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Religion and Spirituality
by Jackie Wellman
There is a natural tendency to
associate spirituality with religion, but they are very different. That I did
not know before I researched and wrote "Spiritual Clarity." Religion is an
organized system of beliefs in and the worship of God or gods. Spirituality
is finding your own authentic self. Each individual needs to find their own
way to spirituality and if that includes religion, so be it. Some people
will be perfectly content to just believe as they are told, others will need
more. Nothing is wrong with either path.
There are so many problems in the world today. Religion should help reduce
conflict and suffering, not be another source of conflict. God definitely
cannot plan everything because of all the horribly cruel events that
studying history reveals. Unless God is into cruelty and I do not believe
that is the case. I do not picture a man standing in the heavens planning
with detail brutal events.
In one of his books, "The Art of Happiness," His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
talked about the fact that religious beliefs are good but even without
religious beliefs, people get buy. In some cases, they even manage better.
Beliefs or no beliefs are each person's right. He added that there is
another level of spirituality that is what he calls basic spirituality - the
basic human qualities of goodness, kindness, caring, and compassion. This
kind of spirituality is essential. He considers the second level of
spirituality or basic spirituality to be more important than the first. I
believe that also. Society would be a mess and no one would be happy without
the presence of these basic spiritual values. A church is not necessary to
acheive these values for some people, although some do need a little extra
guidance.
That makes me wonder if there ever was a person planning to murder someone
else. while reading the Bible he or she decided against it because of the
commandments?
Did you know Stalin was headed for the priesthood before politics
sidetracked him? Pol Pot was a monk?
Does it make sense that the creator of the whole world and all that is in
the universe is the same God in our own religion, so everyone else is
mistaken?
Jackie Wellman, author of Spiritual Clarity
www.hoppy.bravehost.com
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