The “I hate religion because…” booth, located outside the Union last week, inspired me to examine why it is that I personally am not down with religion.

Despite the best intentions of religious organizations, I cannot support them because they (mostly) lose sight of the very spiritual truths from which they were born. 

I am not an atheist by any means; I am quite spiritual. And because of my spiritual identity, I fully grasp the reason why religion exists: Once someone realizes their spiritual potential, it is natural for them to want to find a community that supports their purpose. 

Still, the man-made dogma of organized religion seems to supercede divine truths.

In my understanding of life, everything is made of the same stuff. Stars, cars, rocks, panda bears, me, you — we are all dynamic energy that is interconnected. (And I do understand how that last sentence can sound super hokey to someone who isn’t spiritually inclined.)

As humans, we are constantly trying to decipher the “big picture” and our place in it. Initially, we see ourselves as mere fragments, alone in the world. This fragmented feeling is what we are meant to explore and eventually see as an illusion.

The way I understand it, when one truly searches for profound meaning and truth, the connection to everything else in the world becomes clear in an unquestionable way. When we realize we are connected to everything, we become compassionate to everything. This then becomes the shift of consciousness that accompanies spiritual clarity. Suddenly all the things that have mattered no longer matter, and in order to move away from our old habits, we find strength by surrounding ourselves with like-minded people.

Enter religion here.

The foundation of socially constructed religion is legit. But what religion has evolved to, in most cases, is a sham.

Religion has become like the game “telephone”: the initial message is true and clear, but through the words of those who hear it and don’t fully understand it, the message gets completely butchered. 

For example, you start with a true principle like “love your neighbor” and at the end of the line it becomes “love your neighbor…unless he is gay.” It is these added human opinions that taint otherwise very sound truths.

I just can’t wrap my mind around supposedly enlightened institutions hypocritically excluding groups of people. Sadly, religion has been notorious for such bogus grandiose behavior.

So in response to the people at the “I hate religion because…” booth: the rules, doctrines, dogma and judgments — that’s what I hate about religion. I’m more interested in the internal journey because that’s where universal truths are revealed. 

I really cannot say it better than the Dalai Lama: “This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples, no need for complication. One’s own mind, one’s own heart is the temple, and loving-kindness is the philosophy.” 

Word.