Spirituality and Religion

Hello peeps. I want to talk about something that is not very wise to talk about; Religion. It seems everyone has the other taboo topic (Politics) well under way right now with the 2012 elections in full speed ahead….so why the heck not mixed it up with Religion too? LOL

The reason it isn’t a wise subject to discuss is because people are very protective of their religions and their religious beliefs. Many times, ‘sharing’ religious philosophies causes conflict. I read an article that explained; ~ If you tell people that their “God” is only a metaphor, their defenses are going to go up quite dramatically and quite fiercely. It's a challenge to their beliefs, which feels like an attack at the very core of their self-image.~ (Paraphrased)

So, I am not going to tell you that….but I do have my own beliefs on this topic. The reason I started thinking about all this, is that I was having a conversation with someone the other day and they mentioned another someone they knew and said they were spiritual. Welllll, I didn’t want to start an argument…(far be it from me…right?) but I felt that the person in question didn’t seem spiritual to me, but could more aptly be described as a religious person.  This isn’t to say there is anything wrong with being religious….but for me they are not the same thing.

I suppose it is easier for me to ‘question’ religious beliefs because I wasn’t raised in any formal Religion. I like to say that I was raised a ‘Visitor’ because my Mom took me to many different denominations of churches….and even a synagogue or two.  My Dad had long given up on his religion after he read the Inquisition of Spain and was disgusted by what people will do in the name of ‘religion’.  So, I didn’t have the dogma and doctrine of a particular religion ingrained ‘into me’, so investigating what I did believe…or not….was not forbidden….nor was it foreboding to me.

I can say that it was easier for me to come to my own Truth…or my own True North, precisely because my understanding and unfolding of what I believe, didn’t hinge on a set of rules…or have to’s to ‘win’ approval of the One Spiritual Being/God or whatever makes one feel comfortable calling ‘All That Is’…..the I AM. I just went by what felt right to me. I do believe that the Truth can stand up under any poking or prodding. And as a very wise friend of mine said, ‘Don’t believe anything I say or anyone else says….believe what you feel is right.’ And so far…I have been able to come to my own understanding with a calmness and find my own peace when I followed those feelings. And those feelings come from ‘Within’….and ‘Within’ is where all peace must come from to begin with. This is what allows us to feel at peace with everything and everyone around us.

So, getting back to religion and spirituality. A good metaphor to illustrate the confusion about the terms religion and spirituality are some other terms;  ‘ocean’ and ‘sea’. When I looked up the difference between oceans and seas, the article said, ~‘Many people use the terms ‘ocean’ and ‘sea’ interchangeably when speaking about the ocean, but there is a difference between the two terms when speaking of the study of the Earth's surface. Seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet. Typically, seas are partially enclosed by land.’~  Both ARE bodies of water, so it is understandable that they could be mistaken for one another. And they are both bodies of salt water…but still not exactly the same. You ‘see’? And I don’t think the ocean or the sea would mind being interchanged…it is only we humans that seem to mind the labels that are put on us.

I have also observed over time, that when people speak of someone being spiritual…..they tend to think of that person as being all woo-woo.  So, call me woo-woo if you wish….but spiritual….more than religious, is how I think of myself. I can remember a time that I also scoffed at those who seemed all airy-fairy and woo-woo…..but the laugh was on me because I have since realized that they were waaaay ahead of me when it came to getting closer to understanding how to connect with Divine Intelligence. It turns out that emotions are a large part of the process. The downside is that Divine Intelligence (God or whatever you feel comfortable calling the Supreme Being.....One/ Eloah/Jehovah, etc.) brings to us whatever it is that we are most passionate about when we think about it for any length of time….good or bad. That is where the ‘Free Will’ part comes in. So, I would advise that you keep your thoughts positive. That is probably where the saying, “Be careful what you wish for” came from …..because thoughts do become things. Just a little friendly and spiritual heads up for ya’. Woo-Woo and *wink-wink!!

