Spirituality and God: What they said, what I thought.....

Spirituality for me is a never ending process, almost anything you learn, anything you experience catalyzes your spiritual evolution. I have had lengthy talks and debates with many of my friends on Spirituality, God, religion and all other related topics, and the following is an observatory account of all the philosophies I have acquired during the first 20 years of my life.

Since early childhood I had been advised by my elders to offer prayers in temple, pray to God, fold hands in front of religious statues, and was warned that God might punish me on my misdeed if I did not do so. Even then I had kind of a rebellious demeanor. I used to wonder why this God wanted everybody to praise him. I remember once when my mother told me that God is the universal parent, the mother and father to all living beings on earth, and therefore I should thank God for my existence, and pray to him daily, I then promptly challenged this analogy by saying that no parents had ever punished their child for not greeting them, no parents ever want to be daily thanked by their kids for bringing them up.

As I grew older I was told that God loves you, God loves everybody, and God only wants love in return. I was again confused at this notion, I couldn't quite understand that how could one love somebody whom he hasn't seen, experienced, and he's isn't even sure of his presence.

I then heard about spirituality, this was the most pleasing concept I had ever known. But then I heard people talking about spirituality, some called it the theory linking man to God, some called it science, some used the term 'inner engineering' some used an array of similar extravagant adjectives. All talked fantastically about the most magnificent of things soul, universe, god, meditation etc. but no body could answer the basic question as to what is the practical approach as far as a common person is concerned. How should an average human induce spirituality in his day to day life? What practically should be the initial steps to what everybody calls as 'spiritual enlightenment'?

I learn about meditation, I tried it, I felt relaxed, I thought of it purely as a mind relaxing mechanism. But when they linked it to God and spirituality I was again confused. I could really not get the link between meditation, God and spirituality. I heard that meditation is the path to get the ultimate answers, the solution to all spiritual challenges, the mechanism to ultimately be united with God. I superficially accepted all this, but the reasoning and explanations I got, were all vague and absurd.

I was perplexed at the mysticism surrounding God and spirituality. I met 'neo-spiritualists' who advocated the notion that spirituality is nothing but a science. If so, then why isn't there one absolute theory regarding God and spirituality. If spirituality is really a science, then why does everybody supplies his own hypothesizes. Why do spiritualists sound more like theologists and want 'belief' to be the ultimate factor? They say, you got to have belief all explanations will follow thereafter. I ask, isn't it the opposite way with science, first you have explanations and then people believe your concepts. 'Why should I believe?' is the ultimate question.

These are some of the basic questions my mind challenges me with whenever I think about spirituality. I hope someone, sometime can shed a light and clear at least some of the doubts.