Expand your mind
Religion is not
careful observation of rituals, instructions, rules, and commandments.
That's not the definition.
My religion is:
1. Ritual: I get up every morning and say thank you for being alive one more day. I get dressed (carefully observing that I put my pants and shirt on with the tag in the back)
2. Instructions: I fix something to eat. If I want something new, I usually read the instructions before fixing a meal. I do my prayer and add my little touch and I chow down before leaving out
3. Rules: Well, to catch the bus there are certain things I
must do for my to get from point A to point B. Of course, I look at the schedule, stand at the bus stop, pay for the bus, and pull the cord when I need to stop. I follow these rules because they lead to a better transport to where I want to go without interuption.
This is part of my religion. My daily routine. No different than prayer and any other religious thing I do. It's gratitude for life and being productive in it.
4. Commandments: Can you imagine if I don't follow the rules in class, what would happen? I'd probably flunk the class. If I cheat on the test because I wanted to be "spiritual and not religious" then my grades will reflect on the
lack of discipline towards this ritual of taking quizzes and tests to pass school. Discipline is in all religions. Without it, why and how are ye religious?
Someone who is spiritual and not religious, I see kind of like this:
1. Ritual: "Oh. Lala. I believe in god. I love god".
So? What do you do that lets me know you believe.
"Oh, nothing. It's just a feeling inside me and my consciousness or heart sings when god talks to me."
"Oh, that's nice" I say. "What has god done through you?"
"AAhh... what do you mean?"
2. Instructions: Yeah, I believe in god. But god doesn't tell me to do anything. I just do everything on my own. Oh yeah, if I wanted to pray to god, I can pray anyway I want to in any order. Don't worry about the Bible. Let me throw those
instructions aside and just do as I please
3. Rules: Since I'm spiritual and not religious, and don't need god's instructions, why follow his rules? I mean, I still love god and all.
"Well, how do you love him if you don't follow his rules and instructions?"
"Because he is the light inside me."
"That's nice poetry" I comment. (Christians have a lot of poetic talk) "but you mean god doesn't have
guidelines and rules for how you should conduct your life? So Jesus died for nothing?"
4. Commandments: While Moses can keep the commandments, so do the Jews, so do the Apostles, the Gentiles do not need to keep the commandments. No. If they are spiritual and not religious, the commandments (rules of obedience) from their god is useless.
From a christian perspective, spiritual and not religious sounds like that christian wants to be god. Literally acting as if they can do what god does for them because they don't want to discipline, guidence, and action of living for Christ.
THAT is religion (focusing on Christianty).
Outside of Christianity, religion is an umbrella term for what people
do when they practice their faith. If you feel your evangalization, reading scripture, prayer are filthy rags, I don't know what to say. However, I call that religion because that is something you do for god.
Or am I wrong?
