Much clinical and scientific evidence indicates that humans are beings of consciousness and energy—not just physical bodies. This article shares different religious or spirituality viewpoints that point to the same fact.
As humans, we are lofty creations imbued with a spark—and the potential for a flaming torch— of the Divine within. This message is difficult for some to hear so I will quote a number of wise religious and spiritual teachers. The very first chapter of The Bible conveys scriptural proof of humanity’s spiritual nature; Genesis 1: 27 states, “So God created man in his own image… ”
O. Lazarus, in Liberal Judaism and Its Standpoint, summarizes a Reform Jewish attitude toward death: “There is that within us which is immortal and it is not bounded by time and space. It is this, man’s soul, as it is called, which continues, so we believe, to live after the death of the body. To it, death is but an incident of life.” Kabbalistic or Mystical Judaism also believes in the immortality of the soul of all people.
In Discover The Power Within You, Unity minister Eric Butterworth stated, “You can never be separated from God because you are an expression of God, the self-livingness of God.” Speaking of God, Alfred Tennyson wrote: “Closer is He than breathing and nearer than hands and feet.” Meher Baba said, “To attain union with God is so impossibly difficult because it is impossible to become what you already are!”
Psalms 82:6 states, “I have said, ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” The apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 3:16 asked, “Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
In Ephesians 4:6 he says, “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Now, I’m pretty sure that St. Paul wasn’t a southerner, so emphasizing the word ‘all’ four times in one sentence makes it pretty clear: God resides within each one of us.
The Christian mystic St. John of the Cross said: “Oh, then, soul most beautiful among all the creatures, so anxious to know the dwelling place of your Beloved that you may go in quest of Him and be united with Him, now we are telling you that you yourself are his dwelling… his secret chamber and hiding place.”
Enlightened denominations from every religion teach our essential oneness with the Creator. In Sufism, it is said: “I looked into myself and saw that I am He.”
Referring to the One, the Hindu Upanishads proclaim, “I am everywhere, shining forth from all beings.” Christianity says, “The Father and I are One.” Islam states, “All is Allah.” ‘Isness Is, God is One, I Am That I Am’—these are various ways of stating there is no separation or duality in life. As Joel Goldsmith wrote in The Infinite Way, “That which I am seeking, I am.” Any other understanding is an illusion that limits our perceptions of what humans really are.
In To Know Your Self, Sri Swami Satchidananda wrote, “Know that it’s not the Self that needs Yoga. It’s always tranquil. But the limited mind goes through these practices to expand and see the Self clearly. Then, when the Seer sees his Self and rests in his true nature, he sees the real face which is never disturbed. You are the image of God. You are the Infinite by yourself… Remember the goal: Aim at something great. All of you can be Buddhas, Christs, Mohammeds, great sages, and saints.”
In Prayers of the Cosmos, Douglas-Klotz relates varied Aramaic meanings of the first line of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” These include: “Radiant One: You shine within us, outside us—even darkness shines—when we remember. Focus your light within us—make it useful: as the rays of a beacon show the way. O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, you create all that moves in light.”
Many viewpoints agree that the Light of God exists within each one of us. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus, speaking to the multitudes at the Sermon on the Mount, said, “Ye are the light of the world.” He encouraged them to let their lights shine to glorify God.
Finally, some comments on our essential soul natures from eminent theologian, philosopher, and psychologist Dr. William James who stated in The Varieties of Religious Experience: “Only when I become as nothing can God enter in and no difference between his life and mine remain outstanding.
This overcoming of all the usual barriers between the individual and the Absolute is the great mystic achievement. In mystic states we both become one with the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness.”
A fuller realization of our essential natures makes it obvious that we each are immortal beings of light. This understanding, needless to say, is a huge benefit when one is going through life’s inevitable challenges and difficulties.