Religion and Spirituality

~~a place for exploration, thought, and renewal~~

If enlightenment is not where you are standing, where will you look?
--Zen saying

WARNING: Do not read this page if you are easily offended by religious thought that is not your own!!!

Religious thought is an extremely personal and private thing. It is my aim to present information for a variety of religious traditions which have impacted or influenced my own. For the most part, I am interested in comparative religion, mystical traditions, and the varying ways that different religions and individual worshippers approach the Divine. It is interesting to me how an individual’s personal outlook shapes how they choose a religion, the way they understand their holy books, how their deity(-ies) look and act, and the way they interpret the rules and tenets of their faith.

Religious belief is not so "logical" as science; people do a disservice to themselves and to knowledge in general when they try to apply the rules of one discipline, such as philosophy, to another discipline, such as medicine or religion. Religion and science are simply different things and should be understood as such, or there will never be any progress toward peace within the spirit. Philosophy can answer how one should approach ethics or a good life, things that have traditionally formed part of the religious corpus, but only religion and spirituality can answer questions such as "why do I exist?" or "what does it take for the spirit to heal and can it do so alone?" In the past, religion has been less spiritual than dictatorial, but this is changing and has not always been so in any case. Religion is re-learning how to address the current concerns of the worshippers, such as our current environmental crisis or finding a place for women within traditionally male systems. To live is to change, and religions are coming to terms with that.

Religion and philosophy both are ways that I try to continue growing personally and spiritually. Without the questions that both disciplines ask (such as "can an ethical action be done unethically or with unethical intent?"), I would likely stagnate and only reinforce the negative behaviours that modern life creates within most individuals. Many views which at first glance seem very different from one another are actually quite similar, such as existentialism and Taoism which both find joy at the base of life, and life at the base of joy. Simone de Beauvoir starts to sound a lot like Li Po quite quickly. Love and light are at the heart of most traditions and philosophies, and it is that I claim as my religion, and the aspects of religions that fit that are the religions that I claim, no matter what their names might be.

Religious eclecticism or integrationism--it has a dirty name, as if it is somehow not "pure" enough. But I ask you...what is purer than finding the heart of something and loving that? How is it more pure to add centuries worth of individual interpretations to something and call it holy writ when no god or goddess ever spoke those words? Christianity, Wicca, Buddhism...they all revere the One (who is sometimes Three or Two), and the One is made of Love. How could they be at war or disrespect each other? I endeavour to integrate all aspects of whatever religion appeals to my heart, whatever words resonate within my spirit as being true to my vision of the Divine. If this seems irreligious, then so be it. I cannot and will not be untrue to the Voice that I hear within myself. I cannot hear a Voice within you. We can discuss any differences, but ultimately, religion and spirituality are not intellectual exercises, or rather should not be. They are parts of me, of all of us, elements of my very existence, and their terms cannot be dictated by the outside, for even the Voice of the Deity is from within, from that divine spark of life that gives me existence.

Remember--all gods are one god, and all roads lead to the truth.

We are more concerned about the meaning of dreams than about things we see when awake.
~~Diogenes

Spiritual Renewal/Meditations

A list of things to meditate upon or that may just make your day nicer. Also contains a list of interesting quotes on spiritual topics that will broaden your horizons and make you think.

Links Out of Here

The following pages provide useful and complete information about a variety of religious subjects. This a token list meant to encourage exploration and is in no way comprehensive.

Discordianism

Western Paganism

Eastern Religion and Philosophy

Christianity and Judaism

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