religion vs spirituality

I think of myself as a spiritual person.  I do not consider myself a religious person.

These 2 statements seem to contradict one another, but why?  There seems to be a link between spirituality and religion, and although I understand where this point comes from, perhaps there is less in common then one is told to believe.  While I respect and recommend the teachings of the Judeo-Christian, alongside the Eastern philosophical teachings of Buddhism, Taoism and many less known ideologies, in no way do I support an organized religious sect.  There is a powerful difference between the values religious sects are supposed to impose, and the actual organization itself.  This is where the idea of spiritual vs. religion becomes vague.  Many (especially in North American) believe that to find spirituality, once must become part of a church and this is something I do not agree with, nor something I recommend.  Spirituality comes from within oneself, as well as their perception of the heavens (cosmos, afterlife, what have you).  By flocking to organized religious centers such as churches, one is under the false impression that spirituality cannot be found on one's own. That pisses me off.  Organized religious centers usually will ask for donations, or be funded by the government, in some way they come into contact with funding, however spirituality can be found without any religious center, and without any funding, so why not spend this money on more important things? Such as scientific advancement? space exploration? Impregnation of Earth with more trees.. anything really.   I think the idea that has overpowered Northern American is that without attending church, one cannot be spiritual.  We need to change our views on this, find spirituality ourselves, and spend money on more important things that can and will help humanity.

I have a tendency to view things with a communistic lens, capitalism clearly isn't working, but I'll keep this for a separate article.

Thoughts?

hip hop

Here's a song I wrote, the instrumental is El-P's "time won't tell".  The second I heard this instrumental I fell in love, it was just plain dope.  So I went home and started writing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeaQhNaRoAI

Please share some feedback, all criticism is welcome

The Salem Witch Hunt

I researched some primary documents for the Salem Witch Hunt in 1692 and was amazed by what I read, there's many ideas as to the cause of this bizarre such as 'misogyny' or the related 'suppression of uppity women', however I feel different, here's what I think:

Through a combination of the allegations laid forth by the psychosomatic afflicted persons, harsh (and illegal) interrogations, and a mob mentality that scapegoated deviant persons as witches, the Salem Witch Hunt was born.  By study of court records, it is shown that individuals who did not follow specific societal norms were scapegoated not only as witches, but as ringleaders and those heading the frontier during this infamous case of mass hysteria.  Using church sermons it is visible that the line between natural and supernatural was very fine – if it even existed – creating the psychosomatic nature instilled on these afflicted young ladies.  Because of this exceedingly transparent line, the townsfolk of Salem had a very difficult time differentiating between fact and fiction, or natural and supernatural.

That's a small piece of the paper I wrote about the Witch Hunt, thoughts?

The philosophy behind philosophy

I should start off by saying that I will use this blog to post content that is of interest to me, I enjoy philosophical discussions and often find myself dazed out thinking about nothing but, I am very open to friendly banter and debate so please feel free to comment with your opinion, please show me why I'm wrong! The reason philosophy interests me so much is become I've always had a passion for learning, and the best way to learn in my opinion would be from experience and simply thinking things through; question your beliefs, and break down the walls that you build up around yourself.  I have found true joy in thinking.

Have any questions about my beliefs? Hit me up with your best questions, be it religious, political, philosophical, anything really and I'll be more then happy to discuss!

Lucid Dreams and YOU

I came across a link on stumbleupon that explained how to lucid dream (http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/273ha2/humor-image.com/how-to-control-your-dreams/) so I began following the instructions and combining them with other methods I read online.  In addition to what is explained in that link, I also have tried laying perfectly still in an attempt to trick my brain into thinking I have fallen asleep (read that this works) but after roughly about 30 minutes, my body felt extremely heavy, it felt like somebody was sitting on my chest so i gave in and moved about.  Still no lucid dreaming has occured, am I missing something?