Why are we so afraid of the word Religion?

The use of the word Religion has become less popular in recent decades. On the one hand, there is an attempt to be overly respectful of other denominations by not speaking about one’s ideology with others and on the other hand, one may associate religion with a belief system that comes along with a history of baggage. There can be a negative connotation attached to being religious, due to our past experiences or by associating it to religious people or groups that have been said to follow dogmas that are limiting, inhibiting, guilt-driven and disingenuous. We have probably all heard at one time or another about certain members of these institutions behaving in a way that is contrary to their creed and instead of instilling love and peace, they promote separation and/or suffering. There is also an instilled belief in separating faith and reasoning so that many that are faithful disengage from their ability to reason. #transformingbeliefs

It is said by some that the word Religion comes from the Latin word religare, which means to link, unite or come together. If we accept this definition, we can consider how the purpose of religion is to have people come together. It has been attempted in different ways by the various religions to have people come together, but mostly within their own groups. The coming together of ALL groups in humanity has not been attended to, causing conflict among groups with diverse beliefs. It has come to the point of resenting others and causing clashes that go against the essential belief that is being preached - to love one another. #loveoneanother

Why do we tend to focus on differences instead of similarities and why do

we perceive differences to be negative?

Perhaps there is another, simpler way to attempt to come together, without submitting to the rites and rituals, the feeling of guilt, sense of judgement and conflict between religious groups or within the same groups. At the end of the day, religions have developed their dogmas with the input of many people over thousands of years. They are usually based on the life of a prominent religious figure and the writings of a person or people that are believed to have received the word of God, but there has also been input from others belonging to the institution along the way. Hence, we can always take a second look to try to discern what has been said.

What if we focused on the essence of what Religion is trying to accomplish? having us all come together and love one another. It seems all religions essentially speak of loving a God or supreme being and loving one another.

If we left everything else out of religion, we would basically ALL be following

the same religion, a religion of Love and Peace. #ReligionofLove

By only focusing on the essence of loving God and one another, we would desist in judging others on how they practice their faith or how they define their creator and cease to believe we are right while claiming others are wrong. What if the only differences among groups would be in the way they choose to practice their love for God and others? We may individually choose to pray or meditate, meet others in a group for discussion and support, do volunteer activities, choose to fast, or simply be the loving presence required in our surroundings. We would be making the decision on what works best for us and not feel forced to do what doesn’t feel right. What would be most important is that we would be working towards the SAME goal, which is to Love each other more and all else would be secondary. #Unity

In this case, there would be no problem with the word Religion. We would realize that our aversion to it was simply based on the association we have made with past experiences or observations. In fact, we can choose to move past this initial rejection and attempt to exemplify the essence of Religion in our personal lives. We are intelligent beings with the ability and right to reason through our decisions in life. Therefore, we can go beyond what we have been taught about Religion, take apart what we don’t understand and determine what works best for us.

Do we have to conform to the current organized religions to feel religious,

or can we just hold a space for religion internally?

We can choose to ignore and/or criticize Religion based on what already exists or we can decide to bring to life the essence of what Religion was meant to be. Of course, the expressions of love will vary and be unique to who we are, and we should respect that. But again, we can all agree to focus on what’s most important, which is to Love God, oneself and others more deeply in our daily lives, so that we may ALL come together. For this to happen, the essence of Religion needs to be felt internally. We can redefine Religion to be more meaningful to us, without any attachment to existing establishments that do not coincide with love, kindness and unity. Religion can simply reside in our hearts and be the motor that ignites the Divine Love desiring to impel all our actions. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps that’s what Religion was meant to be all along, and we each have the power to make that happen. #Innerpower