Spiritual but not religious

Spiritual but not religious is now a definition of 17% to 20% of the population of the U.S. Some people feel this is a cop-out. But I don't. If we were to examine how people originally came to know their identities it was alone with nature and with their families. So, Spiritual but not religious often means, "God is where you find him, her, the being." Often as I was growing up for example, being an atheist more than likely was a reaction to the "Hell, fire and brimstone" of someone's Christian? upbringing. But now, this is less likely as time goes on and all people are more accepted for whatever they believe as long as it is not related to any violence physical or verbal against others.

Discovering one's personal connection with God and the Universe is the ultimate empowerment for anyone. So, though religion might be helpful in creating societal order out of chaos, if one already lives in a relatively safe society then one should be able to seek God anyway they want to that does not hurt other people.

So, Spiritual but not Religious as a definition likely will grow from around 20% up to around 50% during the rest of this century for a variety of reasons, mostly good ones. In the end religion is more about cultural conformity and less about God than anything else. Always, unless one has their own personal experience with God any religion outside of that person's direct experiences with God is sort of meaningless except in a wider cultural context.

So, spiritual but not religious likely will grow because it is how most people are capable of empowering themselves to all sorts of success in education, in family and in civic mindedness and in being a good citizen of both their country and the world and the whole universe.

Growing spiritually and evolving spiritually might be one of the most important things a human ever does in life. Because without spiritual growth life is relatively meaningless and empty.

For me, personally, "God is where you find Him, Her, The Being" is my byword. I find God in a leaf, a shell, a sunset, a person, my dogs, my friends, my relatives, my cars (and trucks), the planes I ride in, my computers (and IPads) everywhere. There is nowhere that God is not.

I believe what it says in the Bible, "See no man after the flesh" which to me means seeing all humans as Gods and Angels in the making. So, since all beings (humans and all others) are God's, all beings are evolving closer to God at all moments past, present and future. This works for me. So, when I am around people I am always aware of lifting the spirits of all beings around me by God's Grace into higher and more efficient and more useful (to all beings) points of views. By doing this I believe I am doing God's work by God's Grace ongoing past, present, and future.

So, to me, if someone defines me as spiritual but not religious that, to me, is a compliment.

Because whatever I find useful in religions I use all the time in prayers and consciousness to help lift mankind out of their suffering and into a more enlightened heaven like state of consciousness wherever possible. And helping earth become a heaven realm is a part of that.