Religion has failed in such a fundamental way, that no one expects religion to provide a direct, inner, spiritual experience. Religion has taken the mantle as “belief provider”, not “experience provider.”
But then the defender of religion would say, “Not true! Religion provides many spiritual experiences.”
And that’s where religion creates doubt and confusion as to what a spiritual experience really is. Those who have a stake in religion are thinking of spiritual theater when they talk about experiences.
Spiritual theater is going to special place where there’s a pageantry of costumes, props, words, sounds, smells take the place of direct, inner, spiritual experience. This is to spirituality as is a movie about food is to eating a feast with your full senses.
Spirituality is about the soul. The soul is the spirit, full stop. It’s really simple, people. The soul is simple, the experience is deep, the consequence of this is broad.
Religion is not about experiencing the soul, does not teach how to experience the soul, even though it has all the authoritative words and architecture.
If it did teach about how to experience the soul and take that experience out into your day, then religion would look completely different. We wouldn’t have concepts about spirituality—we’d have lived spirituality.
Our entire planet would be unrecognizable to how it is now. That’s the answer to the premise of this thought journey.
My vision is that one day, when everyone has a spiritual experience, then religion will cease to exist in the way it is now structured. Religion will be forced to evolve because we have evolved. We won’t be satisfied with stories, rules, and rituals anymore.
Why would we when we have all the wonderful qualities of the soul right there within us, nurturing us, guiding us?