Spirituality Versus Religion

So I know this is a very touchy subject, Okay, And I'm not trying to offend anybody or upset anyone. This is just my opinion and why I think that they're both very different because I have been in both spaces. I have always felt like spirituality has called me since I was Hm, how old was I? I must have been twenty three, twenty four, And no one taught me this because in my family everyone wasn't is very Christian and that's okay. I was as well. I went to

Christian Church. I was what you call a Bible thumper. I didn't want to even eat an apple because in the Bible it says that Eve gave Adam an apple, and I was like, oh my god, apples are bad. Like it was. I was very, very religious, and I'm glad I went through that. I was eleven twelve. I didn't even cuss guys. I would pray on my knees every day. It's beautiful. I'm not saying like like I think of that. Those times. I remember writing down on a piece of paper everything I wanted to pray about.

It was a long long list, and I would do it every night and every morning. And I'm very grateful for everything I learned in Christianity. But the reason why I decided to step away from Christianity is because I was disappointed a lot by the leaders of the church, by the preachers, and I saw a lot of things

that for me were like this isn't very godly. They were doing things like a married pastor having said with some of the ladies you know that were a part of the church, and those ladies were married and whatever. I'm not judging. It was just something that at my age where I was like, oh my God, I really looked up to the pastor I was. I remember like crying because I was going to that church Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. I was a huge part of it, and then all of a sudden it was just ripped away

from me. There was a lot going on there, and mind you, I had a great times there. That is where at that church where God spoke through a prophet to my mom's sister about the whole sexual abuse, and that's how everything happened. Like they mentioned sexual abuse when they were praying for her, and no one had ever known. It was just her and I, Rosie and I that

knew about the sexual abuse. So I believe a lot in prophets and people that have that gift that God speaks to them or they're very intuitive, and they call them prophets right in the Christian world. And I lived a lot of great moments because they helped us through that very hard time of our life. And then shortly after that was when all this happened. It just it was just a season of a lot of deception with

my mom. She was pregnant with Janica, and she was like seven eight months pregnant, and she found out about us being sexually abused by my dad, and you know, it was just a whole thing. So anyway, my whole point is that I was very engrossed in Christianity. But I don't know what happened, and I don't know where I saw it. I can't remember, but I just felt called to lighting candles. And I was not really taught that in Christianity. That's more of like a Catholic thing.

And in Christianity it was don't pray to laaalupe. Santos is just God. God is very jealous God, and God just wants you to focus on Him, and you can't even really acknowledge the Santos. And I always felt very called to Labis Maria, to the Virgin Mary. And I wasn't sure why, and i'll explain now in a little bit why. But I just started lighting candles and I started burning incense, and I started looking more into spirituality,

into Buddhism, and I don't know why. I always felt in my heart that in a past life, because I believe in past life. That's something that Christians don't believe in. But I really I believe in reincarnation and I believe in past lives, and I feel that in one of my past lives, I was Asian. So I think that's why I love Asian food. I love Asians and I love Buddhism, so I was very called to. Then I

started looking into it a little bit more. And of course my mom was very traditional in that sense, and she was very Christian because her mom was very Christian, and she wasn't very happy. She kind of like, what is all this blueheia stuff? Like what is this? You know? Like she didn't understand it, and she would make fun of it, but she was letting me be. She's like, okay, my daughter's crazy. And it's okay because I had like

an altar and all these things. It came out of nowhere, guys, and I hadn't found a church where I felt comfortable after that whole situation. So this is where my search started, and this is what spirituality is. And I wrote some things down and I did some of my research just to give you, guys, facts on the difference between religion and spirituality, because and then I'll give you my own opinion. So what is religion? Let's start here. Religion is a

structured system of beliefs and practices. It often involves sacred texts, specific rituals, moral codes, and a community of believers who follow a shared path. Most religions believe in a higher power like God, and offer ways to connect to the

divine presence. Examples of religious practices okay, Attending Sunday Mass or going to church to temple, reading sacred texts like the Bible or Quran, celebrating religious holidays like Easter, Hanukkah, reciting memorized prayers, Practicing in sacraments like baptism or communion, singing worship songs. Religion can give you structure, unity, and a sense of belonging and a spiritual roadmap. Okay, now

what is spirituality? Spirituality is more personal. It's an interconnection to something greater, whether that's God, the universe, source, love, or higher power. It's less about rules and more about experience. It's your soul's way of speaking, feeling, and understanding the

world beyond the five senses. Examples of some spiritual practices meditation and breath work, journaling, are talking to God like a friend, spending time and nature, practicing gratitude, sound bass, reiki or energy healing, lighting candles, or setting intentions during moon cycles. Spirituality often asks what feels true for me, what helps me feel connected. It's about aligning with love and with peace and I'll get more into the differences

side by side. But this is why I started becoming more spiritual, because after I was let down or disappointed, and this is something that someone taught me later. And mind you, after I realized I was spiritual, I did find a home. It's called Artila, and this is where my pastor. So I kind of told him. He's like, now my mentor, and I love him. They're my spiritual parents. They're great. I still go to the church whenever I can.

