Religious or Spiritual ? why ?

I was reading a particularly intensive religio-spirituo book ( don't google, there is no such word, and if there really is, any resemblance is purely coincidental). What got into me? Have I decided to give up my IT career and become one of those fraud sanyasis (hermit)?

Well not exactly, I do want to go for a drive or at least a walk but I can't drive to save my life and it's freezing outside. If I do walk, I would probably get lost since I am new to this area and the woods surrounding the place gives me the creeps more so at this time of the day when the sky takes a morbid dull color. Why just today I captured 2 deer's nibbling the grass on my bro's back lawn. I did snap but darn me for gifting my SLR to Indian railways and darn the digicam I carry around since the 12X zoom sucks big time.

The book was confusing, it talked about spirituality and religion and sometimes both in so many different terms/ ways that at the end of it the reader would get confused as to what is religion and what spirituality means. Or perhaps since my knowledge of these saintly matters is as good as my expertise with the financial markets maybe it's just me who's feeling like this. All the same, I do read a lot and many a times abstract things but that has never left me clouded as much as this did. To be honest, I read through the last few chapters only to get the mental satisfaction of having read the book page to page, cover to cover :) . I admit I was that BORED.

At the end of it I was like what was that part in the book referring to? Psychoanalysis or was it parapsychology or was it something else? No it must be spirituality err no religion in this context. Ohh yeah whatever… Geez it sounds more like latin or greek now

So what am I ? religious or spiritualistic? In the context of the book I was neither but you ask me and I would say I am spiritual why ?

because spiritualism

for me is my ability to connect to my inner self. the connection that directly alludes to my authentic nature.

I am spiritualistic because for me there is no difference between the mainstream religious movements. I am able to relate to each and hence am equally comfortable removing my shoes to enter a place of worship to bending on the knees to acknowledge another to cup my hands in reverence to a third.

I am equally comfortable in my own skin and the ideology that a particular religion ascribes to. while i may not accept everything a religion has and question many of its tenets including my own, i don't force my opinions on others nor do i join movements to express my solidarity with them.

I am not and will not get bogged down by the theories floating around as to who came first, who's related to who and who to pray to and i particularly don't get into the power struggles between the various factions including sub sects under my own neither do I try to make sense of the philosophical confusions that center around religion and its relevance.

while religion for me

means spiritually being able to relate to facts and events and acknowledging the presence of the omnipotent by alluding to the actions i do. actions which in turn are dictated by my inner self.

Is the viability of presence of a spiritual perspective which gives me the courage to face challenges and to not be undermined

Means to question without doubt and to find meaningful answers to my problems.

Means to keep my desire, feelings and jealousy distinct and independent of each other.

Means to be understanding, to appreciate, and to evaluate every action in its own merit

so then what are you? religious or spiritualistic? why? .......