8.
RELIGION VERSUS SPIRITUALITY
     MANY YEARS AGO AS A TEENAGER, I CAME TO THE UNDERSTANDING
THAT "RELIGION IS A PERSON'S WAY OF MAKING ITSELF KNOWN TO GOD." 
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IF THEY WORSHIP ON A CERTAIN DAY, IN A
CERTAIN WAY, WITH CERTAIN WORDS OR LANGUAGE, WITH CERTAIN
RITUALS, THEN GOD WILL RECOGNIZE THEM AND THEM ALONE.  THEY WILL BE
"SAVED."  I DO NOT THINK GOD CAN BE MANIPULATED THUS.  THIS CONFUSED
ME BECAUSE EACH GROUP PROUDLY PROCLAIMS DOGMATICALLY, "WE ARE
THE ONLY ONES DOING IT RIGHT."  SOME OF THESE DENOMINATIONS ARE
FAIRLY NEW ON THE SCENE, SO WHY WOULD GOD ALLOW CHRISTIANS TO
WORSHIP HIM FOR ALMOST TWO THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THEY GOT IT
RIGHT?  THIS DID NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME.  I LEFT THE CHURCH AND GOD IN
MY EARLY TEENS WHEN NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN THIS AND A LOT OF OTHER
QUESTIONS TO ME.
     I AM NOT AGAINST RELIGIONS.  THEY ARE A WONDERFUL PLACE TO
SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE A SIMILAR MISUNDERSTANDING OF GOD:
FELLOWSHIP IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HUMAN BEINGS; WE ARE AFTER ALL
SOCIAL CREATURES.  RELIGIONS CAN BE WONDERFUL IF THEIR MEMBERS
EXPERIENCE SPIRITUALITY.  OTHERWISE, THEIR MEMBERS JUST PRACTICE
EMPTY RITUALS.  RITUALS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF RELIGION.  RITUALS
ARE GREAT IF THEY TEACH YOU SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF, GOD, OR
LIVING WITH OTHERS.  RITUALS ARE A GREAT WAY OF PASSING DOWN THESE
LESSONS TO SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS,  IF THEY STILL LEARN THE
LESSONS AND DON'T JUST PRACTICE THE EMPTY RITUALS.
     MORE RECENTLY, I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT "SPIRITUALITY IS
GOD'S WAY OF MAKING ITSELF KNOWN TO A PERSON."  SPIRITUALITY CAN
ALSO MEAN "A REALITY OF THE SPIRIT" OR "A SPIRITUAL REALITY."  FOR MANY
YEARS I FELT A VOID IN MY LIFE AND I TRIED TO FIND SOMETHING TO FILL IT. 
NOTHING I TRIED EVER CAME CLOSE TO FILLING THAT VOID, AND I TRIED A
LOT OF THINGS.  I THINK THAT VOID STARTED WHEN I REJECTED GOD AS A
TEENAGER.  SINCE I HAVE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE GOD OR SPIRITUALITY,
GOD HAS BEGUN REVEALING ITSELF TO ME AND THAT VOID IS BEING FILLED. 
MY LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER OR AT LEAST MY PERCEPTION OF
LIFE HAS IMPROVED.  THUS, I BELIEVE MYSELF TO BE A SPIRITUAL PERSON,
NOT A RELIGIOUS PERSON.
     I AM AFRAID OF PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY HAVE THE COMPLETE
UNDERSTANDING OF GOD OR THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.  THOSE PEOPLE ARE
ABSOLUTELY CLOSED-MINDED. THEY LIMIT THEIR EXPERIENCES OF GOD AND
TRUTHS TO THE RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND CAN
NEVER EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND THE REALITY OF THE ONE-ON-ONE
EXPERIENCES THAT SPIRITUALITY OFFERS.  MY MISUNDERSTANDING OF GOD
IS DYNAMIC AND CHANGING, NOT STATIC AND DOGMATIC.