I haven't gotten in a long time. But when I told him I experience with my previous church, the first church where I found Christianity or I found myself as a religious person. He said, you know, the mistake that people often make is they forget that we the pastors, are also humans and we make mistakes. And I'm not saying what he did was right, but you were focusing more on him and you let him disappoint you. Because God has never disappointed you. God has never let you down.

So after he told me that, I was like, yeah, you're right, and that's why I was a little bit more open to going to church. And I'll go to Catholic church because Emilio is very Catholic. His family's very Catholic. His grandma, who I freaking love so much, she's Catholic. And I'll go to church and I don't know. I mean, I don't know all the prayers, but I am respectful and me Persino, I might cross myself, and I'm very respectful. I feel like you can learn a little bit from

every religion and it's all about being respectful. And that's what spirituality is all about. Because I'll go to a Christian church and I'll sing and I'll dance and I'll sing worship songs and I love the presence. And they're so different. Catholic church is very quiet, you don't speak like. It's just so different, you know, And you kneel and you say a lot of prayers and it's a lot of repetitiveness. And Christianity is loud and there's instruments and

it's different. And I haven't gone to a Buddhist temple. I want to go so bad. I think I got to go to Bali, guys. I feel like Bali's calling me. But anyway, and then I have this other church called a Gope that that's where I've gone a lot and that's very spiritual, and they talk about the divine power and the power within ourselves. And I go back and forth and I dabble because that's in my opinion. When people ask me, what's your religion, I'm like, my religion

is called love. I am a spiritual person that I love and I respect. And one thing that I've noticed about certain religious and I'm not gonna like it again. This is not to bash anyone, but certain religious people. I want to say everyone, but certain religious people I have found that could be very judgmental and it's their way or no way, and if you're not doing things this way, then you're wrong. And I don't agree with that.

I feel like you should be able to express yourself and call God whatever you feel called to, the higher Power, the Creator, the Source, whatever it is that you want to call, as long as God can be a girl to you, whatever it is, and I always say, is God. There's a little bit of God in all of us. We're all stardust, guys, we all are made of the same thing. It's whatever works for you. If you want something a little bit more structured, then religion is for you.

And that is okay. As long as you are a good person that lives with good intentions and has your heart in the right place and doesn't want to hurt people intentionally. I think that is having Christ's consciousness. Christ's consciousness is living the way the Bible says Jesus was. He was soft, he was forgiving, he was accepting. When they talk about Jesus being with Mary Magdalene and how she was, I don't know a lot about the Bible. I forgot to be honest, but I remember this story vaguely,

but about that she was I believe a prostitute. I believe, and he accepted her. That is Jesus showing us how we should be because in certain religions, is you're gay, you're not accepted, you're a transgender, you're not accepted, you can't come here, or there's a lot of judgment, and Jesus wasn't like that. That jesus consciousness is I accept you. It is not my place to judge you. I love you. I have to love you because you are a brother,

you are a sister. Whatever choices you make with your life and however you want to live is your choice. That's you with God, and it's none of my business. My business is to love you, to care for you, to uplift you. Now, if you're out there killing people and doing bad things and I can't be a part of that, that's completely different. You get me. But a Christ's consciousness is yes, maybe sometimes turning the other cheek. It's all in there, and it's People take it so literal, though,

and that was me. I took it literal. I did not want to eat apples in my home because apples were bad. That's where I feel some people go wrong and where I went wrong personally. I was taking the Bible and taking the things that I was hearing at church way too literal. And I wasn't allowing my inner God, my inner spirit, my Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit that lives within me to work through me. Because I feel like that's why I'm called to spirituality. It is a choice.

I wake up every day and I choose to pray, and I choose to have a connection, and I choose to meditate. It's not because if you don't do this you're going to hell. Like that doesn't work for me, It's not a good fit for me. It is my choice at my pace and the way that feels comfortable to me lighting a candle, lighting some baosantho to get all the negative energy the way, because that is very real. Guys. Energy is real. We are all made of energy, whether

you want to accept it or not. It's scientific. We come from the stars. We are energy. We are all connected, which is why when someone walks into a room and they are moody or something's going on, you feel it because we are energy. I just wanted to explain the difference because I do sometimes feel judged by certain people even around me, because of what I believe in. Because I have a Buddha in my home. Mind you, I do hear that Buddhists don't like the Buddha to be

used as decor or anything like that. It's very sacred and I respect it very much. I have it there because it's a big, beautiful Buddha that's a fountain, and I've posted it on my social media sometimes as a God morning, and I have it there to remind me to be zen to live peacefully. Like Buddha was so awesome.