Spirituality has gotten a bad rap if you ask me. I think it is very misunderstood. I believe that religion is really the searching for spirituality in connection with the Divine Spirit (John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.".)

For example, if you are a religious person…..you probably believe in a God who is outside of you. Usually thought of as an older man with white hair….but definitely outside of you that you pray TO.  If you are a spiritual person….you believe that the Divine is within you, i.e. you and the Divine are One….. or you are at least trying to become One with the Divine. It’s like we are searching for the ONE and then we put a label on ‘It’….then we go about worshiping that idea or label, instead of  the ONE. We should just cut out the ‘middle man’ if you ask me. It isn’t about our idea or the label that we put on the Divine. I see it as WE ARE THE DIVINE…..experiencing us. There is no separation. Separation is what causes all strife, racism, jealousy and all the ugliness people feel about each other when we think of ourselves as being separate from each other and from the Divine. If we just could see that we ARE One….there would be no use for comparisons, prejudice and hatred towards another human being. 

I always have a hard time understanding why religions preach the Trinity….or point to the Christ within us….and then those same parishioners can’t accept when someone spiritual says the same thing in a different way. And if, as the Bible teaches, we all came from Adam and Eve….how could we not all be one? Those aren’t my teachings….they are the Bibles’ teachings. I personally feel that the Adam and Eve story was a metaphor….but I won’t go into that right now.  I am more of the sense that we ARE all one but more so like the quote by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin that goes; “We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.”

If you are a religious person, you probably also think that you must obey an omniscient, omnipresent ‘Divine Being’ to earn love from that Divine Being. If you are spiritual…you feel you ARE the love and are PART of that Being.  Like a diamond has many facets…but each facet is part of the one diamond. And like the ocean has many waves….but all the waves are STILL the one ocean. You cannot separate the facets from the One diamond, nor can you separate the waves from the Ocean.

Religions are man-made.  Religion was created by people who wanted to pursue a spiritual evolution. Religion at its most divisive can be self-righteousness, tyrannical, prejudicial, and be full of hatred and judgment. Religions and religious people can be pious. But religion that focuses on being the best it can be…. is the doorway to becoming spiritually enlightened. Enlightened is another word that makes some people think, oh- oh….‘woo-woo’! But don’t think that 'enlightened' means over the top peeps….because enlightened is in the Bible several time too. For example, Psalms 19:11 is just one reference, ‘Moreover, by them is thy servant enlightened; in keeping them there is great reward.’

If you could see it not so much that religion and spirituality are different, but rather that they are pathways between two points.  Then those who are protecting the dogma and teachings they have been taught so stringently…. may not be as ruffled. Imagine the ‘points’ representing the level of understanding on one end…to getting to the Divine on the other end……with religion as the starting point for most of us…..and spirituality as religion advanced to the ending point.

Religion and spirituality don’t have to be contradictory ideas. They can go hand in hand…. in the search for inner peace.  The real problem starts when religion insists that there is only one ‘Right And True’ way to believe…..and spirituality knows that it's (we) who are all Right And True. Spirituality can encompass religion with no arguments, but it rarely happens the other way around.
 
So, that is my ‘sermon’ for today boys and girls. I feel we sometimes think of terms a certain way for a very long time….not realizing that we may be confusing what they actually are. Just keep searching for what feels right to you and you will know when it is the Truth. The Truth always ‘feels’ right….and if it isn’t your Truth….it won’t feel right to you. As that very smart friend of mine always ends her offerings with, ‘I offer this for your consideration’, I offer this for your consideration as well. If it doesn’t feel right or true for you….that’s ok too.  As for me….I say take what feels right to you….and leave the rest. Life is a smorgasbord….and you can put on your tray whatever you feel like sampling and pass on by the stuff that isn’t appetizing to you. Sometimes….we have to stop thinking so much….and follow what our hearts tell us is True. You can do it peeps….Gommy is pulling for you! Hugs & Mush, Gommy