GOK,

There is one thing about religion that most people seem to ignore, or just not notice somehow, even though it is quite obnoxious, sick even.

All religions start off with a premise that is extremely negative, life-denying, and scary.

Christianity says that we are born in sin and that God will send us to eternal damnation if we don't do such and such.  What a hideous universe!

Buddhism says that life is suffering and we are doomed to repeat life and death until we give up all desires.  You can't get much more negative about life than that!

Islam, Hinduism, and all the other religions, and all the cults are equally negative.

And once they have defined life as a problem, then they offer their solution, which is to behave in such and such a manner or else.

What is postive? you ask.  I will tell you.  The positive is life, and we can be life-affirming and we can enjoy ourselves.  We already love the truth, and that is good.  We already love love, and that is good.  We already are alive and here together for a short while, so let's get it on!  Let's cooperate and share happiness.

Life is much more simple than mankind's religions make it out to be.  Even Rawat, who insists over and over again that his philosophy is simple, does not get it simple enough.  He adds on both the usual negative premise (human beings are unfulfilled in their natural consciousness) and offers his supposed solution (meditate until you reach a better consciousness inside yourself).  The problem with Rawat's cult is that in reality we must find our fulfillment in ordinary human consciousness, because that is what we have, and it is futile to seek for something better.  Again I say, let's find our fulfillment by accepting our humanness.  Some people call this sort of stance "secular humanism", but even that is too complex for me.  I prefer to call it nothing but life and living it, learning to love and be happy.