Is religion limititation on spiritual growth?

Question

To explore the depths of the spirit or all the corners of the soul, you cannot be bound to one religion, because every religion has limits. To free your spirit, you have to free yourself of set beliefs and to do that you have to free yourself from religion.

How many religions teach spiritual exploration?

B: Yeah that's correct but adopting different beliefs can change what you believe to be 'real', if you grow up in a Islamic country with Islamic parents you will believe that Allah is the one true god who sent his Prophet Muhammad etc. if you grow up in a Atheist family you will believe all supernatural phenomena is myths that can be explained logically, if you grow up as a Christian you will believe Jesus is god etc. To explore the spirit you can believe any of these to be 'possible' but not necessary the ultimate truth and so you would explore the different ‘realities’ that each religion creates to see what ‘works’ best in your life for your ‘reality’.

travis r: ...but, 'faith' is a 'set belief' which is a limitation.

Answer 1

Religion is a lie. All religion is fairytale nonsense. Having a religion is like a spiritual surrender, and being a spiritual prisoner to yourself.

Answer 2

Religions tend to be many things to different people. They often combine different traditions and many generations of experience. The older they are, the harder it is to say what they are they gather so many contradictions. So it becomes very difficult to reach any agreement about them, and very easy to offend. Often we're not even talking about the same things when we discuss a religious issue, there is so much that is undisclosed, like an iceberg under the water.

In my experience they all teach exploration at some level and they all are dogmatic. But in my understanding, the prophets around whom the religions were founded often encouraged the sort of spiritual exploration and first hand experience with God, that you seek.

It is the people around the prophet, and those who later manage the bureaucracy of the religion who place the limitations on followers.

So what is the religion? What Christ actually taught, economically recorded in the Sermon on the Mount? Or what Paul determined it to be after he stopped torturing followers of Christ? What Buddha experienced when he sought truth through many different religious paths? Or what his followers distilled into myriad lists: 4 of this, 8 of that yet 12 of another and so on, that are still drilled into dulled minds today?

Religion is many things and we must differentiate carefully if we want to communicate with each other, and debate our viewpoints. I think it's unlikely you can get a definitive answer as to whether a particular religion teaches spiritual exploration. It's more likely any given religion both teaches against it and for it if you look deeply enough.

Answer 3

There is a difference between religion and faith. If you analyze most religions, you will find that there are "rules" that gave power or control to a person or people. Religion has been used, for the most part, for many years as a way of controlling people, forcing them to do what the elders or designers wanted. I am a Christian and believe in God and Jesus Christ, but I do not attend church. I may go on occasion, but rarely.

I have a very strong faith and nothing pointed me there besides my own thoughts and feelings and the events that have changed my life, not religion. When I am asked what religion I am, I usually tell them that I don't believe in religion. I have on occasion said that I was Methodist, but only based on my upbringing, not necessarily my current beliefs.

My path to this way of thinking is very simple. If a religion teaches something that doesn't make sense in the whole sceam of things, then it is probably manufactured for someones benefit. Churches requiring monetary donations, not doing things after dark, just a couple examples.

Faith is where I found a close relationship in my God and I consider it to be much more enjoying and comforting than the Church itself.

Answer 4

Religion is only a hindrance if you don't understand what goes into the rituals or the meaning of the scriptures. Religion is meant for spiritual upliftment but oftentimes the meaning behind several aspects of religion gets lost over time.

Answer 5

It can be but it doesn't have to be. It's easy to find people who are trapped in the fear and comfort of dogma. And you can see the spiritual and personal limitations that contain them. On the other hand, every religion offers spiritual growth some perhaps more freely than others. It seems to me these systems throw the responsibility for growth and goodness back to the individual again and again and again.

Answer 6

You are some what right.In the beginning was Adam and Eve any religion?No they where just with God.But the true path to God is still Jesus The Christ.Try to think of it that way.Read the New Testament with no preconceived ideas.You would be surprised.

Answer 7

I think perhaps we need to look at an individual's view on what exactly spiritual exploration means to them...

Just to bring things 'back down to earth' though... I recommend you read about Socrates, then the Enlightenment Philosophers, then the effect of the Catholic Inquisition during the dark ages...

Religion, I believe generally limits anyone from feeling 'truly free' and 'enlightened...'

Had a friend who jumped from Buddhism to Islam to Christianity... Goodness knows where he's at with all this... It just seems like a search without an end....

Realism sounds appealing to me!! (This is coming from an 'in the middle of crossing over' Buddhist!!)

Good luck in your search.

B.

Answer 8

There is no consensus among researchers as to the best methodology for determining the religiosity profile of the world's population. A number of fundamental aspects are unresolved:

Whether to count "historically predominant religious culture[s]"
Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion
Whether to count based on a concept of "adherence"
Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination
Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well (abuse and the escape from religion)
Whether to rely only on official government-provided statistics
Whether to use multiple sources and ranges or single "best source(s)"

Answer 9

faith is a artifical doctrine created for the needs of controlling people. If a guy or woman follows their religious adventure, s/he turns into empowered which flys interior the face of non secular doctrinal administration so..... faith has to stifle spirituality to maintain that is administration over the guy. ordinary and valuable truly. faith is now extra of a business enterprise than the rest.

Answer 10

Jesus said to one of his believers, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

True followers of Christ seek truth wherever it may be found. The problem is that too many Christians say "I believe" and that is where it ends. This is never what Jesus taught.. Everything he taught was about doing thing and learning things. It was all about becoming better people. It was about loving God and loving one another.

If that is not what we are about, then our religion is vain and useless.

Answer 11

You are right that religion is limitted. But Spirit is like the air it blows where it wants. No one can control the mighty wind of the Spirit. Hence Spirituality is bondless.