Meditation for September 3rd, 2016
The Differences Between Spirituality and Religion
Some people say that they are spiritual and not religious. No one but me will say that I am religious and not spiritual. Some say that religion is for people that are afraid to go to hell and that spirituality is for people that have already been to hell, but I say that spirituality is for people that haven’t enjoyed hell and religion is for people that think hell kicks ass.
What are the differences? Being published blogger, I have some answers.
Religion has clear guidelines, spirituality is just willy nilly
Religion has been around awhile and has only slowly evolved over the years, but mainly stays the same. The last actual big change to religion was some desert nomads stating that there was one true God and not many. The fact that religion is stable, clear, and set in stone makes religion easy to follow.
Spirituality is usually a huge pile of shit that people with no business being in a position of authority taking handfuls of this shit and stating that this mix of eastern and western spiritual practices are cool. Have you noticed how flaky spiritual people are?
Religion is based on fear, spirituality is based on nothing better to do
Most religious people are scared. They are scared of death and what happens to those they love after they die. Religion has a beginning, but it also has a violent end. Religion helps people get ready for such horrible situations that the situation that actually happens turns out to be alright.
Spirituality just comes from being bored and living in a nice home and you have lots of time, so why not learn how to meditate and do yoga?
Religion tells you the truth, spirituality is just made up as you go
The great thing about religious dogma is that it’s true even if it isn’t. Religion is based on certain truths that the Gods, or God, wants you, his or her creation, to know.
Spirituality is just made up as a person goes. Mostly borrowing from the best parts of terrible third world nation religions.
Religion is different from other religions, spirituality is just different
There isn’t one religion. There are three or four. There are other adorable little cults that consider themselves religions, but really they are just slivers off of the main trees of religion. These religions are not stoked about themselves, and even some sects of the same religion are not stoked about the other sect, but at least there is a clear defining sect that one can be a part of.
Spirituality is just all over the place. They say that there is right in all religion, but that is like saying all college football teams are good. THERE IS A SCIENTIFIC RANKING SYSTEM HERE!
Religion makes you belong, spirituality makes you alone and weird
Religion is a place we can find community and practice common rituals. We marry at church, we become adults at church, we bless our children at church and we celebrate our lives after we pass on at church.
When you just burn incense, practice yoga and read self-help books, you just sit there with your cats wishing you had a friend.
Religion has rewards and punishments, spirituality has karma and reincarnation
Religion believes that God loves us like children, which makes sense since he, or she, made us. And like a father, or mother, God punishes us when we’re bad. He, or she, believes that we should only believe that he, or she, is our parent. He, or she, believes that we follow his, or her’s, list of morals, and that we help others to find this path. When we don’t we do not get to be with him, or her, after we die and we suffer in a lake of fire and fry.
Spirituality is all about karma. We aren’t nice we stub our toe. We live a shitty life we come back a worm. In fact there are no rules when it comes to karma or reincarnation, just that it happens. At least with religion you can have a good life even if you are an asshole and you only have one life. YOLO, bitches!
Religion makes you follow others’ journeys, spirituality makes you make up your own journey
Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Tim Allen. These are all religious figures that we look to as examples of a blessed life. We all go through material greed. We all go through a time of depression and regret. We are all tempted of more power and wealth and then we all shun our belongings to live in caves and teach others. This is following others. All the saints are the same way. That is why all people who are religious don’t have jobs, homes, families or a lot of possessions, they are homeless shouting their lessons from street corners.
Spiritual people are selfish job having, home living, family making, possession having charlatans shouting from gyms, coffee shops, and bars about the greatness of yoga, crossfit, and deprivation tanks. Spiritual people make everything up as they go, but that makes them sad and directionless. They have fallen for the devil’s temptations.