posted December 21, 2014 04:55 PM            

Now I am, most certainly, the furthest from an atheist. But I don't understand how the people, who make these very claims of love and kindness can be racist, sexist, homophobic, intolerant of certain religious groups, accusatory, judgmental and display unempathetic and insensitive behavior.

I don't understand that, if someone believes in God or a higher power, whose primary "ethic" is justice, love, equality for all how they could show such extreme contempt towards a certain demographic of people or have such hateful and loathsome views about others, be it on a collective or individual scale.

I am not discussing any legalities or religious rulings. I am not speaking about prohibitions or sins. But simply addressing the overarching general religious rhetoric that promotes forgiveness and compassion and yet, by the same token, firm "believers" who clearly demonstrate and promote ruthless and prejudiced behavior and ideologies. If God can forgive you for all of your sins, if God has been kind and merciful and compassionate to you, if God has saved you and you in return devote to your faith in God: how can you seek to destroy another? It doesn't make sense.

Is religiousness without spirituality the culprit? Could one call themselves pious without being spiritual? Or is it merely hypocrisy? I have been thinking so much about this both as someone who is particularly religious, but have come to find an emptiness in my practice having noticed the deprivation and lack in my soul and spirit. Why I emphasize and speak about this deprivation is because it truly is the source of my misery. I believe that harnessing and cleansing your soul and spirit is what truly instills love and compassion in the heart, not religiosity. Becoming intimately attuned to and in touch with one's soul is what compels one to embark upon the road of betterment and goodness, not church-going, proselytizing or praying 5 times in the mosque (though I do acknowledge the strength of moral, ethical and spiritual character that comes with a strong devotion to the combination of the two).

Due to difficult and trying circumstances and events that have pushed me to stray away from performing important religious rituals, I have found myself reevaluating not only who I am but also why religiousness has become a product of habituation rather than spiritual fulfillment. I have hit rock bottom in this regard, but I am slowly working on cultivating my spirituality in order to become a stronger believer and incorporate it within my religious practice, such that I do not become or condone the very kind of breed of religious that I am critiquing here... The very one that breeds hate, violence, extremism, desensitization, selfishness, egoism, and narcissism, as I would hate to be associated with this breed.

Would love to hear what people think on this matter.

*Some rules that I, as OP, request to be taken seriously*

If any insults or attacks are directed towards any religion or religious groups (be it Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, etc.), any demographic of people (ethnicities and races), or any hateful comments regarding personal life choices by ANYONE (LGBT, polyamory, atheism etc.) , I will request that this thread be shut down immediately.

Thoughtful and respectful critiques, opinions, and discussions are welcome 110% and I will be sure to discern the difference between the two. Usually, one is blatantly hostile. I am unapologetically Piscean, if I sense any implicit attacks and affirm by some 3rd party opinion that indeed I am not mis-intuiting something, I will request that this thread is shut down. To be extremely clear, some of the opinions and remarks that I have seen in GU2, and any comments of a similar nature, must be kept well away from this thread.

If you are incapable of handling a healthy argument and discussion on the topic without getting personal, unnecessarily defensive, emotional, or irrational, do not participate in this thread. Argue back with a concise argument not a commentary of how you feel or what you think of those that oppose what you believe.

This is about discussing religiousness and spirituality, and how the division of the two destroys the capacity to embody and enact the fundamental concepts of those that partake in the former and NOT the latter. Meaning to say that, one will always have and give peace, love, and compassion by feeding their soul as opposed to those that merely resort to the religiosity, without heeding to spirituality. My tendency to derail is epic, but I request that the discussion proceeds within safe and relevant margins and does not drift too far from the topic at hand. If I see this, I will draw attention to it.

Feel free to share personal experiences, a philosophical perspective, an analysis, whatever! Any form of contribution is welcome, as long as the above rules are kept in mind.