Religion

Yep, I'm delving into the taboo of religion.  This post is not meant to offend anyone, but rather to share my thoughts on religion, and maybe open up a dialogue between others.  And in all fairness, I should tell you that this post was brought upon by my recent reading of the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I believe that every person has their own individual journey to find God.  And I'm not sure that using the word God does justice to the many different paths that are out there.  God, Allah, Bhagwan, El, etc. are all valid ways of talking to the higher being of our universe.  I use the word God, because it is what I am most comfortable with.  God, to me, denotes power, love, charity, and kindness. 

Anyway, back to the journey aspect.  I believe that each person has a special way of connecting with God; their own journey.  In simplest terms, it's akin to driving somewhere.  You have a starting spot and a destination.  In between those constants, there are many different roads you can take to get there.  It doesn't really matter if you drive to Nevada from Utah by way of Kansas, because the final destination is the same.

This is what I've come to equate religion too.  Some people need a more structured path to find God, and some people do better without turn-by-turn navigation.  Does that make the end result any less spectacular?  In my mind, no.

Do I think any one religion is better than the others?  No.  Do I think that one religion might be a better fit for an individual than another?  Definitely.  And right now, I'm trying to find a religion that fits me and my life better than how I was raised.

I am a "retired" Mormon (Latter Day Saint), and though I hold nothing against the members of that church and their belief system, I don't feel like it's a good fit for my life at the moment.  I say "retired" because in this great state of mine (Utah) religion is a definite driving force. "Are you a member?" is a question I field regularly. (On a side note, this question has always made me laugh.  Utah Mormons are so sure that everyone knows what they are talking about, they don't ask the more specific question "Are you a member of the LDS faith?")  "Retired" is the easiest way I've found of letting people know I don't hate their religion while still stating that I don't feel I belong there anymore.

So world, what do you think?  How do you view religion?