What Religion Is and Is Not

Over the last month or so I have watched and read a lot of different people define religion. The thing that struck me has been that most of these definitions of religion don’t work for me. I don’t intend to create a definitive definition of religion here but I want to talk about how I define what religion is and is not to me personally.

First, for me religion is not about an afterlife. Whether there is or is not an afterlife and what that looks like is a constant debate but I believe that that is missing the point. Religion, Christianity in my case, is at its best when it is focused on the here and now. I believe deeply in the wisdom of an old Jewish story in which a Rabbi is asked what he would do if he was told that the world was going to end that very day. The Rabbi responded that he would plant a tree and then see what all the fuss was about. My faith is not about some better life I will get later but about improving the life I live this day and the lives of those around me. In other words I think there is wisdom in living life as if there is no afterlife whether you believe in one or not.

Religion is not a set of rules to me. Certainly my faith informs how I live but not like a checklist of things I must do and must not do. If we turn religion into a five step process to salvation, it has lost its life giving abilities. Also if religion is only about rules I must follow to be “saved” it becomes a very selfish pursuit. It is this that leads to dangerous platitudes like “love the sinner, hate the sin” quite frankly when I have seen people try to practice this idea it has always devolved into hating the sinner. We must focus on community and solving the real problems of this world not blindly arguing dogmas.

I completely reject religious exclusivism. I believe whole heartedly that there are many ways to God, Goddess, the Creator (whatever name you choose to use). I believe that Jesus reveals one way and so I follow that way. But as I journey up the metaphorical mountain to the source I more and more often hear the sounds and prayers of those on other paths and they brighten my journey. I believe we are going the same direction we are just taking different paths. I have often, on my walk, been taught how to be a better Christian by Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Atheists and Agnostics. Without the influence of these others I would have been missing essential parts of my own faith. It is incredibly important to me to walk the journey with these people and see them as spiritual equals.

Religion should be about embracing ones true/whole self and the true/whole selves of those around us. Religion is about wholeness, it is for this reason it is so important for me to be a part of the fight for full inclusion my LGBT sisters and brothers. Also why I think it is so important to try to actively dismantle systems of racism within and outside of us. If people are treated as subhuman or asked to assimilate to be parts of our communities not only are they being harmed by religion but we are harming religion by not embracing the wholeness that they have to offer to the whole. Religion should help people live into their full selves, the beautiful selves that God, Goddess, the Creator has made them to be. Religion should bring people together too often it does not.

To me the heart of religion is connection, connection with the divine, connection with my fellow journeyers and connection with the world around us. This is what I view my spiritual life and my practices as cultivating. By engaging my spiritual practices I hope to feel more connected and gain a sense of compassion and a resolution for social justice that spurs me to action. Spiritual practice should lead to a life lived out of that practice.

Ultimately, there is a lot of religion out there and there is much I reject. There are many constructions of “God” that simply don’t work for me and I am not shy about rejecting them in my life and asking what the implications of believing in such a god would have. There are days where religious systems and institutions are so frustrating that it is tempting to reject them all together, however I instead choose to embrace the life giving possibilities I have experience in the divine. I choose to walk a path that defines religion as connections, inclusion, community and love. This is how I define religion and how it informs my life. It is not the only answer but it is mine.