Spirituality vs. Religion

Spirituality vs. Religion can be a very touchy subject.  It is not my intention to attack anyone’s Religion. 

I’m not too fond of it when people preach at me, so there is no preaching here, only opinion.

Faith in God, The Universe, or however you refer to the Creator, in my opinion, has nothing to do with Religion.  To me, Religion is a manufactured thing.  I truly believe that God does not care what Religion you are. 

Having faith means you believe in creation in whatever form is true to you.

The Wisdom of Creation 

God, in their (his/her) infinite wisdom, created us all to be equal.  They chose to give us different forms, skin colors, different ethnicities, and different genders.  They are experiencing life through these various forms.  If we were all the same, there would be no purpose.  That is why there is diversity and free will. We can choose how we practice our Spirituality or Religion with free will.

Unfortunately, with free will comes good and evil.   However, I still believe God wanted us to be good to each other.  We must respect and care for each other and this great planet.  I think he was hoping for different levels of good, but with free will, evil can influence us, too.  Thus, you have bad.  To truly experience good, we must also experience bad.

We are very fortunate that there is more beauty and good than bad and ugly.  That is not always easy to remember since sometimes bad does win over good.  Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil to appreciate the good.

Beautiful Artwork

If all art was the same, wouldn’t it be boring?  We are God’s Artwork.  We are the most incredible collection one could ask for. 

Everything, organic and non-organic, on this planet has been created to be beautiful.

Imagine if we all could remember the beauty in our hearts that we are born with and how beautiful this world would be.  

The beauty in a child’s laughter, the beauty in the opening of a flower, the beauty of the waves crashing on shore.  The beauty of the stars.  Even sand, have you ever seen sand under a microscope?  It is so beautiful.  The beauty of a sunset.  Every animal on this planet.  These are all ways to remind us of the beauty in our hearts.  These are all forms of Spirituality.

Spirituality comes in many forms.  If Religion is your form, there is nothing wrong with that.  We are all here to experience love and life.  Spirituality in all forms is based on these two things. 

Why Spirituality over Religion for Me

I was raised Catholic.  I, however, no longer believe in Religion.  In my opinion, many Religions have been hijacked to fit some people’s Political views.  God has become a commodity to throw around to raise money for their purposes. 

How many people go to Church, leave, and fight to get out of the parking lot first?  Go out to eat and treat their server as less than.  Spend the week talking about people negatively.  Disparage other people’s beliefs and think they are only correct because they are this or that Religion.  Guess what?  They are no better than anyone else, especially in God’s eyes.

God does not care if you are Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, or Hindu or if you are not religious at all.  God wants everyone to be happy and good.  He wants everyone to love and respect each other.  He wants us to care for this world and every creature in it.  For example, while working on this, a daddy-long leg crawled down the wall next to me.  I recognized it as a creation of the Creator, so I corralled it onto a paper towel and released it outside, where it could have a much better life.

This Universe, Planet, and every living and nonliving thing is a form of God.  God has created all these forms to have different experiences.  There is spirit in everything on Earth and in the Universe. 

Religion May be the Right Choice for Some

Again, I am not judging people for their Religion. As I said earlier if Religion is your way to the Creator, more power to you. However, people of Religion also need to stop judging other people. There is a common good in Religion. All Religions are based on this good, as is someone’s choice of Spirituality.

Ultimately, all Religions are about the Creator.  So, worship the Creator in the way that best suits you and let others do it in the way that works for them.  If someone chooses not to worship, that is also a choice that must be respected.

False Fear

Unfortunately, some people try to use God as something to fear and think they can do hateful things in her name.

In my eyes, the Creator is not to fear.  Love and non-judgment are who the Creator is.  If she were judgmental and hateful, why would anyone worship her? 

Creator’s Creations

Life is about enhancing your life, others’ lives, and this planet while you are here, creating love and kindness, not hate and bigotry.  It is that simple.  Life is not about one-upping another or the material things we have.  You cannot take it with you.  All that matters is that you leave a beautiful mark on the world.

Our relationships with the Creator — or our lack of relationships with him —are a personal choice and do not have to be found in a building on a holy day. Your heart knows what is right for you; no one’s opinion matters. No one is more morally right because of a building. 

Therefore, your choice of Spirituality or Religion is not wrong.

Every person and thing on this Earth reflects the beauty in the Universe’s heart and is here for a reason.  Love, joy, bliss, peace, kindness, beauty, and grace come from the Universe’s heart and are there for everyone to enjoy and bask in.