Spiritual, not Religious

Karl Marx stated that religion is the opiate of the masses. so I ask....will you fill-in the blank?

If religion is the opiate of the masses then spirituality is the __________ of society.

It is becoming more common for people to make the distinction between spiritual and religious, about 20% of the population here in the USA describe themselves as spiritual, not religious. It is a distinction that I think is extremely important so the baby doesn't get thrown out with the bathwater. It is difficult for people to agree to a common definition of spirituality. I tend to think of spirituality as that which is most meaningful and valuable to us.

I happen to be an anti-fundamentalist. Fundamentalists come in a wide variety; religious, secular and ideological. I think fundamentalism is a phase. Unfortunately, there is the possibility of arrested development.

As far as religious fundamentalism goes, I'm in favor of anything that loosens the hold of rigid beliefs. It's why I like the writings of Daniel Quinn, Dan Brown, Zacharia Sitchen and productions like Zeitgiest, (which they're attempting to make into a movement) and Ancient Aliens. I remember watching Chariots of the Gods when I was a kid, it was soooo cool. Who knows, they may still be here. Some people think they know what they saw.
You can join the extra campaign if you'd like to try to let the ET cat out of the bag.

I don't think that many people have a thorough understanding of what religion really is. Religion is far more complex than that superficial definition. This entry is more comprehensive. Religion has historical components, political components, philosophical components, astronomical components, mythological components and more.

Looking deeper into matters is part of what I consider spirituality to be. When I think about humanity's roots, I reflect back through the corridors of time and evolution, a time before we had a written language, when we migrated from the true motherland. It is a time we can glimpse into with diamond vision and the disciplines of archeology, astro-archeology and myth.

Pushing farther back the roads of evolution and reforming a corrupted Darwinian view , I am filled with awe and love, love which extends to the dogs, cats, flowers, trees, fish and bees. It is a love of sublime mystery.

Part of religion is history, the history of ancient astronauts interacting with humanity.
Part of religion is political manipulation of holy text, a patriarchal agenda due to violence induced by accumulations of resources by agrarian culture. See Elaine Reisler, the Chalice and the Blade.
Part of religion is misinterpretation of fossil records. T-rex must have been a giant (human).