Published by I sit back often thinking, am I religious, spiritual or both? I question the existence of a God or some might call it higher power or being. Some say it is a woman others say this God is black or maybe even brown in color, maybe just a beam of light. Do we really know? We have agnostics, Jews, Christians, Muslim’s, Satan followers, cult followers on and on.
As delicate this subject is, we really need to examine ourselves, maybe dig deeper into our beings, seeking out what is religious and what is spiritual, what is the difference? Is it possible none of us has the answer to this centuries old question? After all we do face it in one form or another, human beings think about this question at least once or twice in a lifetime. Who has all the answers, this is a mystery to all of us.
That big word faith, has a strong direction forward. How can I have faith in the past when faith is in the future. I have already seen what is behind me, living through it? So faith is believing in the future of something that I cannot predict or might not be able to see, because it is coming towards me. If my life was having knowledge of the future, my goals, dreams and plans, might be something I just might not want to see. If I knew what my death was going to be like, I might just end up in a mental institution somewhere on this planet. Possibly if I new I was not going to have to suffer any kind of pain as a result of death, maybe I would take my life sooner? There are a lot of things to ponder on, that is for sure.
I thought hard about this article I think I wanted to convey not argue or direct anyone to my views, just leaving this open for a discussion will assist me in what I’m seeking to gain, keeping an open mind is always good. The world is struggling for balance, knowledge will be what faith hopes for as we trudge the road to our final places in death. To me religion always has something either suggested to me, forced upon me or is full of guilt, maybe some sort of catch to it’s meaning. Spirituality is rather something that is a feeling or an intuitive premise of just knowing something, without confusion or anything overbearing or overwhelmingly difficult to figure out. I always believed simple is the way to proceed, complicated marks an unpleasant ride. Often times when I proceed with something simple the matter becomes difficult, the task is therefore entangled in a mess or maze of walls with no exits. Somehow someway we get through it every time, there is a door open.
The desire to become more spiritual than religious seems less intrusive of a mind set. I can be, without the performance. I can stay within the boarders of what is mine alone to be shared by example or humility, rather than struggling to be religious, because my religion requires me to be a certain way or else, I would be ex-communicated from that religious source if I did not perform properly, to others desires or directions. Man has followed other men into a place of what is their desire or ambitions or religious beliefs. We cannot fit in if we disagree which is not fair to the human soul. Rather than disagree we tend to go along with whatever is out there. Which often has led to massive deaths in our conquest to be accepted by some party or religious sect. We can become so depressed that if there is a God out there we might not be able to see one, because of the confusion of what is around us. We might become so virtue drained, any kind of virtue we have within us is taken away, we are suffering with religious metaphors, we loose the big picture, we might loose our life.
We may do things in which we blame on the Devil, the Devil made me do it. The Devil made me drown my 5 children or kill my family. The Devil took me over with to much medication, what is normal? I do not believe in the Devil made me do it theory as an excuse to kill people. The voices speaking to me caused me to take and destroy my life. My religion caused me to do things I would not have done if it were not for my religious beliefs, I would have been just fine. To me religion destroys people, spirituality encourages people through love and kindness, if I’m spiritual I will be at peace with me and my God as I choose or see fit or even understand, I will just know what is good and sacred for me. I will know without a doubt what is the truth, I would not have to prove it or argue it with anyone. I would not have to sign up or join any one’s group in order to be accepted in this world. This is the difference spirituality is ones own convictions or thoughts with the knowledge of just knowing what is real and what is not real.
Each of us has that within us, our secret pillow is ours alone to live with. Love is always the safest way to be within. Love is all there is in this life that matters the most. With love we can and will do all things. Love is something that everybody desires without love we truly have nothing at all.
God Bless!
