It has become glaringly apparent that several posters misunderstand or purposely misrepresent the way I feel about religion, Christianity, and what Paganism believes. So I thought I would clear the decks.

Religion serves a purpose, but spirituality, IMO serves a bigger purpose. The organizational dogma of a religious body tells people details about God - {what god thinks, how god looks - what God expects) - that in truth no one can know.

Religions often try to pound and bend belief into fact, which is IMO disingenuous. They are two different things and should remain clearly separate in talking about religion, particularly when discussing history. Now, I realize emotionally there's a desire to be wholly right. It's certainly comforting, but it's an illusion.

No belief system is unequivocally right or wrong. Meaning that we should (IMO) search all faiths and find the ties that bind, like the golden rule. This would be a far more effective use of time than fighting about things.

How many individuals of any given faith have truly STUDIED their beliefs, where they come from, the language, etc? Not a lot. This means people craving for power (cut from any cloth) can take advantage.

Spirituality, by comparison, is individual, mindful, and reflective. The person seeks direct interaction rather than the constraints of institutionalized doctrines. Spirituality can grow and adapt without having the anchor of dogma.

Christianity is not the end-all and be-all of faiths. If a Christian finds that tradition provides comfort and inspires them to be a better human every day - GREAT. But I see alot of people who claim to be Christian do very unchristian things, over and over.

How often can one sin repeatedly and still be forgiven repeatedly? It's a real question that bothers me. If we take the extreme example - a person murders. The next day they repent (and may actually feel kind of sorry). But two days later, they do it again, and repent again. I somehow feel repentance is a get-out-of-jail-free card, like saying I'm sorry without doing anything to change the situation.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is a powerful message that some believers find too difficult, if they even think about it in their daily lives. Hint: Jesus was that horribly scary word: WOKE. If you want, I can quote chapter and verse of the KJB.

Pagans do not worship rocks or trees, but do see all of nature as a sacred thing, and humans are often very poor stewards and caregivers. Pagan is, however, an umbrella term so you must define it by which segment you're discussing. Shinto, Druidry, Kemetism, neo-Shamanism, African Diaspora.. well you get the idea.

​In my path, I do not seek to convert anyone. Their religion is personal, as is mine. If someone has questions, I'll answer honestly. Those answers include the phrase, "I believe." I do not belong to any group or organization.

I should also note that the people I have encountered from my own belief system also run the gamut from honest and noble to controlling and arrogant. I steer clear of the latter, and most areas of the country have networks where inappropriate behaviors can be shared along networking to protect as best we can.

Humans aren't perfect and our religions certainly don't make us so.