Though there can only be one Supreme Principle, unfortunately, most of the religions have conjured up their own divinities or gods as the Supreme Principle. Keeping aside the Supreme Principle for the moment, if we tread the paths of different religions dotted by each one’s characteristic traditions, beliefs and rituals and climb up the mountain top, we will end up with the concept of LOVE as the final pinnacle of religious glory.
Essentially, it is an evolution of consciousness represented by the appearance of progressively complex sentient bodies for the consciousness to express increasing levels of its potential, to culminate in a human form with immense potentials of thought, action, manipulation, invention, self-questioning, logic, reasoning, exploitation etc.
There are custodians in all religions who occupy positions of leadership who practice certain rituals based on the belief system and thereby set the foundation for rules of how life should be lived by the followers of the religion.
The words religion and spiritualism have ben used interchangeably by many. Though the two terms appear to mean similar, they are however different in perception and execution.
Rituals play a major role in almost all world religions and cults. Most of such rituals appear or sound odd to others but perfectly in sync with the ingrained beliefs of the particular religion/cult. Many religions have ceremonies/practices/rituals to commemorate the milestones of life like birth, transition to adulthood, marriage, death etc., likely to appear/sound unusual or strange to non-practitioners.
There is a multitude of religions but inherently intended for a common purpose in essence. This inferred non-difference across religions is that they all stand for the fulfillment of one objective with one great process or one great spiritual purpose. What is that great purpose? That great purpose is Religare- to re-bind yourself back onto that Supreme Cosmic Source of your being.
Though most of us talk of and belong to a religion, have we ever addressed our mind seriously on the word and its meaning? We simply accept a particular religion just because we have born into a family and become part of a community that believe and follow the particular faith. We also live with it because of a sense of security (very often false and made to believe) and a sense of feeling of easily meeting the needs and desires of physical existence through the particular object of worship/prayer.