Where religion seeks to connect a person to their god, organized religion seeks to keep a person at arms length (or more) from their god and from each other.

I prefer to separate the concepts by the terms “spirituality” and “religion”. Religion assigns a label to a persons belief and merely groups them together with other people who think the same way. In other words, “religion” is organized by default.

Spirituality can be individual. And, while spirituality is rather harmless on it’s own, it’s still kidding oneself. It seems to me that it’s irrational to convince yourself, or have a “belief”, in something that’s improvable. It’s like me saying that I’m convinced the color of the universe is green. Well, I can’t know what the color of the universe is, because it’s beyond being observable by definition.

If I define my spirituality in that manner, I become BSC.

There is only one true spirituality in this existence. And here is the great and divine truth;

I don’t know why anything exists.

If you try to explain it beyond that – you’re making shit up and kidding yourself.

Todd- Thanks for another thoughtful comment. Yes, if birds of a feather feel like flocking together, I’ve no problem with that, as long as they remember that their spiritual views do not give them the right to run everyone elses life. It’s fine to educate others about your beliefs, if they want to know. It’s another to force feed it throguh legislation or door to door sales.

Martian- Thanks. We can mutually enjoy each others blogs. Hope to hear from you again.

Shea- Beautiful illustration! It woould be easy to become confused if you tried to understand all of those before you could make a choice. Easier, simplier, and probably more spiritual to just keep it simple. Play nice, treat people well, don’t trash the neighborhood…it’ll all work out fine in the end. Many thanks!

What about:

Babism
Bahá’í
Bahá’í Faith
Orthodox Bahá’í Faith
Islam
Ahmadiyya
Kharijites
Nation of Islam
Shiite
Alawites
Ismailis
Jafari
Zaiddiyah
Sunni
Berailvi
Deobandi
Hanafi
Hanbali
Maliki
Mu’tazili
Shafi’i
Wahhabi
Sufism
Bektashi
Zikri
Druzism
Judaism
Karaite Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Haredi Judaism
Hassidic Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Reform Judaism
Conservative Judaism (Masorti)
Reconstructionist Judaism
Humanistic Judaism
Historical Sects
Hasmoneans
Essenes
Pharisees
Sadducees
Zealots
Sicarii
Ebionites
Elkasites
Nazarenes
Talmidis
Crypto-Jews
Marranos
Conversos
Jewish messianic movements
Frankists
Sabbatians
Donmeh
Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy
Roman Catholicism
Oriental Orthodoxy (Monophysitism)
Nestorianism
Protestantism
Anabaptists
Anglicans
Baptists
Lutherans
Methodists
Pentecostals
Reformed
Calvinism
Presbyterian
Society of Friends (Quakers)
Waldensians
Mormonism
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Judeochristianity
Adventism
Seventh-day Adventist
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Samaritans
Mandaeanists
Rastafarians
Black Hebrews
Agama Hindu Dharma (Javanese Hinduism)
Shaivism
Shaktism
Smartism
Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism
ISKCON (Hare Krishna)
Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission
Ayyavazhi
Samkhya
Nyaya
Vaisheshika
Purva mimamsa
Vedanta (Uttar Mimamsa)
Advaita Vedanta
Integral Yoga
Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga
Hatha yoga
Siddha Yoga
Tantric Yoga
Buddhism (see Schools of Buddhism)
Mahayana
Nikaya schools (which have historically been called Hinayana in the West)
Theravada
Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism)
Jainism
Digambara
Shvetambara
Sikhism
Ayyavazhi
Zoroastrianism
Magus (see Three Wise Men)
Gnosticism
Basilidians
Bogomils
Borborites
Cainites
Carpocratians
Cathars
Marcionism (not entirely Gnostic)
Ophites
Valentinians (see Valentinius)
African religions
Akamba mythology
Akan mythology
Ashanti mythology
Bushongo mythology
Bwiti
Dahomey mythology
Dinka mythology
Efik mythology
Egyptian mythology
Isoko mythology
Khoikhoi mythology
Lotuko mythology
Lugbara mythology
Pygmy mythology
Tumbuka mythology
Yoruba mythology
Zulu mythology
European religions
Anglo-Saxon mythology
Basque mythology
Druidry (Celtic Religion)
Finnish mythology
Greek religion
Greek mythology
Mystery religions
Eleusinian Mysteries
Mithraism
Pythagoreanism
Norse mythology
Roman religion
Roman mythology
Slavic mythology
Babylonian and Assyrian religion
Babylonian mythology
Chaldean mythology
Sumerian mythology
Bön (Indigenous Tibetan belief)
Chinese mythology
Shinto
Oomoto
Tengrism (Indigenous Mongol, Tartar & Kazakh belief)
Yezidis (Modified indigenous Kurdish belief)
Abenaki mythology
Aztec mythology
Blackfoot mythology
Chippewa mythology
Creek mythology
Crow mythology
Guarani mythology
Haida mythology
Ho-Chunk mythology
Huron mythology
Ibo mythology
Inuit mythology
Iroquois mythology
Kwakiutl mythology
Lakota mythology
Lenape mythology
Navaho mythology
Nootka mythology
Pawnee mythology
Salish mythology
Seneca mythology
Tsimshian mythology
Ute mythology
Zuni mythology
Australian Aboriginal mythology
Balinese mythology
Maori mythology
Modekngei (Republic of Palau)
Nauruan indigenous religion
Polynesian mythology
Ásatrú
Church of All Worlds
Dievturiba
Ghost Dance
Neo-druidism
Judeo-Paganism
Hellênismos
Kumina
Obeah
Santería (Lukumi)
Voudun
Candomblé
Macumba
Umbanda and Quimbanda
Xango
Summum
Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca
Dianic Wicca (Feminist Wicca)
Gardnerian Wicca
Faery Wicca
Feri Tradition
Carvaka
Confucianism
Fellowship of Reason
Spiritual Humanism
Mohism
Taoism
Demonolatry
Dragon Rouge
Satanism
LaVeyan Satanism
Church of Satan
Order of Nine Angles
Setianism also spelled Sethianism
Temple of Set
The Storm
Quimbanda
Arès Pilgrim Movement
Cao Dai
Falun Dafa (Falun Gong)
Huna
Konkokyo
Law of One
Manichaeism
Unitarian Universalism
Universal Life Church
Tenrikyo
Theosophy
Seicho-No-Ie
Ayahuasca-based beliefs
Church of the Universe (marijuana sacrament)
Peyotism
THC Ministry
Burkhanism
Cargo cults
Ghost Dance
Native American Church
Rastafarianism
Umbanda
Candomble
Sai Baba/Sathya Sai Organisation
Hare Krishna
Transcendental Meditation
Sant Mat
Swaminarayan
Vedanta Society
Osho/Rajneeshism
Meher Baba (actually a Zoroastrian)
Subud
Ahmadi
Baha’i
Dances of Universal Peace
Said Nursi
Nation of Islam (Black Muslims)
Unification Church
Jesus People
Children of God
People’s Temple
Pentecostalism
Holiness movement
Iglesia ni Cristo
Soka Gakkai
Won Buddhism
Hoa Hao
Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
I-Kuan Tao
Falun Gong
Tenrikyo
Seicho no Ie
Johrei or Reiki
Oomoto
Soka Gakkai
Aum Shinrikyo
Chondogyo
Unification Church
Caodaism
Hoa Hao
Theosophy
Golden Dawn
Gurdjieff Work
Spiritualism
Eckankar
Thelema
Argenteum Astrum
Fraternitas Saturni
Ordo Templi Orientis
Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis
Church of Jesus Christ Christian
World Church of the Creator (Creativity Movement)
Church of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Nuwaubianism
The Aetherius Society
Raelism
Scientology
Church of Scientology
Free Zone
Urantia, Book of
Aum Shinrikyo (Aleph)
Breatharianism (Air cult)
Brianism
Church Universal and Triumphant
Eckankar
Elan Vital
Faithists of Kosmon
Juche
Order of the Solar Temple
Process Church of the Final Judgement
Kardecist Spiritism
Subud
Virus, The Church of Yoism

