Let's Talk Religion

That is a BIG question: the relationship between religion and spirituality.  Ideally, they would go together. But often it is issues people have with religion AS AN INSTITUTION (the social aspect of religion) that turns them away  from formal religion to look inward for what they personally find to be sacred, to practices that they personally find help them feel a connection to that "sacred". So, basically, there is an OVERLAP between religion (outward forms) and spirituality (the inner feelings and experiences). But there is plenty of religion devoid of spiritual feelings. And there are certainly some people who are deeply spiritual yet remain aloof from formal religion in a social context. Can we consider spirituality alone to be religion (or A religion)? I don't think so. I tend to associate religion with organizational structure, with other people, with the social dimension. Everything else can exist for the spiritual INDIVIDUAL but I tend not to call that "relig...

Why do religions begin and why are people religious? Theologian Rudolf Otto proposed that the origin of religion lies in the spiritual experiences that one person has. This person then becomes the founder of a religion based on such experience and any revealed knowledge that might come with it.  Other people might have then followed what that one person did  and thus have their own  experiences... In fact, in every generation, in every religion, it seems there are  people who do  have religious/spiritual experiences following one or another religion and then inspire other people through the knowledge or even miracles that occur as a result of these experiences. Mind you, these people might be in the minority (especially in the general public). But, at least amongst people who do  follow and practice a religion, they do  witness people who have had these experiences and some may even have such experience themselves. But I can see how it would be difficu...