Spiritual Quests, Self Discovery, and Other Early Morning Ramblings

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

Religion is typically the resource for spiritual needs, but the institution seems so conformist, presenting answers instead of posing interesting questions. I wonder if this is why so many spiritual alternatives seem to have become popular, such as wicca. But even these seem more heavy on providing answers and less and exploring interesting questions about developing one's self and soul. But maybe I'm wrong about this.

This is the opposite of my experience. Maybe it depends on your particular flavor. However, my experience has been that religion presents an endless series of questions. Amongst them is the most basic question out there: "Why am I here?" Taking Christianity as an example, sometimes the "answer" is given as: "It's all part of God's plan." But that's not an answer. Or, rather, that's not an answer for anyone with an ounce of independent thought.

Sometimes "faith" is misinterpreted as a blind, unquestioning reliance on the "God's plan" idea. As if we are all pawns being moved about by unseen hands.

I don't much cotton to that notion. "God's plan" isn't an answer -- it's just the start to an endless series of further questions. I wonder about them all the time. From the basic -- "should I pick a focus area? IP law? Employment? Tax?" -- to more global -- "what would it take to have world peace? Is it possible to have peace? It is actually even desireable to have world peace?" -- to the way out there -- "If God exists, who made God? Are there other Gods? Are there other realities? What is the nature of time?"

And the only way I know to pursue answers is to live life. Advice is nice, but it has to be evaluated in context; no one can live my life for me.