Religion and Spirituality

There is one question we all ask: "why?" This is one of the great questions of humanity. We want a reason for our existence. We want to know what our place is in the universe. And so we create religion as a methodology -- a tool -- to help us find this answer.
Spirituality is the meaning we seek. Religion exists to help us find spirituality. And this answer is an experience which cannot be fully described by words. It is the answer we find when we "plug in" to our proper place.
The problem in religion comes when people become blind-sighted to the machine -- religion. They look to their religion as the "end-all". They get caught up in the behaviors and habits of their religion, and they miss the spirituality altogether! They behave in certain ways because the believe they are supposed to. They live their lives as though they are following some sort of cosmic checklist. And they believe that their actions can purchase their spiritual goal for them.
In sharp contrast, spiritual people find the same experience no matter what their religious tradition. They behave in certain ways because they feel moved to. And they are much happier people. Although they may differ as to the specifics of their religious practices they agree on matters of the spirit. They find the same strengths and the same faults in humanity.