Religion vs. Spirituality… and what does that have to do with faith?

YOU TELL ME!

I find my spiritual life to be such a core factor in who I am and yet I rarely write about it. This particular blog can only be viewed by a selected number of individuals. I rarely write about it because I honestly prefer to discuss spirituality in person… over Tea, on a walk or on a long drive. So this my friends is a rare thing… bare with me.

I love perspective. I love thoughts. I love insight. I love opinions. I love hearing things that I disagree with. I love hearing about things that I have never  thought of or given little thought to. Please share your thoughts with me! Please use me of a soundboard to bounce ideas off of! And please feel free to even argue with me at times.

I’ve sat in an audience and listened to the Dalai Lama speak. I’ve been to a Jewish Temple. I’ve been to a LDS church, an Apostolic church, a Lutheran church, A Seventh Day Adventist Church and even a small Community Church.

I’ve sat and listened to Jehovah Witnesses give me their speal.

In high school a group of us would show up early and listen to people from all different backgrounds share their thoughts and perspectives.

One of My best friends growing up was Jewish and the other  was an Atheist. In College my best friend was Christian. and now one of my best friends is Buddhist.

I have Muslim friends, Baha’i friends, Wicca friends, Agnostic friends, Atheist friends and friends who minas well be in the religion of Science (not to be mistaken for Scientology), New Age friends and various other background friends.

I love them all the same and most of them are very spiritual people. Some of them stick to doctrine while others stick to relationships.

Here is the part of the blog that most people hate… my uncensored honesty. .. Try to save me. Try to make me believe what you will… and I will listen but I hope you give me a chance to explain myself   too. Ya know before you go condemning me and my friends to hell 😉

I believe in God. I believe in a Creator of the Universe. Of this you cannot change my mind. Logic and background and personal growth have led me down this path. This my friends is the path that I am supposed to be on.

But  I believe in a God who is Love. Love gives chances without explanation. Love does not condemn. Love doesn’t give up. Love isn’t rude. Love forgives. It doesn’t fail.

If God is creator of the universe … if he is perfect then he wouldn’t create people that He LOVES just to be eternally separated from Him. Hell must be separation from love. That’s why I think He gives us multiple chances. That’s why I think that reincarnation is a huge possibility. It gives us the chances we need to learn what we are supposed to. And once we live enough lives and learn all of our lessons and contribute to life what we are supposed to then… we reach what some call Enlightenment and others call Heaven.

I am also very fond of science. I love facts. I love evidence but in most cases I am able to accept that there are some things that I will  not be able to prove… until I die. This is where faith comes in! Believing in something I cannot prove scientifically. Man cannot yet prove that there is a soul and yet I believe in one. Some believe that the mind is the soul while others believe various other ideas. Yes… faith. Faith that the things I cannot see do indeed exist… just as the wind does.

Spirituality does not imply that one believes in God or some higher power but rather follows a practice that they believe. They have strong convictions. Even Atheists in a sense are very spiritual. Sometimes it is hard to be spiritual and not religious because our spiritual lives are such an important part of who we are and we want someone who we can share it with.

Religion requires doctrine in many cases. And it too has a purpose. Many people need the affirmation of others to believe what they believe and do what they do. Not to mention that many churches, temples and religious organizations help head community improvement and help take care of the needy. A religion in a sense is kind of an organization. And organizations as flawed as they can be also fit a purpose. Not to mention that it is hard to learn and to grow without a teacher!

But a person with no convictions… no foundation… and no independent and solid perspective on spirituality concerns me. Ignorance is not bliss it simply just confuses us more in the future. If you don’t know what you believe when you die you try to hold onto this life… and that my friends makes death so emotionally painful. A spiritual perspective and faith tradition allow one to gain perspective in every other area of their life. If you don’t have a spiritual perspective then what do you make your decisions on? Please educate me. I’ve only met a handful of these people and while asking them questions they just seemed confused. I’m not saying that I gained nothing from our conversations. I did indeed. I always do.

People are miraculous individuals. They are precious and unpredictable at times. I am in awe of the uniqueness of each person. And I am inspired by their thoughts and insights. We are simply amazing creations…