Religion v. Spirituality?

Recently I have had several discussions with people regarding things of a higher, more noble plane. Discussions should always strive to make us, and those around us better. They should never diminish us or others in any way. Gratefully, I have been blessed to be with good people who seek, as do I, for further light and knowledge throughout our sojourn here on earth.

In our discussions, my mind has often turned toward religion and spirituality. I am tempted to use religion v. spirituality but that is not the way it should be and not the way it always is. Unfortunately, religion today is viewed by many people as something that in fact impedes spiritual growth. Why is that? It is my belief that it is because the religions they have experienced have in fact done just that, kept them from true spiritual enlightenment and living.

Just to be sure that we all are on the same page, religion for me is a certain set of beliefs and/or rituals followed and practiced, typically by a group of people. Spirituality is the growth of the soul in personal understanding about who we are, where we came from & where we are going as well as those virtues that refine and eventually perfect a being through light, knowledge and spirit.

Religion - true religion - with all of its guidelines, teachings and ordinances should be a tool in the hands of God to provide direction, experiences and opportunities for spiritual enlightenment and therefore spiritual growth and development.

God, our Heavenly Father, loves all of His children and desires that we gain the same spiritual plane that He now stands upon. Hence, He has shared His works and words to spiritual men and women through the ages in an effort to answer their earnest quest for spiritual growth and satisfaction.

I know there is a God and I believe that He has inspired the founders of all of the great religions and made them instruments in His hands to do more than just enlighten themselves, but to bring their whole society to a higher plane.

When religion, in my opinion, becomes the hands of men rather than the hands of God it ceases to have that same spiritual power that it once did. People come to eat at the table, but they leave still hungry. At what point does it become the hands of men? I feel that religion of any kind ceases to edify when it closes the mind and creates enmity between mankind. At that point it can no longer provide the spiritual development that it promises because true spirituality embraces all truth and light as well as love and equality among all men.

People are hungry and can you blame them? The great religions are also the icons of the great divide among men and ideas. Those very tools that were intended to provide spiritual growth for their followers have in fact lead them on for so long only doing the motions - telling the stories of the great prophets but failing to write new chapters. I believe that God can and does still speak with us today and that we can hear Him if we will tap into His spirit.

We can turn it around - I believe in a better tomorrow. I only believe it will come though as enmity dies and minds and hearts open to the Spirit of Truth and Enlightenment. Let us all seek for true religion and for sincere spirituality.