Today, there are growing numbers of people who are embracing spirituality rather than religion. Many are doing so because they believe spirituality gives them the freedom to worship The Creator in any manner they choose. For them, religion is too restrictive and dogmatic to allow for spiritual freedom.
Even though, many of the new spirituality groups maintain strong beliefs in The Creator (God), they believe true spiritual enlightenment is achieved by independent-thinking spiritual seekers.
Moreover, to achieve spiritual enlightenment, one must develop a personal, intimate relationship with The Creator. And this relationship can only be attained by those who are free of organized religions. They believe spirituality doesn't require them to belong to, or attend, any religious organization.
From my perspective, this new wave of spirituality has the basic same goal and problems as the religions that they're criticizing for being restrictive. And that is: How can I contact The Creator and develop a personal, intimate relationship, with God? With this as a goal, spirituality restricts its believers in much the same way as organized religion.
Let's examine this claim a little further. When our lives enter into the deep, murky waters of pain and suffering, we frequently turn to God for help in navigating the troubled waters. For many of us wading through the troubled waters of life, we feel too helpless to turn inward for guidance.
Whenever we feel helpless in life, there's a tendency to turn to religion, prayer, and meditation rather than an unknown inner power. When we perceive ourselves drowning in debts, suffering personal losses, and embodying helplessness, we are apt to become adherents to daily prayer, meditation, and religion to access God's grace.
Similarly, by accepting prayer, meditation, and religion as effective methods of contacting God, we loose sight of who we are, and what our responsibilities are in solving our own problems. Consequently, it's easier for us to focus on the effectiveness of spirituality and religion rather than our own shortcomings.
In many instances, religion and spirituality, are just words we use to persuade others about the closeness of our relationship with The Creator (God). Far too many of us use spirituality and religion as ego-trumping claims to elevate ourselves over others.
In the meantime, with swelled chests and minds, we tout spirituality and religion as sole-source providers of spiritual empowerment. Some of us become so enmeshed in our new found spiritual highs that we use personal confessions to persuade others of our spiritual superiority.
The spiritual surrogates claiming divine relationships with The Creator talk eloquently and passionately about how God helped them to get out of debt, get a new or better job, or get over the loss of a loved one, or overcome a bad relationship.
When you stop for a moment to think about someone thanking The Creator for leaving an abusive relationship, or paying delinquent bills, it seems a little silly. It's similar to thanking God for someone making a three-pointer to win a basketball game. Or, thanking God for an award received from some organization for entertaining audiences with songs, acting, philanthropy, and speeches.
Yet, we rarely, if ever, thank God for our debts, abusive relationships, unhappy lifestyles, and overall dissatisfaction with our careers. Somehow, we think someone other than God, or us, is responsible for the unpleasant things in our lives.
Nevertheless, like it or not, we are responsible for the things that make us happy and unhappy. We achieve our goals because we work to do so. On the other hand, we feel unhappy whenever we fail to achieve our goals. When either one happens to us, we don't hold spirituality and religion responsible, or The Creator, nor do we blame ourselves.
While we search for reasons as to why we're in the midst of an economic and social depression, overcome with deep spiritual fears, we continue to believe that some people are destined to have riches and powers while others are destined for poverty and helplessness. Unfortunately, by clinging to these types of beliefs, we limit our options of achieving freedom to wealth, happiness and hard work.
In the meantime, the spirituality adherents might find joy in embracing this existentialistic-like view. It sounds better. It's more contemporary. While those with more traditional religious beliefs might find it difficult to believe that anything can be accomplished in life without having a strong commitment to God.
Many of us continue to cling to religion and spirituality to help us, because we believe we can't help ourselves. Perhaps, we feel this way because we have been taught to think this way. By clinging to beliefs that minimize our individual powers, we fit in with the rest of the world.
I think most of us will agree that to solve any problem, you need the requisite skills, the proper tools, and the commitment to believe in, and use your tools. If religion or spirituality is your tool, you must understand that you're the skilled craftsman using the tools. In other words, they are just tools for you to use in solving your problems.
Meanwhile, whether we're spirituality or religion adherents, most of us find it difficult to clearly articulate our relationship with The Creator. Even those who profess spiritual superiority over others, struggle in their attempts to convince us that The Creator has endowed them with Godlike power.
I imagine they find it quite challenging to explain how The Creator's power became available to a single, confused, individual overcome with fear, worry, and struggle. That's quite a stretch.
Whether we like it or not, it is our inner spiritual desires that guide us to religion, spirituality, and God. And the rightness or wrongness of these beliefs are determined by billions of confused, helpless people seeking God's grace.
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