Spirituality VS Religion

[Mari Torres]

It is crazy how something that is supposed to be of love and enlightenment has managed to create so much separation among millions of people all over the world.

Some say that people who choose spirituality do so because there are no rules and everything is acceptable, that is not the truth. As a person who has chosen spirituality VS Religion, there are still rules that I must follow and actions that I need to take everyday to follow in the path that I know God would want me to follow.

My relationship with God is Everlasting, I am here for him, because of him and will continue to do what God inspires me to do everyday. I will not allow a Religion to dictate my relationship with God, nor will I allow myself to be judged by People who spend their life convincing or trying to convince people that their religion is the True one with so many others to choose from.

What is your take?
Audio/Video/Text Chat about this topic HERE!

[Darryl Williams]

Mari, I am in the process of listening to the archive from toady and I could kick myself that I wasn't able to be with you all. I will make the conversation tomorrow night. And yes, Michael Beckwith is a very inspiring person. I commend you for taking on this topic and it is so very interesting that people are so open to spirit and non-responsive ro religion.Stay in your flow my sista, and I wil talk with you later.

D.A.

[Mari Torres]

thank you D.A. This is a topic that I am very passionate about. I wish that people would learn to listen and respect what others believe in, that way we could learn more about each other.

I look forward to talking with you about this tomorrow!

Mari

[Cendrine Marrouat]

I am late on replying to this topic. Here is my take on this everlasting debate.

Originally, religion was spirituality. That's what Man has done over the course of time that has turned it into something nasty.

I was baptised in the Catholic faith. I rejected it. Now, I am a Christian. Why? Because Christ is (and this is only my personal opinion) the only human being in the whole history that has told us to Love and Enjoy what we have. He never asked us to follow any rules but the ones that make us happy and fulfilled. He also reminds us that sins are simple mistakes that can be forgiven any time. That explains why every religion in the world recognises Jesus Christ...

Christiany is religion as well as spirituality. As a Christian, I have never felt judged. When I was a Catholic, I felt rejected and condemned for my lifestyle.

Human religions divide. Spirituality unifies.

[Mari Torres]

I think it is so interesting to see how our beliefs shape our lives!

[Vennie]

I can say honestly that I have a little bad taste in my mouth with religion. The women in my family and my Irish family heritage come from a long line of Holistic Healers (or witches if you want to call them that). They/We have all dealt with constant persecution from "Christians" over our chosen and destined life paths. We've also had to deal with our rituals (All Hallowed Eve/Beltaine/Samhaim, etc) being stolen by the "american" settlers (they stole quite a lot of things from folks, didn't they?) and turned them into Christian Holidays.

The History of Religion and Christianity is an extremely deep and involved subject. Many people have been stripped from their natural rituals (African Americans who have been forced to believe in Christianity because slave masters did not allow them to perform their own rituals; Pagans who were drowned, persecuted in the Witch Hunts). We're bitter over this. I definitely am a little. I wonder how much different things would have been if we'd been allowed to hold onto our ancestory more and not force fed Christian retoric.

Organized religion has a tendancy to be controlling, to swindle folks out of their money by way of "tithing" and I steer really far away from it. But my circle of spiritual friends is very wide spread, and I respect all of their beliefs. I won't judge others for their own way of living. This is what makes us diverse. This is what allows us to learn from one another. In all things we should walk in love, and in doing so we become the closest we can get to The Divine, God, Buddah, Allah, whatever one wishes to call him/her. In the end, it all points to the same purpose, which is to become love for one another and thereby bringing peace to the world.

[Mari Torres]

Very very interesting, This is why I love learning about other people and their beliefs. What truly units us as people is our spirituality our souls. When we acknowledge it relevance everything becomes much more clear!

Thank you for sharing this with us Vennie!