Religions are institutions created to instruct people about the (possible) ways by which God exists and operates in the universe and in the lives of humans; past, here and now, and in the future. They are sanctuaries for worship and protection. They are learning centers. They are home to those of the same order. Religion is not the same thing as religious. Religious is a person that not only adheres to the rules and regulations of the religion they are a part of, but they also supposedly believe in the same taught philosophies and spiritual concepts; I say supposedly because saying you are religious is not the same as actually believing what you say, as most “religious people” do; not phonies per se, but inwardly not as fervent as claimed.

One of the major failures of religions, to get it out of the way at the start, is the erroneous belief, taught universally across all religions, that by claiming to be part of the group, it gives you promised protections and rights, like a country does to it’s citizens. This is true more or less on a secular level, even if in practice it’s just a flimsy promise that is not worth much. However, spiritually, that is an altogether different situation. It’s simple to understand. No religion can give you what only God can give you, i.e. connection to Him. Nothing else needs to be stated on the matter. Whatever is written or proclaimed, by myself or ancient religions, only you as an individual can achieve connection to God, and only if God allows it, which is to say that it is likely, if and only if you are genuine in your desire to connect. God will know the truth about your intentions.

Religious people are sincere, in a way; some part of them wants a connection to God. But many other reasons are prevalent that steer a person to or away from religion; the most obvious are the psychological and sociological states of the person. Born Irish, you will most like be Protestant or Catholic. Born Iranian, Muslim. Born Indian, Hindu. Born Jewish, then obviously Jewish. And so on. This is not groundbreaking information, yet it doesn’t sink in on the ground level. Indoctrinated from birth during the formation of the brain, babies form their impressions of the world based on their environments, again not groundbreaking. They’re also taught not to question authority, like parents, elders and teachers. There is a point when information becomes so much a part of a person that it is the person; escaping from its biases requires much effort and reprogramming.

It must also be mentioned, and by no means is it an aside, that fear is a major part of the equation. Humans are afraid to leave the safety of accepted knowledge. We’re so afraid of leaving our psychological home base that we give the places outside of it impressions of unholiness, even going as far to call it evil. This works both ways, because atheists call religion evil, as much as the religious says being without religion is the “Devil’s Playground.” Evil is real, but evil is everywhere, even in ourselves, like a dormant gene. Likewise, good is everywhere. Humans waffle between the two. Religion is a method of instructing how to navigate between the two, and it’s a damn good one. For the most part, being without any religion will be fine for a life well lived before expiring, but is it the best life lived? It’s debatable, and always be.

I advocate for a balanced spiritual diet, at the least. Be a part of a religion, if you choose, develop a clear understanding of what God is and what God is not, and live a life connected spiritually to the world. Simple as that. The issue is that it is barely enough. Like food and water, you can eat vitamins and protein, drink water and remain alive; or you can feast like a Queen on fine dining and alcohol; two extremes, both will get you to adulthood, but life should be much more than that. You can be happier, healthier, perform better, and so on. The spiritual life should be a rich one.

Being religious is not worthless, but it can be when all you are is fluff and no substance. I firmly believe you can be all substance and not have religion at all. Yes, you will need knowledge and participation to become spiritually connected to God, but my ministry is steadfast on proving that you don’t need anything but yourself and God. I advocate for a Christian life because it is a sound method, that is all. Understand the basics and it makes sense. If you practice it, you will enrich your life and achieve new levels of spiritual development. But you can also do that with other religions. The only universal requirement is being good.

Where things fracture are in the specifics, and perhaps, these are more important than the basics. Each religion makes claims that are monumental if true. To be Christian is to accept many concepts and beliefs that are questionable, by logic and science and experience. We can analyze all concepts to decipher their validity. Most things fail under scrutiny, but many key parts of spirituality pass the tests. Religion is a great way to begin, but each individual must run their own tests and make up their own minds. It is the only way to become personally connected to God or not. You must make it personal. Don’t be “sold on religion,” decide for yourself.

All religions are sincere, no doubt. They all make the same basic claim, “God is real, we can take you there;” and it’s true, same destination different mode of transportation. Is that enough for you? Should it be enough that you take whatever comes along? Maybe. Problem is that you may get on a well meaning plan, but it never actually gets you there, which is the experience that 99% of people have; nice idea, but it never delivers on the promise, so you’re left with negative information and bad reviews that tell others not too bother, because if it didn’t work for them it probably won’t work for you either; what a shame.

So how do you ensure that you will find God and connect to Him? Again, it’s simple. Regardless of the method, it is only a sincere and willing mind and spirit that can connect, something that you can do on your own or within a group, like a religion. Religion is just information. Begin the journey and go through the info. Along the way, experience will begin to guide you naturally. You should feel confident that you are smart enough and capable enough to know what to keep and what to discard. Be mindful and unafraid. This is your journey alone. God will be watching and waiting the whole time, and guiding you more and more as He determines that you are serious and not temporarily giving it a shot. Be patient and steadfast. Understand that there are no promises, there is no automatic leveling up, and no right way. Doing it is all that is required, one step at a time.

We are in the greatest of all eras of humankind because we have amassed knowledge that is shared across all boundaries. Take all of it! Throw it in that beautiful blender of a mind that you have, mix it well and make the most delicious knowledge cocktail imaginable. Drink it up, every last drop of it, and then keep making more! Overtime your mind and spirit will guide you to God, by natural means, as it was designed to do all along. After that, you will begin the process by which you deicide to go further or not. Most are satisfied with the basics.

As a Pastor it is my mission to take you as far as you want to go. Just connecting to God is barely the beginning. It cannot be overstated. The levels that are possible are mind-blowing, to say the least; that is what drives people to seek more. Religions have misled people into thinking that participation and flimsy practices are enough. This is the tragedy that has plagued humans for millennia since the discovery of God roughly 3,000 years ago (historically, speaking). We are capable of astounding things spiritually. Spirituality is the name for capabilities beyond the basics of material living. That is the driving force; the desire for more. Anyone can have the basics by seeking God, but demand in yourself that you want the full journey, the full experience. There are unimaginable possibilities. Want to go beyond the material? Buy the damn ticket and strap yourself in for the ride of your life.

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©2026 Pastor Robert Perez