Members Blog: What’s So Scary about Words Like “Religion,” “Spirituality” and “Mysticism”?
Reflections on Writing my Memoir, Into the Mystic: My Years with Olga (Inanna Publications, 2014) Susan McCaslin The word “religion” can sometimes generate hostility or fear. People mistrustful of religion notice how many of the major religions have been and continue to be tied to empire-building, rigid belief systems, gender inequalities, corporate capitalism, wars, and the exploitation of the “have nots.” The word “spirituality” seems a gentler, more inclusive term, less indicative of rigid belief systems. Yet it too remains…