This post is all over the place. I bit off much more than I could chew. Religion and spirituality are large topics. In my goal of starting a regular writing practice though I wanted to write about a subject that I had a lot to say about (even if they are mostly questions). So it is mainly my stream of consciousness, but I have to start somewhere. I would love to hear your thoughts on these topics so add your own comments. Inevitably given that religion and spirituality is such a personal and at times, divisive topic the things I have written and the questions I raise may offend some of the people that read this blog. I do not mean to offend or insult anyone.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about religion and spirituality. Its purpose, goals, significance in people’s lives, and obviously what I would like to believe and what makes sense to me. According to a study done by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life the number of people identifying as “religious unaffiliated” is growing. I find this really interesting. What are the reasons behind this? I may have scanned this article too quickly, but I didn’t find any good reasons outlined here. Is it because some organized religions have strict definitions and are rigid in their doctrines? But people can choose their place along their community’s religious spectrum from orthodox to liberal. Has the level of faith decreased in this country? Do we no longer see any need to connect with something beyond ourselves? What of movies like What the Bleep Do We Know? How does our desire to explain religion through science impact the concept of faith which some people would say cannot be explained?
The other phrase I hear a lot is “I’m spiritual, not religious”. Are these two labels separate entities, as if to say I believe in something, but I refuse to label it? Can you be one and not the other? Do they not overlap? Is spirituality more of a belief system for the 21st century because it allows people to pick and choose their beliefs from different traditional/non-traditional religions? Or is spirituality more connected to actions and doing rather than just believing in religious doctrine?
When I mentioned to a friend that I was trying to write about these topics he suggested I write about what he referred to as “man-made” religions such as Scientology. I apologize to those that this will offend, but I thought to myself aren't all religions man-made? Do the origins of a religion matter more than what the actual practices of the religion are? I understand there is definite value in organized religion. I don’t discount it or write it off. But there are aspects to it that seem counterintuitive in my opinion. First of all, I don’t understand the exclusionary nature of religion. “I am _______ (fill in the blank with a religion) and you are not and therefore I am going to ‘heaven’ (or some version of this) and you are not, therefore I am superior to you, therefore you are one of the lost and I am one of the saved…etc.” Aren’t the underlying tenets of the major religions more similar than they are different?
There is much writing dedicated to the idea that historically religions were one method of corralling, controlling and managing people. Some people find this idea offensive. By bringing people together and having them agree to a set of prescribed beliefs it helps eliminate the nonconformists, rabble-rousers and anarchists. (Ok, that is dramatic, but you get my point.) Religion can provide a sense of order for people, an explanation for why things happen, a disciplined structure. It can provide solace to deal with the difficult nature of life events. But do most people think critically and examine the religion they label themselves as a part of before assigning that label to themselves?
The question I continually return to is what about the people that are not facing an extreme struggle such as an illness, addiction, poverty, war, abuse, etc? What about someone not focused on healing, solving or curing something?
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