Do religions represent God?

[chimp3]

Lil Rik: There are at least as many gods as there are believers. More since some are polytheists. Ask yourself how you created your god. You are into introspection , aren't you my navel staring friend?

[Little Rik]

Got to go along with F&F's definition.

But Rik, the difference you're trying to make between spiritualism and religion is problematic.  It would be more clear if you called it the difference between practicing a religion and seeking religious experience, like a shaman.  If one goes walk about in the wilderness long enough, or ingests 'shrooms/peyote, or engages in a sun dance in order to provoke a vision which one interprets for himself .. then one has engaged in direct religious experience.  But if you work with a priest/master the guided exercises and study is more akin to the religious training of the priest class than it is to the direct religious experience of a shaman.  Direct religious experience is dangerous.  No one who joins the priest/swami class can claim to be above/outside religion.  You are firmly anchored in your tradition every bit as much as any catholic priest, Rik.

You confuse external experiences with internal knowledge as in spirituality.
Religions and peyotes are external experiences that lead nowhere.
From internal knowledge as in spirituality you can not possibly go wrong.
God is within.
The seed is within and by allow the seed to sprout you understand who you really are.  

[chimp3]

Meditation is more time alone to fantasize!

[vorlon13]

Christianity transcends mere human ability at fucking up shit and proves Jesus had a supernatural unpower of some kind.

[Minimalist]

God is within.

The same can be said of a tumor.

[Opoponax]

I noticed that most people in the forum when talk about God both in the positive and negative take from what religions say.
It never came in their mind that what religions say may be totally different from what God (if exist at all)
may think or say.
I brought the attention to this failing time and time again but people keep on falling in the same trap so I
open a poll to see what they think regard all this.

 Everyone, believer or otherwise, has considered what a god outside of popular religion might be. So much so as a matter of fact, that it's almost not worth discussing because well, so what? It amounts to imaginary musings and not a lot more. There is no failing, no trap; just your lack of understanding of human beings.

[Angrboda]

Spirituality and religion concern the regulation and care of the spirit.  The only difference is one is a solitary pursuit while the other is a group pursuit.  You may think otherwise, but you're a quack.

Wrong again yog.  
In religion the care of the spirit is all but a theory (an abstract feeling) while in spirituality is all about practice that eventually lead to union with God.
It is like thinking to plan to find the gold and actually do something to get it out the soil (subconscious mind).  

Yeah, no, you're full of shit here. There are practicing religious and theoretical spiritualists. The distinction you make doesn't exist. Moreover you're simply assuming that what you do is "right practice" whereas what they do isn't. That's just being biased. How do you know that what the religious do isn't "right practice?" You don't. You're just assuming the high ground. Anybody can make an assumption. Assuming that you're doing the right thing and they're not is not providing any reason to believe you. Anyone can just assume.

[vorlon13]

God is within.

The same can be said of a tumor.

all though it's easier to blow God out your ass than a tumor . . .

[chimp3]

I know pentecostal people who claim they are not religious. They equate religion with "legalistic" interpetations of scripture and clinging to ritual formats for prayer and worship. They believe their form of religion is alive and a true relationship with Jesus. It all looks the same to me. Including lil rik's personal interprdtation of yoga and karma.

[ApeNotKillApe]

The deification of Christ was a legal stipulation.