Religion
I’m not too sure if I’m the right person to be arguing for this side, but here I am. I claim to be agnostic, so while I don’t know the ins and outs of any religion, I still think there is a certain charm to them. That is, if you can try to push your focus away from everything negative that has ever happened because of religion’s overwhelming influence on mankind. We’re not ignoring it… we’re just talking about the positives.
I’ve always thought that it is beautiful to see different religious practices and their influences on cultures all around the world. From architecture to social standards, it’s fascinating to see how people are still guided by religion today. Spirituality is more of an individual practice, so rarely do you see how this impacts different groups of people. However, a plethora of religions have been shared, studied, and followed by entire nations and races across the globe. I see beauty in that, well when it’s done with the right intentions. Of course there have been many times where people have used religion as a weapon, but I don’t like to define their wrongdoings by their faith; they’re terrible people who spread misinformation and hate in the name of a religion to gain support. And this spreads further hate towards innocent people of that religion. I’ve seen this firsthand while living in the Middle East, and it’s a shame that people can be so blinded by their own unresearched opinions.
Religion is meant to be shared and respected despite differences in beliefs, and this is what I like the most about the good souls I’ve met throughout my life. I’ve had many conversations where I’ve come to understand how different people interpret religious texts and it’s quite intriguing to hear the varying opinions I’ve been told. There will most likely never come a day where religion isn’t of any significance; there are far too many people who believe in what they follow. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If religion can give you a sense of hope and comfort in a time of hardship and desperation, then who are other people to judge?
Spirituality
I say give up religion (which comes with never ending religious debate) and embrace the crystals collecting hobby, aka spirituality.
I mean, spirituality is the new trend. If you wanna look cool, adopt it. It’s got the hippest people from all over the world. I swear, spiritual people are the most unconventional creatures with the spice, whereas, well, religious people are just people…
I’m assuming Joel will discuss the history, the essence, and the importance of religious texts but not everyone has time for that. We’re not all exploding with new exciting and happy hormones like him. He’s young, most of us aren’t. Nobody has time to read all the different scriptures from every religion, be it Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and the list goes on. See, spirituality on the other hand, is easy. Just buy some crystals to ‘cleanse’ and detox your soul and you’re good, your part of the gang.
Religion is like an old Karen grandma. It’s rigid. Boring, old, and strict. Spirituality, however, has no set rules or guidelines, do whatever you want, follow your heart and those 111, 222, 333, 444, 555 and you’re good. ‘Trust the universe’ and blame the universe too when she does you wrong.
Flaunt those cool and weird accessories that spiritual people wear. The tarot cards, essential oils, endless recommendations concerning witchcraft videos on your FYP—the possibility is endless! And, as a bonus, there’s nothing more powerful than to scare someone you hate, cooking stories like, “I see negative energy and spirits around you” at 2 am on a Friday night. Just a suggestion.
