The awakening is here!
Now more than ever people are waking up to their power and the lies that have kept us away from that same power. The spirit of awakening that is moving through humanity manifests in a few different ways. Growing numbers of people becoming entrepreneurs, crypto currency challenging the traditional financial structures, and finally, which we will focus on here-the change in perspective when it comes to traditional religious beliefs are all ways the age of Awakening is manifesting in our lives. All of these things are showing us that we are transitioning into a new world. The older thought patterns that focus on fear and control are withering away as time moves forward.
I don’t know about y’all, but if you grew up in a black church you most likely grew up under the fire and brimstone messaging. Every Sunday we would sing, clap and stomp, sending our praise and worship to the heavens for God to receive and hopefully be pleased. And when it was time for the sermon, you could almost predict what the core message would be: get right with the lord to avoid the eternal flames of hell. Something about this message really captured our parents but just doesn’t have that same holding power over our generation. It almost seems as if Hell is losing its grip on us.
Are we delusional to turn our backs on the possibility of hell? Is it wise to trade the fire and brimstone message of our parents' generation for seemingly new thoughts about the universe, chakras and crystals?
Before we get into why the shift is taking place, let’s look at some Pew Research numbers tracking how Americans have identified since 2009. Below is an excerpt from the article “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace” written in 2019:
“The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.”
Even though people are identifying less with being Christian, this doesn’t mean they are throwing out their belief in a higher being altogether. With things like the internet and the continued sharing of ideas on and offline people are learning about other cultures more than ever. This is causing us to expand our perception and challenge ideas that we never thought to question before. There has also been an uptick in black people being interested in and practicing the religions of our ancestors, as well as a growing desire to understand the scientific underpinnings of what has been dubbed “new age” thinking (e.g. energy cannot be created or destroyed, so is there really a beginning or end?). All of these factors of the awakening are causing more and more of us to be more intentional about what we believe and how we behave. It’s all about the vibes now!
The millennial and Gen Z generations are challenging much of the older ways which is what is needed to move culture and humanity forward, but we also have to remember to not “throw the baby out with the bath water”. Self awareness allows us to see what works for us and what doesn’t; and when talking about the religious/spiritual journey, everyone’s path will be slightly different. One thing is for sure; the fear of damnation in a permanent hell is much less with the younger generations, and as such, new motivations to be a good healthy and whole person must be found and promoted.
A big shift in the perception of hell started back in the 70s with thought leaders like Rev Ike, Jonnie Coleman and many others. They told us that hell was more so an energetic state of being; consisting of misery, doubt and fear. This hellish state of fear misery and doubt is not who we are naturally, and so the purpose of religion and spirituality is to return us to our natural state of being, which is heavenly: love, confidence and gratitude. Moving from hell to heaven is then made possible by using tools like self awareness. The more self aware we become the more we realize that the spirit of God/Universe/Source is always with us, every step of our journey. We just have to acknowledge and tap into it.
We at The Aware Brand believe you can be any religion you want, or even an atheist or agnostic, as long as you shine the light of self awareness on your thinking. Self awareness can transform, expand and enhance any belief system when applied intentionally. We do not need to believe in an eternal hell for motivation to be a good human. More importantly, our priority should be to enhance our quality of life on Earth, here and now. We are all on a journey from knowing ourselves as the individual self, to knowing ourselves as our natural divine cosmic self. It is a beautiful journey that requires the shedding of limiting and fear based thinking. The gates of heaven have always been open to you, the only question is: will you be brave enough to walk in?
Stay aware!