Let’s talk about something that sits at the core of many lives—religion. Not to attack it, not to dismiss it, but to question it in a way that encourages growth, understanding, and, hopefully, a deeper connection with each other.
I’ve spent decades as a minister, but I wasn’t always one. From the age of 18 to 28, I was an atheist. Before that, I was raised in church. So, I’ve stood on both sides of the fence—believer and skeptic. That experience gives me a unique lens, and today, I want to look through that lens and invite you to do the same.
Think about how most of us are raised. Our earliest beliefs aren’t chosen—they’re given. Handed down by our parents, our grandparents, our communities. Even if we stray from those beliefs as adults, many of us still carry the underlying framework of what we were taught. It's hardwired into how we see the world.
But here’s the thing—almost every field of human knowledge has evolved. Science, medicine, technology, even how we see the universe itself has grown beyond what people once thought possible. Yet, when it comes to religion, there’s often a hard stop. Many of us cling to texts, traditions, and teachings that were created thousands of years ago, as if time stood still.
I’m not saying the wisdom within these traditions isn’t valuable—it absolutely can be. But what if part of growing as individuals and as a society means revisiting and questioning the beliefs we’ve inherited? Not to destroy them, but to understand them better. To ask: “Does this still serve me? Does it still help humanity move forward?”
Let’s break it down: Religion and the concept of God (or the universe, or a higher power—whatever you want to call it) are not the same. People have been around for millions of years. Religions? Only a few thousand. That means for most of human history, people existed without the modern religious systems we have today.
Yet, somehow, we’ve been convinced that the version of God our specific culture grew up with is the ultimate, the only, the absolute truth. And that mindset—this idea that my version is right and yours is wrong—has fueled centuries of conflict, division, and even war.
It’s not just about ancient history either. Look around today, and you’ll see the fingerprints of religious ideologies all over modern conflicts, policies, and debates. But here’s the kicker: often, it’s not even about faith. It’s about power.
Strategic interests masked as spiritual warfare. People in positions of influence using religion as a tool to push agendas that serve the few while the many bear the cost.
But that’s not where the real power of belief lies. The real power is in the human connection—the love, empathy, and understanding that transcend culture, language, and geography.
If you strip away the layers of ritual, doctrine, and tradition, most spiritual teachings, at their core, point toward the same thing: kindness, community, and the pursuit of something bigger than ourselves.
The problem arises when the stories we were given—those written by people long before our time—become walls instead of bridges. Think about it: what if the purpose of these stories wasn’t to create lines of division but to guide us toward unity?
To offer metaphors for compassion, growth, and understanding, rather than rigid rules for who’s in and who’s out?
And here’s where it gets personal. Many of us live our lives feeling trapped in the beliefs we inherited, never fully questioning them because it’s uncomfortable, or because we’re told it’s wrong to ask. But questioning isn’t rebellion—it’s evolution. It’s how we grow.
You don’t have to reject everything you were taught. But what if you sifted through it and kept what genuinely adds value to your life and the lives of others? What if we moved beyond the fear of being “right” or “wrong” and instead focused on being kind, compassionate, and connected?
Here’s a thought: maybe the greatest act of faith isn’t in following ancient texts to the letter, but in trusting our own capacity to love, to grow, and to seek truth—even if it takes us beyond the boundaries of what we were taught.
Religion isn’t inherently the problem. The issue is when it becomes a barrier to understanding rather than a bridge. When it divides instead of unites. When it prioritizes dogma over humanity.
So, what do we do? We start by recognizing that none of us hold all the answers. That our perspectives are shaped by where we were born, who raised us, and what we’ve been exposed to.
And in that realization, there’s freedom. Freedom to connect with others beyond labels. Freedom to grow beyond outdated mindsets. Freedom to build a world where belief isn’t a battleground but a conversation.
At the end of the day, it’s not about what name you give to the divine—or whether you give it a name at all. It’s about how you treat people. It’s about how you live your life. That’s the legacy worth leaving behind.
We all want to feel connected, to feel seen, and to know we’re part of something bigger. Maybe that “something bigger” isn’t locked away in ancient texts or rigid doctrines. Maybe it’s right here, in the space between us—waiting for us to realize that we’re more alike than we are different.
That’s where the real power is. And it’s been there all along.
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