In my own personal cosmology, spirituality is "personal faith" - it works for you, it's perfect for you, and you can share it with anyone who expresses interest in understanding your own private philosophy. But other than that willful sharing, it has no bearing on other people's lives.
Religion, on the other hand, is "structured faith" - it works for you, and you're pretty certain it works for others, too, so you find like-minded people to share your life with. (And the problems arise when the overly zealous find unlike-minded people that threaten their worldview with alien views of liberty and happiness.)
According to these personal definitions, I regard spirituality as one of the most majestic things humanity has ever conceived of, and religion as one of the most horrible evils ever to scourge the planet. Mass conformity of mind to any given orthodox pantheon inevitably leads to metaphysical nation-building, in which the game becomes "believe as we do or die," or at the very least "believe as we do or go to Hell." The very concept of any alternate viewpoint is seen as dangerous competition, and the idea of an entirely separate, individual spirituality is completely alien as well. It's funny how the Chosen People *always* seem to include the speaker, no matter what their beliefs may be! (I'm lumping Muslim extremism, Christianity, and everything else in here, because they're organized; but I've had the least difficulty with proponents of eastern Asian religions.)
As you might have guessed, I have no problem with Christ, and lots of problems with Christians. These beliefs of mine are based on personal experiences (very deeply in the negative!) whose particulars I really don't feel like getting into.
Suffice it to say that, after repeated warnings to leave me alone, I've threatened more than one fervent Christian proselytizer with death, and I'm sure it will happen again in the future. Religion, and its proponents, bring out the worst in me.
:angry:
Nice topic, though.
:lol:
Religion, on the other hand, is "structured faith" - it works for you, and you're pretty certain it works for others, too, so you find like-minded people to share your life with. (And the problems arise when the overly zealous find unlike-minded people that threaten their worldview with alien views of liberty and happiness.)
According to these personal definitions, I regard spirituality as one of the most majestic things humanity has ever conceived of, and religion as one of the most horrible evils ever to scourge the planet. Mass conformity of mind to any given orthodox pantheon inevitably leads to metaphysical nation-building, in which the game becomes "believe as we do or die," or at the very least "believe as we do or go to Hell." The very concept of any alternate viewpoint is seen as dangerous competition, and the idea of an entirely separate, individual spirituality is completely alien as well. It's funny how the Chosen People *always* seem to include the speaker, no matter what their beliefs may be! (I'm lumping Muslim extremism, Christianity, and everything else in here, because they're organized; but I've had the least difficulty with proponents of eastern Asian religions.)
As you might have guessed, I have no problem with Christ, and lots of problems with Christians. These beliefs of mine are based on personal experiences (very deeply in the negative!) whose particulars I really don't feel like getting into.
Suffice it to say that, after repeated warnings to leave me alone, I've threatened more than one fervent Christian proselytizer with death, and I'm sure it will happen again in the future. Religion, and its proponents, bring out the worst in me.
:angry:
Nice topic, though.
:lol: