There are many different belief systems in place all over the world which have been tested by time, piety and practice. Most of these belief systems that we call religions are there for the fulfillment of the human soul. What makes a religion? Why are there so many? Which is the one, true way to ‘God’?

This essay is being written from a personal perspective, a compilation of thoughts bound by one spine in this moment in time. I will make references to other works which support my beliefs on the subject at hand. This is not an attempt to dissuade you from your belief system. What is written here is what works for me and has only been made public because of the nature of my work here on this site. Once again, I am telling all of what I believe in the sincerest of hopes that my legacy will have an impact on those who view it with an open heart and mind, taking it for what it really is.

It is my opinion that there are very heavy differences between the classifications of “Spirituality” and “Religion” by cause of the fruit that each bear, especially with what I have observed in America. I do not intend a generalization by these classifications, but this has proven itself to me over time to be ‘mostly true’, provided that there are exceptions to every rule. A spirituality, according to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, is a spiritual function, office or affair. The very root of the word, ’spirit’, is defined as the vital principle or animating force within living things, according to WordNet 3.0 of Princeton University. Religion, also sited from Wordnet 3.0, is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny. It is thus observed that spirituality is the choosing to act upon the interior or self contained principle or vital force which makes humans what they are; whereas religion is the choosing to believe in and/or allow to be controlled by an external supernatural entity or force and its whims. In short, spirituality does what is defined by the human spirit; religion does as what is deemed right and good by a god or gods or force to which one has subscribed their belief systems.

As these are now defined, let us have a look at what this means. While religion and spirituality are two different ways by which one finds satiation for the human soul, they are tied by the tails to achieve this end purpose. A conclusion one could draw is that there are four ways by which one can react to religion and spirituality. The first would be to adopt religion and have no strong belief in spirituality, depending on the supernatural alone to provide for the spirit inside. The second could choose to live solely by spiritual philosophies and abandon the idea of religion, depending on himself alone to satisfy the spirit. The third would have both religious and spiritual ties, choosing to rely in both the force of the spirit and his supernatural entity or force to fulfill the soul. The last, then, would do neither. At least, one could assume that these four characteristics could be defined as such; making the contrast simple and definite.

What makes this a hard contrast to define is, in fact, the human soul itself. Innately, there are laws by which the spirit lives. Even before consciousness, the will to survive is integrated into the makeup of each and every human. With that comes many clauses and predetermined belief systems. There are things we know how to do even before birth. Is spirituality, then, a choice or a law by which we live? I am of the opinion that every human being on this world questions his or her own existence and further what to do with his or her life while they remain in possession of this force. If we come into this world with all of this, the human spirit innately defines that spirituality is inevitable. This makes the first and last characteristics in our previous model impossible to achieve, leaving one to choose to have or to abandon religion, correct?

Unfortunately, I would have to disagree that religion, as it is defined, as a choice; notwithstanding the question of whether or not religion, per se, is an innate characteristic of the human spirit. Only the contents, belief structures and modeled paths subscribed to are the blanks one needs to fill, as it were, to propagate and attain religion. To elaborate, if one were to ask a person who solely appreciates the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms if Aphex Twin is a musician or not, the answer would inherently be biased against a vote of confidence in the latter because of this person’s understanding of music as it was learned. A religion, as it is seen today, is further defined by its rules, supernatural beings, views on morals and many more factors, depending on the complexity of the religion in question. It is one’s right to discover for himself the compatibility between a specific religion and himself. Furthermore, the seeker may choose to adopt several aspects of religions at once, tailoring his belief systems to optimize the spiritual satisfaction gained from it. Now ask the man who listens to both Mozart and Aphex Twin if ATB is an accomplished musician or not and we would observe a much less biased response.

Another way to illustrate that religion, as it is defined, is something that every human eventually subscribes to through learning, be it through interaction with others or the active search into books or other media, is the concept of faith. One learns at a very young age that, when a seed is buried in soil, a plant grows there. What makes this a matter of faith is both the effort one made to plant it and the hopes that something will grow from the effort. Nevertheless, an act of faith is much like planting seeds in the way that neither have the same results in every instance, but something is learned or recieved in all cases. Faith is consistant in the production of fruit. The more acts of faith one makes, the more fruit results.

If both religion and spirituality are hitherto present in every human to varied degrees, the question is less “whether or not” and moreso the degree to which one subscribes to both and the subject matter of the religion and spirituality sought after. If one gives little thought to either, the results will be concurrent with the application. As this is the case, along with the fact that every human spirit comes with different needs and purposes, one must choose for himself which is the correct religion or spirituality for them. Some will let others determine that for them, as certain religions advertise that they are the one and only way to god, heaven or other afterlife, which I wholeheartedly feel is an absurd disregard for their personal needs. Others will choose for themselves. To answer the question of which is right and truthful, one has to search within and consult the spirit, considering what one needs to learn to evolve in the direction one desires to go.