spirituality and other intellectual bores.

[pushyouaround]

actually, don't let my subject fool you...i find spirituality one of the most interesting topics to discuss with people. especially lately because i have progressed into a truly metaphysical part of my life which causes me to question anything and attempt to understand everything

Comments

[_wrong]

i absolutely agree with you. i, too, was raised lutheran, and ended up "giving up" on god around 13 or 14 when i was knee-deep in (what i thought was) teenage hell. i once admitted this to my sister, who immediately told my mother, and i was shunned by her for awhile. although, in an ironic twist, it became clear to me when i was an older teen that my parents had only taken me to church in the first place to save face. my mother gave up on god after my dad cheated on her. once my dad saw that his taking us to church didn't show to the courts that he was a great dad, he stopped. it was just getting up early on sunday mornings to him and parading us in front of the community.

my mother has since claimed a personal faith and no longer attends church services, something that i wholly admire and agree with. in addition to all of these family issues, my married pastor was caught kissing the preschool teacher at our church. i've lost all faith in organized religion: not only because it stifles individuality and the preciousness of faith in our own personal relationship with god, buddha, whatever, but it teaches you to respect and obey leaders who are extremely fallible.

anyway, this is an overly long comment to say that i agree, not only on the issue of personal faith but that of being open to all religions. i appreciate that somebody was able to put all this in such an eloquent post.

[pushyouaround]

the thing is...religion is full of flaws because it was created and reenforced by mankind. how can we expect any religion to be perfect when humans fall short by so much?

organized religion satisfies nothing if only for a short period of time. what attracts people to it, is that they feel that their only source of faith may come from a building made of stone, in order for it to be valid. "i believe in god - i go to church" i've heard these statements so many times before. although it deserves recogition it is not the only way to god.

just as your mom realized, its about a personal relationship with whatever diety you choose to worship. lately i have personally been fascinated by the celtic and pagan traditions...but then when i study buddhism...it is even more attractive.

we can feel alive in anything and receive a spiritual awakening from whatever religion caters to our own personal joys. it is so obvious that we were made to love something greater than our own kind because the human capacity for emotion is amazing...and Jesus Christ, for some people, falls short. i love nature and the idea of enlightenment. hence my curiousness about eastern philosophy.

your comment is awesome. thank you for it.