what is your religion?

“What is your religion?” Surprisingly enough that’s a question I get asked pretty often. When I say none, the most frequent assumption is that I’m an atheist. Of course than I try to explain that I’m a spiritual person, that I believe in many things mentioned in major religions and more, but for some reason that tends to conjure up a tarot reading, horoscope consulting, spell casting and other new age stereotypes that are now so prominent.

Why can’t a person be none of the above, and yet remain a conscious, intelligent (I certainly hope so) human being? Why is this necessity to group everyone into recognizable and repetitive patterns? Maybe I take an interest in astrology (and I do), but that does not mean I care about tarots or other cards. Maybe I will at some point, but not now. So stop assuming things.

The quest for truth is something that we all should be able to pursue without feeling trapped by someone else’s boundaries of what is and isn’t part of a given religion/movement/philosophy. I don’t have to be Christian to take interest and appreciate the teachings of Jesus Christ, I don’t have to be a Buddhist to ponder possibility of Nirvana. I don’t have to be a Theosophist to read the writings of Blavatsky. No do I have to agree with all the things I read.

And I reserve the right to come up with ridiculous theories about how the world works, and believe in them until proven otherwise, without being labeled crazy. Why not? The clergies are doing it, the scientists are doing it -- I’m just playing their game. My way.