Search for Inner Peace will Never Cease...

I haven’t prayed in almost 10 years. I have had a problem with praying, because I have a problem with religion. People always say, you don’t need religion to pray… but they don’t understand where I am coming from. Even if you don’t follow religious rituals and rules, you are still identifying with a certain God that has been produced from a religion. Growing up, I have always found this hypocrisy with religion. I believed that dressing a certain way, or worshiping a “holy site” or even reading scripture did not bring one closer to God. I still believe this, and being here has enforced this belief even more. Today at the Church of Visitation, I felt for the first time in a decade the urge to pray, and I did. It brought me to tears because I finally found the answer to my frustration with spirituality and religion. People cling to the past, the known, to explain the unknown. This to me is backwards. Enlightenment, progression, edification all come from open mindedness, travel, free expression of self, language… these are the keys to finding my own inner peace with the world and its ills. I know for sure that I will never embrace or accept religion, I will never be convinced of its power to produce faith, but I am open to the spiritual connection that might come along with life experience. Every day I feel a new sense of reality, and meaning to be alive and to do good… Is that not that what religion is suppose to instill in its followers? Continual growth of my mind, body and spirit will further my path. People try to explain life rather than live it. Traveling to Jerusalem, the holy land, I have been able to witness the divine stories I have heard and read about. I went to that tomb Jesus walked out of, I felt the rock that Mohammed ascended from, and I stood on the ground the temple once stood on… I feel the holiness here; it is kept here by the people who walk these streets every day. It is impossible to come here and not to feel overwhelmed, but in a good way.
I still have 6 more days here, and I am sure more will change. These are just some thoughts from today.
Also, we visited the Sabreen studio today, freaking awesome.
Peace!