Should You Design Your Own Religion?

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Finding our own way is exciting, too, even though some of the things people tell me sound a little crazy. But then I believe that God's a lot crazier and more amazing than we think He is. It's not as if the previous generation was as lockstep as we think they were, but today's seekers are more honest about their experimenting. The less mainstream forms of religion tend to allow people to talk about their struggle, whereas a lot of church life is really 'happy face' stuff, pretending things are different than they are. The challenge is to let people talk more about their struggles in the context of mainstream religion.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro
Author and director, Rasheit Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Miami, Florida

God said to Abraham, 'Leave your country, your family, your father's house, and walk inward to the land I will show you.' This is what true spirituality demands: to leave everything we know; to relinquish everything we are; to wander without a goal, path, teacher, or teaching, simply trusting that when we get 'there,' we will know. Buddha did that. So did Lao Tzu, Jesus, and Mohammed. They all left home.

But we do just the opposite. Worse! We take refuge in those who taught No Refuge. We imitate those who demanded No Imitation. We study each other's floor plans, and borrow each other's furniture, when what we really need is to leave home.

Does it matter that Jews sit zazen or Buddhists keep Shabbat? No. What matters is that for just one moment we heed the call 'lech lecha, walk inward' and leave home for the unknown.

Sri Swami Satchidananda
Founder, Integral Yoga Institutes Worldwide

The purpose of any religion is to educate us about our spiritual unity and to help us achieve inner peace. Each religion may offer different prayers and practices, but all are designed to help us to commune with God or a Higher Power. Even though my motto has always been 'Truth is one, paths are many,' I don't recommend trying to walk on all the different paths at once because you will never reach your goal that way. Instead, you may draw from the practices of various paths and faiths, but integrate them into one unified and harmonious path. Then follow that spiritual path with your goal in mind and stay with it consistently. Delve deep into your practices with consistency and earnestness and you will certainly reap all the spiritual benefits.

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