What do you think of this quote: "religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell; spirituality (contd)?

I'd like to preface my statement by saying this is only my opinion:

I see some truth in the quote about religion and spirituality: Theistic religion seems to operate on fear of judgment, whereas spirituality is apparently a more personal endeavor.

However neither prospect ultimately satisfies in my opinion:

Religion won't save us from hell. In fact it's like a hell construction site, wherein we erect our own walls of confinement and alienation. To me, spirituality hardly seems any better. To say one is spiritual is to enshrine the ego within a self-aggrandizing guise. In both cases, many times, practitioners are asked to suspend logic and reason in order to accept some premise that is promised to deliver them from evil.

I think it is highly important to ultimately abandon titles (religion and spirituality) altogether and just take a long hard look within. Logic tells us that all the tools are here already - inside us. Both religion and spirituality provide a sort of security blanket, yet they also cover (obscure) the thing in itself. We have to pull back the covers and expose ourselves to the reality of 'what it is' we're experiencing.

I hope I haven't gone too far off base and that this makes sense.

I also hope you are doing well!!

I like this statement because some people cling to a religion without putting much thought into it, they claim it but don't really incorporate it into their lives.

And I agree, true and mindful spirituality is often discovered through difficult experiences or intense pursuits. To a spiritual person, religion is often incorporated into their spirituality, but on a more meaningful basis, it becomes a part of who they are, they find the real meaning of religion and spirituality.

What I don't like about it is that it fuels the fire for some who think that anyone who claims a religion must not be a "real thinker" or a person with real and practical experiences. But I don't think that is the meaning of this statement, because in that same manner, people often cling to other forms of spirituality, or atheism, without any real thought or understanding put into that viewpoint either.

I love it! I heard another man talking about how you can never truely appreciate yourself, or your spirit until you have been and experienced the dark side. Religion (christianity) just makes you fear hell. But infinity punishment for finite sins makes no sense to me, along with a whole other host of ideas. You can't know WHY you don't want to go to the dark side unless you've been there and had a party. LoL

So, I'd believe it.

I agree with the first part, as I once held on to my religion for that reason. The second part I can kind of see being true, although not everyone who goes through hell will come out as a spiritual person.

Christianity as against religion is for people who cease to be afraid of going to hell. They were afraid of death before they knew for a certain that they personally were saved from hell but with the assurance of being saved they can relax and leave it to other religious sects to be afraid of going to hell.

He seems to use to definitions for hell. As a religious place in the first and as an earthly or emotional place in the second part. I think that's some kind of fallacy, eqivocation maybe.

Anyway, hell as in the religious place, no one returns from.

http://www.wlsessays.net/subject/h/Hell

It can be true. It can be false. Both work. It's been true for some I know. Myself, i've never feared Hell but I have feared religion. Spirituality has always brought me joy and never let me down as religions have.

Namaste'

It seems like a blanket statement that is somewhat true and somewhat not. I wonder what that little bicycle guy in Microsoft Word would have to say about it.

Its very true. People afraid of Hell are going there and don't know it.

If you are in religion because of fear, you need to find a new religion.