Wanna join my cult?

Last night I went out with some friends, had two glasses of red wine and was home in bed by 10:30 pm. Not too exciting. I'm exhausted from the week. The problem with that kind of Friday night is I've been up since 5 and I'm already bored at 7:30 am. So here I am.

I've been thinking lately about religion. Touchy subject I know. But some parents...people, I meant people!, think that we can't be whole again without some kind of religious belief system. And there are a lot to choose from. Who will you worship? Who claims your allegiance? Allah, God, Jesus, Jehovah, Buddha, Brahman, Ganesh, Krishna...the list goes on and on.

Recently, I've been exporing Buddhism. The teachings seem to fit most closely to the values and ideals I'm trying to live by. I've read a bunch of books on it, yesterday I bought a big, blue Buddha and put him in my living room. He looks really, really happy. Digging a bit deeper though, I realize that any religious group has its pros and cons, good things and bad things.

My last boss, Stuart, brought me back an idol of Ganesh when he went to India. He said he wasn't sure if I'd like it or it would offend me, but Ganesh was a "nice God, unlike the one you know."

I'm sure this is something I will keep exploring, but for now I have a few opinions on the topic. I think religion can be a great force for good in the world. I completely understand people who 100% buy into it and need it in their lives. The thing I don't agree with anymore is proselytizing. I know, this sounds stupid coming from the girl who used to spend 100 hours a month voluntarily doing that, without pay or any kind of return on investment.

Arguably though, as much as it can be a sometimes force for good, religion is also at the root of so much of the evil in this world. I can't in good concience, pick one over another, because organized religion is a money making, people controlling establishment as much as any other corporation is.

I believe it was L. Ron Hubbard who said: "If you want to get rich, you start a religion."

There are good, sincere people who are members of almost all religious groups across the planet. For me, I think taking a little bit from here, a little bit from there and putting it all together into a belief system that I can actually buy into, is how it's going to end up. I'm a religious mutt. I have Buddha on one side of me, Ganesh on the other and a bible on the bookcase. And if I have kids, I'll tell them that, educate them about all the different options out there. And then let them choose their own path.

In the meantime though, I could use some extra money, especially now that I'm mad over some guy who lives in Austria. So, if you're looking for a new religion, come join mine. We're totally allowed to drink coffee, we'll do yoga sessions in the park and we won't judge anyone for anything they've ever done. Y'all would just have to prove that you're a Pure Spirit, dedicated to the common good, and you would never harm anyone or anything. Love, acceptance, forgiveness. Come to the dark side. We have chocolate.

Namaste.