The things he's like to Jesus, you know, and the teachings and everything and how he led was just I connect so much with that, So for me, it's just reminding me of his teachings and that's it, not in any way to be disrespectful. So I have felt judged because when I was really close to my grandma and I had a Buddha at my other house, my very first house that I bought myself, it was also a fountain, and she was not happy with that. She said that those types of things hold demons in them, and that

yoga was also bad. And I don't judge her because this is what she has been taught or what she has learned and gathered from her religion. And again I respect it. I don't agree with it, which is why I have another bood. I don't care because I believe in it and I love the way it makes me feel. I don't go to church every Sunday, but I connect

every day. And I have noticed that people, again not everyone, but there are a lot of people that go to church every Sunday, are there at every service, and are not nice. And I've experienced this Firstthanda and I'm not going to say any names, but that are very critical and the first to throw a rock and pretend like they're perfect. And I've experienced it. I'm just like, dude, I would never do that. I would never say that. Like, that's why I'm so comfortable. And I love what I do.

Spirituality is what I practice and I believe in it and it works for me and it doesn't have to work for you. But we have to learn to live in peace and to respect everyone's opinion. And that's that, And that's having christ consciousness and loving loving at the end of the day, just loving and radiating love and being love and being peace and being light in the world in whatever way that you want to do it. Just don't be mean about it, and don't try to

push your beliefs on other people. I don't agree with that. Like for me, it's you're pushing me further away. Let me be let me figure it out. And again, I love going to Christian church. I just went, I don't know, like two months ago, Jennaka invited me to her church and it's beautiful and I loved it and it was a great service and it was awesome. And I take what I need to take and that's it, and I don't get fixated on it, you know, And that's how I live my life. And I think more people need

to be like that. That's just my personal opinion. Like respect people, respect their decisions, respect their choices, respect the way that they want to live their life. If they need pray or pray for them, not because they live a life that you know agree with, you're not going to pray for them. You're not going to send them light. It's like, no, that's not in It's not right. Okay.

So religion it follows sacred texts. Spirituality follows inner guidance, religion, community based spirituality, self led journey religion, moral codes and commandments, spirituality, values based living, religion, belief in a specific God, spirituality broader or more universal belief, religion, structure and rules, spirituality, flow and freedom. One isn't better than the other. They're just different paths. Religion may say this is the way,

while spirituality whispers find your way. Can you be both? Absolutely? You can go to church and meditate. You can read the Bible and pull an oracle card. I do it. You can light a candle to pray and feel God in a sunrise. I do that all the time. Being spiritual doesn't mean rejecting religion. It means choosing what resonates many people like me blend both worlds, taking what feeds the soul and leaving what doesn't. The key is authenticity, guys, and my personal reflection on this is I grew up

with religion. I knew about God, but for a long time I didn't feel God. My journey into spirituality started when I began asking deeper questions, when I wanted a more intimate relationship with the divine. And now I still carry the love and reverence of my roots, but I also embrace silence, intuition, and stillness. I talk to God every day, but not always through a prayer, Sometimes through

a song, a tear, a moment of deep breath. Sometimes I even dance guys in my restroom, and it feels amazing. I feel like I'm connecting to God like kind of like our ancestors used to do, like Danzas, you know, like dances. Okay, anyway, I'm almost done. Okay, be patient. I don't think you have to be religious or spiritual. I think you just have to be real. So whether you're meditating, going to church, journaling, or simply trying to do your best with love, know that your path is sacred.

God isn't looking for perfection. God is looking for presents. So anyways, guys, thank you, thank you so much for listening. I hope that this resonates with you, and I hope that it helps you find your way in some way somehow. Whatever works for you, whatever fits you, I'm gonna love

you regardless. I'm not going to ever make you feel like you're not welcome into my space because you don't believe in what I believe and I think just it's all about being respectful and yeah, that concludes this episode. I'm so grateful that you're here. I'm grateful that you choose to come back to become a bigger, better version of yourself. Cheeks and Chill, It's all about chilling, growing and glowing. I love you, guys. I'll catch you on the next episode of Cheeks and Chill. This is a

production of iHeartRadio and the Microdura podcast Network. Follow us on Instagram at Michael Doura Podcasts, then follow me Cheeky's That's c H I t U I s. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast