Religion vs Spirituality

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between spirituality and religion is, here’s an interesting quote I came across…

The root of all religion, as I understand it, is love.

So the problem isn’t religion, per se. It’s the misuse of religion. I think we can all agree that religion has been disgracefully misused for power and control, and for ostracising minority groups and those of other belief systems, for the purpose of ‘divide and conquer’.

But I’m not bashing all religious people. I know some beautiful, open and loving religious people, including my own husband.

But I am not religious myself. 

Do I believe in God? Yes. Well, kind of…

And this is why I resonate so deeply with spirituality. With spirituality, I can pick and choose what I believe and what I practice. There are no rules or sins or control. And there’s certainly no fear.

Spirituality is non-judgemental. It’s vast and open and kind. It’s honest, it’s real, it’s practical. It’s welcoming, inclusive and beautifully imperfect. At least, in my experience.

I love the spectrum of spirituality. From those who simply think about the world around them, to those who go hunting for fairies. And everything in between. You can believe in karma, the law of attraction or energy, or you can believe in dimensions, past lives and angels. You can literally believe in anything that resonates.

I prefer to consider myself a fairly grounded spiritual person. I like a bit of ‘woo’, but there’s a lot of stuff out there that I just don’t resonate with.

Fundamentally, I believe that we’re all energetic beings, and that we all have incredible abilities of intuition, healing and self awareness. And whatever methods or tools you resonate with and choose to use to better your lives and the lives of others, is entirely up to you.

Yes, I think there are a lot of people out there doing dodgey shit and taking advantage of others. People who are perhaps more ego than kindness. But nobody is perfect, and we’re all on our own journeys, in this lifetime and possibly other lifetimes, too. Although I have made a conscious effort to try and distance myself from some of those who I perceive to be lacking in integrity. I’m sure they’re pleased to be rid of me, too 😂

Because, you see, spirituality is just like religion in that respect. It still involves people! And people will always be people. Good, bad or otherwise.

So maybe it’s time we stop pointing the finger at religion, and maybe just focus on the individuals instead. Do we resonate with them? Do they have good intentions? Are they kind? Or are they just a bit misguided? In my experience, this is often the case. And when you get to have a good, open conversation with them, you’ll often find some goodness within them.

Let’s face it, we’re all capable of being brain washed! And we all are, to some extent. Just some, seemingly a little more than others. This is something I learned through my own exploration of spirituality, and through my own observations of myself.

The core of both religion and spirituality is love. Let us all try and get back to that. To something we can all agree on 💛🙏🏻