I hear most people talk of their religion and talk nothing about their own spiritual process or growth.
2007-12-11 15:40:41 · 22 answers · asked by Alexa Fine 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Very good question! To me, religion is composed of dogma and rules and discourages inquiry outside those, which inhibits growth, just as a root bound plant in a pot will cease to grow.
I am an atheist, but know about religions and it seems to me the most positive outcomes of organized religions are the fellowship and companionship that one may find within a congregation; however, one must be careful not to question or one would lose those.
And that is the crux for me. Spiritual growth requires questioning and developing one's own opinions and I don't think organized religion allows that.
2007-12-11 17:35:31 · answer #1 · answered by LodiTX 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Religion is a manmade doctrine created for the purposes of controlling people.
If a person follows their spiritual journey, s/he becomes empowered which flys in the face of religious doctrinal control so..... religion has to stifle spirituality to maintain it's control over the person.
Simple and effective really.
Religion is now more of a business than anything else.
2007-12-11 15:46:23 · answer #2 · answered by Christian 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is a tricky question. On one hand religion can be a priceless resource for the spiritual person. On the other hand people can mistake religion for spirituality and they will usually talk mostly about their religion because their religion IS their spirituality.
Hope that helps!
2007-12-11 15:48:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spirituality is like having a movie projector as you and what you put into it is reflected in the image you project. So if your thoughts are usually negative then you will project a negative image to the world and you will get less good out of all your efforts and actions. If on the other hand you maintain a conscious contact with a supreme being; i.e. Power Greater than yourself; your thoughts will be very positive and therefore you will project a positive outlook(read image) and the result is you will get the job; win the girl/guy; be treated better; etc.
2016-05-23 04:11:14 · answer #4 · answered by laurel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a pretty simple answer. The people you are talking about (and I know plenty of them) are raised into their religion by their parents since they were little and have never questioned it.
For these people there is no spiritual process of discovery or anything. They were just born into it.
2007-12-11 15:52:50 · answer #5 · answered by ctown 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd say not all people are using Religion to nourish their spiritual growth. Public and organized religions in the world can be lived as a social pressure. If it is so, it's not helping you to investigate your relationship with life, with others and with yourself, that i would consider as being spirituality.
To be open to consider religion's answers we have to acknowledge we have questions, deep inside.
2007-12-11 15:51:21 · answer #6 · answered by chloe 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because, indeed religion has sometimes been the greatest enemy of true faith. There are two sides to experiencing God, the experiential (experiencing God's presence, spirit, and peace, etc), and the knowledge (History, Persons, Doctrine, Apologetics etc). The lack of spiritual growth may come from either of those being deficit
2007-12-11 15:48:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It can - unless one uses it as a springboard to continue their own investigation. But too many are essentially "brainwashed" by their own religion - it's all they've known since they were born and are afraid to offend their parents if they investigated another belief system.
The more you study, the more you find how screwed up most of the organized religions are.
2007-12-11 15:45:23 · answer #8 · answered by Prophet 1102 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I place the blame for that on clergy. It can be hard enough to get someone who helps their congregation with religious answers to today's challenges - the simple applicability of their faith. Getting someone who will and can help their congregation bloom even just into the full understanding and joy of their own faith is just not happening. And if you found such a person, the seniors amongst the faithful would not accept something that proactive and unusual!
2007-12-11 15:50:53 · answer #9 · answered by Amy R 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because that is what the mainstream religions were DESIGNED to do. The people at the top cannot control people who are spiritually aware.
2007-12-11 15:43:31 · answer #10 · answered by Jakero Evigh 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