Beyond Religion

Being made in the image and likeness of God is to be spiritual, with spiritual awareness, sensitivities, discernment and gifts far beyond a mere religious influence. God intentionally and purposefully created us in his image and likeness. He didn’t make us in the image and likeness of men, which is largely the framework of religion. It only makes sense that we are made in the image of God as opposed to the image of man seeing there was no man in existence when he created us. What’s amazing about being created in the image of God is the fact that we have the power to create. We have the power to create our reality from the invisible. My goal is to help you tap into this creative nature and power within to manifest all God has put in your heart to become. The purpose driven and visionary capabilities in which God made us is ultimately accredited for all the greatness we see and get to manifest in the world. Anyone who has ever achieved anything great can attest to the fact that their vision and prowess began spiritually. It began with an idea, a vision or concept that they were able to conceive and dream long before it became a reality. This spiritual engagement and connection is in fact inherent to us all. We do not all operate from our spiritual existence. But we all have the access and ability to do so. To deny yourself of the wondrous life advantage of being spiritual in an effort to avoid being categorized as being religious is a disservice to yourself. Many people readily accept the reality of being spiritual, while shunning the description of being religious. It’s true that spirituality becomes a bit complicated when we mix in its association and affiliation with religion. In the subsequent chapters we will parse out some of the critical distinctions between being spiritual and religious so we are clear on both the contrasts and necessary intersections. I do understand that religion is a complicated and polarized subject. From our politics to our social constructs, religion spans across all aspects of our society directly and indirectly. Even those that claim to be non-religious or not conforming to any specific religion are faced with the daily reality of the influence of religion. I remember being in this intense place in my life trying to understand the difference between my faith and my religion, or even if there was a difference between the two. In my quest to parse out the distinction between my faith and my religion, I discovered that my faith is in fact not my religion. While related, the two have very unique influences in my life that I’ve learned is important to keep separate. Explaining the practical and applicable differences is in many ways why I wrote Beyond Religion. I believe deeply that it will result in a new level of freedom and growth. So hang in there with me. As humans beings we are all shaped by what we believe. Consequently, what we believe about ourselves and the world around us is of supreme importance. What I found most intriguing about our belief systems, and in particular my own, is that much of what we believe is initially shaped by others. We are all born into a culture not of our own choosing. We didn’t get to select the culture and family to which we would be born. But the reality is the culture and family in which were born has an indelible influence on who we are destined to become. I’m not sure if this is fair or unfair. But it doesn’t really matter because this reality is the same for us all. A large part of this influence is the dominant religion of the family and culture in which we are born. Understanding religion and its influence on our own lives as well as the lives of those around us plays a key role in how we interact in society in general. In many ways, religion has a bigger influence on society than money, government or even technology. Largely because religion is at times the motivating influence behind each of these other aspects of life. But why is this? Why is religion so influential in our lives whether we consider ourselves religious or not? Let’s delve into this a bit.