“I feel my body weakened by the years – As people turn to gods of cruel design – Is it that they fear the pain of death? – Or could it be they fear the joy of life?” ~ “Pray Your Gods” by Toad the Wet Sprocket
Religion can be such a divisive topic. It’s really quite sad because it should be a unifying concept. People can be so inflexible when it comes to religious beliefs (and some of that is built into the dogma). You can not question nor can you deviate from “the book” (whichever “book” that might be which pertains to a specific religion).
Yet there ARE deviations within religions – denominations. I guess it is alright for some schism to occur as long as it still falls inside certain guidelines? Just within the Christian religion, there are about 41,000 different denominations that have been reported. (If that link got you excited – check out more here). Those 41,000 unique denominations, again, just represent Christianity.
How can so many different dogmas be “the one true religion”? How can so many different religions have the “right” god(s) to worship? How do you know if you’re in the right group? And what if you choose not to believe any of it…are you just screwed? What if you believe bits and pieces of multiple religions? What if……… (the questions are endless and the answers are sometimes questionable themselves).
How about you mute all the noise and find out for yourself? I believe spirituality is an ongoing journey with many paths and obstacles. The important thing is creating a personal sojourn. Don’t let what others believe, or don’t believe, distract you from your own exploration. Yes, there are people that can help guide you, but it is up to you to do the work.
Whatever you choose, let the decision be based on something solid that you questioned and researched. Don’t blindly follow, or shun, your spiritual adventure because others have tainted the idea of religion – make it your own. Sometimes you have to make peace with past religious experiences to be able to move forward. Believe in a religion, believe in a general spirituality, believe in nothing – it IS your choice after all.
“Not all religion is to be found in the church, any more than all knowledge is found in the classroom.” ~Author Unknown