Spirituality

I don't recall the exact words or who said it, but I heard the difference between being religious and being spiritual is that being religious, your beliefs are based on what you  were taught, typically by a particular religion upon which a person was raised, in many cases it's an external thing. "I believe the way I do because that's how my family was raised or the country in which I live."  I remember when I lived in San Diego, I was sharing my views at a Catholic church.  The individual I was speaking to said and I quote: "I was born a Catholic and I will die a Catholic."  Right or wrong he wasn't going to deviate or search for anything else.  Whereas, being spiritual, a person's beliefs are something the person has searched and studied and taken into there heart.  They can belong to a particular faith, but they are there because they chose that path through their search for God.  As quoted below, religion has caused so much division in the world.  So many are they that have senselessly fought and died in the name of Christ or Allah or God.  I believe that each religion has a piece of God's light to share with the world.  There is not a single religion that has the complete truth, but each a portion and each of us stand to learn from our brothers and sisters of the different faiths.  We need to forget our petty differences and learn to live in peace.  

"Religion should not be a divisive force, as it has been for so many centuries.  True religion is the living expressions of God's wisdom and love, and a truly religious person will reflect that wisdom and love of God to all he or she touches and will be a powerful source of peace and goodness to everyone.  No one need fear a truly religious person, because he carries in his heart the living presence of God, and blesses everyone he meets."

- Joseph F. Girzone (excerpt from Joshua in the Holy Land)