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Many people spend a lot of years in a spiritual confusion left over from the influences of their caregivers, theologians and society. For many the fog never really lifts, and they enjoy a mostly happy life living within the inherent constraints of the experiences and thoughts and teachings of their influential elders, and others.Perhaps the strangest part of our religious programming is that we aren't taught to trust ourselves. If anything the messages used to "guide" us focus upon NOT trusting ourselves, and instead putting our trust in ancient writings of questionable origin and the current religious leader.

There are those though who find the things of this world to be interesting, but kind of shallow. They long for a spirituality that has more depth than showing up at a stone structure once a week for an hour so that they can be "led" in a spiritual process. Religion works less for them because they feel that spirituality isn't just an hour-a-week process that only requires attendance and a donation. They look out at the vast expanse of religious 'beliefs' and see a cesspool of hypocrisy. Imbued with free will they are admonished with 'thou-shalt-nots.' Killing is not okay unless.... And so it goes.
The original birth of a person on this planet is largely a physical event. The second "birth" that many people go through is a spiritual event. And it's during this event, and afterward, that a life has the chance to take on the depth of the spirit it is imbued with. If it is allowed and encouraged to do that.
There is some validity to the idea that each person has a unique spiritual destiny. Humans are marvelously individual right down to the DNA that makes one different from another. The experiences and feelings that each lives through and how they react and feel those experiences, and even how they change and grow, or shrink, as a result of their experiences strongly suggests that each of us is on a very unique journey. No two of us is alike so why do we try to make our spiritual paths identical by clustering together to have the same, dictated spiritual experience as thousands, millions or billions of others?
For many, religion serves as an easy alternative to developing their own beliefs and following their own spiritual paths. For others it is a spiritual prison. How much greater, and less chaotic might the human race be if spirituality was our course instead of religion.

Learn more about this author, Duane Craig.
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