What, for you, is the purpose of spirituality or religion?

For me, there is no useful purpose to religion. We are spirit, we are a piece of god. Instead of reminding us of that, religions tend to encourage us to look outside ourselves for the answer to our questions about life, even if that's not their intent. The answer is personal, individual; how then could there be one answer that applies to all? And who are we allowing to interpret for us? No matter who it is, no matter how advanced, that person, or group, is looking through the lens of their own human experience.

The manifesto of religion is to bring us back to god, as if there was a one-god outside ourselves. To the extent that this is true, religions separate us from ourselves. They give us false promises, a false hope of salvation (from ourselves!), a false sense of security and comfort, an illusory buffer against our 'demons'.

If I were to create a 'religion', there would be no building, no organization, only an arrow pointing toward the human heart, and the words, "The answer lies within." And then, I suppose, someone would come along and make a business out of that.

One of my favourite quotes is this one by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

God builds his temple in the heart on the ruins of churches and religions.

 

That has certainly been my experience.