety of paradigms and language styles when presenting the truth to others. There’s no one way of doing so that is perfect in all circumstances. Even Jesus switched between talking in parables and talking more plainly depending on his audience.
So, as a divine love practitioner, are you any clearer on how you would reply if someone were to ask you if you are religious? Me too!
The Padgett Messages - The Core Truths 