Is One Religion Enough to Contain You?

I have always thought that if you took the best parts of all religions and incorporated these ideas into a practice…you would have one complete religion focusing on love, enlightenment, growth and compassion.

In my home I have many reminders of the many religious traditions of the world that are important to me.  I have statues of the Virgin Mary.  I wear a Miraculous medal around my neck.  I light candles to Our Lady of Fatima.  Mary has brought many healing messages to me over the years and has brought me peace.  These items remind me to continue meditating and praying to Mary…and to pass her messages on to others.  I have Maronite and Roman Catholic crosses hanging on walls and a statue of the Infant of Prague.  These help me focus of the power of pure love and forgiveness that Jesus taught and lived by.  There is a blue batik wall hanging of the Buddha and a framed postcard of the Dalai Lama with a yellow compassion bracelet from the Inter-Faith service that he presided over draped over one corner.  These help me to remember the practices of mindful breathing and compassion towards others.  I have crystals which help remind me to meditate and balance my chakras and that my energy once focused can help heal myself and others, Tarot cards which can help focus my thoughts and give my day direction  and religious medals of Joan of Arc, Jesus, and Mary Magdalene which remind me of the courage it takes to pursue one’s religious beliefs.   I pray to them all/use them as a source of guidance at different times and have received healing messages from all of them in prayer and in meditation.  They each represent a different aspect of me…of my psyche…and they come to me at different times of need.  They are all helping me on the journey to know myself…to love myself…so I can practice as Jesus Christ says..and “love my neighbor as I love myself,”  unconditionally.

 In stating one’s religious/spiritual views…it is often easier to say what one is against in an organized religion than what one is for.  It takes more commitment to say what you believe in…a more proactive stance,  whereas simply saying what you find distasteful or are against is more re-active.  Answering these questions can help you define yourself as an alive, spiritual being…and can become the focal point for interesting discussions.

• Who do you pray to?
• What do you pray about?
• Why do you pray?
• How do you practice your spirituality?
• Is one religion enough to contain you?
• Is it possible for you to be eclectic in your religious practice?
• Do you believe in researching religious/spiritual ideas or do you always go from your gut?  Or is it a combination of the two?
• Will you always think the same way?
• Who are your religious heroes?
• Can morality exist without religion?
• Is religion “moral”?
• What are you for and what are you against?
• Is it enough just to be?
• Can you state what you believe in one sentence or would it take a novel…or a lifetime?