Religion Versus Spirituality

1. Simply, what is your religion/religious beliefs?

I don’t know that there’s a single path that I feel comfortable enough to call my own… So, for the sake of this survey, we’ll just agree that I tend to follow the Pagan faiths closely associated with Wicca, Shamanism and Druidism.


2. Do you feel comfortable with this belief or believe you should walk a different path? If you feel your path should be elsewhere, where do you feel you would be most comfortable?

I feel quite comfortable with the beliefs I have adopted for myself. However, that is not to say that I don’t feel the need to expand my horizons every now and then.


3. Describe in a short paragraph what you feel is the difference between religion and spirituality.

Religion is man-made. They are all the ideals and beliefs of a mass-mentality that have been structured and changed to fit what the majority seems willing to accept. They have countless guidelines and… rituals, if you will, that one of the similar path MUST follow, or risk some awful and terrible fate. Most monotheists claim that to be Hell in one incarnation or another. Spirituality is… knowing that there are powers above and beyond what you can see for yourself? If that makes any sense. You don’t have to wake up at four in the morning every Sunday and go to a little temple in order to show your faith - the same conviction can be found in one’s own home at one’s own leisure. Again, I feel like I’m failing miserably at explaining my side of things…


4. How do you feel about religious intolerance? Is there only one set of beliefs that should exist; or do you accept that each individual is entitled to their own beliefs? Moreso, would you accept that person into your life even with a different view?

I’m of the belief that ALL paths are one in the same - they just take slightly different routes to get to where we all want to be. Every faith/religion - be it monotheistic or polytheistic - adhere to the basic same principles: Do “good” in life and you’ll be rewarded; do “bad” in life and you’ll be punished. It seems to be that these very basic beliefs have been incorporated into every denomination on the planet, even those like Islam that most of us don’t understand. Despite the bad publicity the Muslims endure thanks to those radicals that take the teachings too far - and the same has been done in Christianity in the form of the Crusades - their beliefs are basically the same as Judaism and Christianity. Even Paganism.

What’s to say that my Goddess isn’t your Virgin Mary? According to Wicca, the Goddess [Mary] becomes pregnant after having intercourse with the God [God/Holy Spirit]. The God then dies, and the child grows within her womb. She gives birth to a new carnation of the God [Jesus}, and the cycle repeats itself. Now, some might look at that story and see only blatant incest relationships, but isn’t that what the Christians have been teaching for centuries? God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are ALL the same being. And, again, using Wicca as an example, the same trinity ideals are portrayed within the Goddess, who comes in the appearance of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Could they not be considered one in the same?

To get back to your question, I don’t think religious intolerance has any place in this world. We’re all very unique individuals, and as such, our ideals should be respected in the same regard. Just because I don’t believe in Hell as concretely as the next person doesn’t mean I’m wrong in any way, shape or form. Just like… I don’t think someone who spanks their child as a form of discipline is innately evil, I don’t want someone to think I’m evil just because I don’t see one man alone as the Lord and Savior of the entire human race.

And, of course, if you haven’t been able to gain any insight about my personal beliefs on the subject, I’m more than capable of enduring the company of someone who has different religious/spiritual beliefs than I do. In fact, I encourage it most of the time, but other people seem so… hesitant these days to share that kind of information.


5. I would like for you to quote me one religious/spiritual quote (does not have to be biblical) and interpret it into your own thoughts.

“Fear is the mind killer, I will face my fear, I will let it pass through me.” - Frank Herbert, Children of Dune.

...my brain seems to have stopped all the sudden. I picked this quote [with some help from a friend] because this is basically how I view "negativity." It will always be there, and there's nothing we can do about that. Our minds work in strange ways, and put us through so many tasks and trails throughout our lives that it drives some of us insane. Others, however, have learned to accept the fact that parasites exist in our lives, and we must give them little to no thought. We must simply let them pass us by, and alter their energies into something more positive.

In short, if we dwell so much on the negative, we'll never be able to see the positive. And in that, we'll wither away into nothingness, and let's face it... who really wants to live that kind of life?