I’m so confused!

Organized religion serves a great purpose as long as it does not cross the line of intrusively spreading its philkosophy. All my humble opinion, of course. I like your non-confrontational approach to all of your topics.

Roximoon- And Hallelujah! Thanks for dropping by.

La Bona- And an interesting article it was, though I’m not sure I agree with the analogy. Thanks for sharing though.

Eddy- I don’t have a problem with disorganized religion at all, as it would lead to less dependence on the corrupt institution of the church and the power it wields over individuals. What’s wrong with seeking your god in your own way, without some church blessings?
And I don’t think people fear organized religion as much as they are tired of its dupicity and dishonesty. Glad for your two cents on this.

Anonymous- But couldn’t enlightenment also be found without succombing to all the trappings of the organized church? What’s wrong with a handy guidebook? Not that I have a problem with folks getting together to worship together…just think that organized religion is often used for less divine purposes. Thanks for the comment.

Todd- No new religion here. As for the benefits of organized religion…I think they do exist, but have little real religious value other than a shared superficial element. To merely claim membership to a church is not true religion. It’s no different than joining the chess club and agreeing to play by the same set of rules, whatever they may be. Hope to hear from you again.

Raven- Thank you for the nice comment.

Eko- Your post goes well with my thoughts here. I just wonder about the line- “if you don’t follow the law (of god, per the preachers) you will suffer some sort of peril” (paraphrased) and wonder how this attitude of the past is any different from organized religions today? Seems to me that this kind of thinking is a driving force behind the missionary and sometimes radical conversion efforts of Christianity and Islam to name a few. Glad you dropped by again.

Shea- Haven’t read much Freud so I’m not qualified to comment on his works, but in general I’m not a big fan of organized religion either. Thanks for chiming in.

Nigel- Thanks for concisely pointing out the difference between spirituality and religion. I agree with this thought and your final statement. Glad you dropped by.

To all- Something I received in an e-mail seems appropriate here:

“Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that ‘God
helps those who help themselves.’ That is, three out of four
Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core
of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact
uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. The
thing is, not only is Franklin’s wisdom not biblical; it’s
counter-biblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message,
with its radical summons to love of neighbor.”

– Author Bill McKibben, in his Harper’s magazine essay, “The Christian Paradox”

I think that one can commune with God with out being religious, and the connection one feels in doing so is spirituality at its most initimate, pure, and life affirming level. Spirituality requires true faith and belief, religion requires strict, unquestioning adherence to dogma; it is anything but life affirming, as religion uses fear to coerce people into complying with the dogma of the sect. Fear of God, fear of hell, fear of being ostracized from one’s community.

Having said that, I think the world would be a much better place if people became more spiritual and less religious.