The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #100473   Message #2016053
Posted By: *daylia*
04-Apr-07 - 08:43 AM
Thread Name: BS: Have you changed your religious views?
Subject: RE: BS: Have you changed your religious views?
The way I understand it to date, religions are social institutions, while spirituality is personal. Religion is external, spiritual internal. Religion is for believing, spirituality is for experiencing. So, the religious views of my formative years evolve and change all the time, as I explore alternate viewa/doctrines, practice different forms(s) of personal spirituality, and make them my own in ways that are meaningful and helpful to me.

I saw that all these people believed in a different version of God, and so I figured they were all right, or none were right. I went with the 'none"

Hmmm. All of them are right in certain respects while falling short in others. And they are all different because they evolved as a function of the needs/desires of very different groups of people, at very different times and places.

Religious traditions/doctines do have something unique and valuable to offer those who are interested and enjoy exploring the "different", even though "different" can be scary, uncomfortable, threatening. Because underneath all those perceived differences, there are certain common golden threads of truth (ie that the purpose of human life is to learn to Love better - ourselves and others - for just one example) Finding those common threads and reflecting upon them is a delight and a privilege, for me.