Religion is the way we believe, and often what we believe in.  

It is the formalization of something that cannot be put in words--that feeling and belief and knowledge that comes from the Universe. Something much bigger than words sometimes gets polluted when we do try and conceptualize it. The moment we have to explain it, it seems so fantastical on paper that we have to start adding human concepts to make it more real. Added to that we get personal power trips and superiority complexes as well as cultural influences. There is also the conviction of convenience, the authority of the powers that be etc. This leads to some interpretation of that unnameable thing - spirituality. We cannot deny that formal worship and communion is invaluable to spiritual communities, it is however the human element that disrupts the harmony. The human need to put a name to everything - otherwise we think it does not exist. We need to have rules and names and restrictions on paper to behave socially acceptable, while socially acceptable is mostly not very spiritual in it-self.

Religion is that set of rules we are taught to worship and spiritually fellowship by. While many are happy to live by rules that promise financial reward if they are followed, other people like rules because they can understand it and if they follow it 'to the letter', then they feel justified as God-pleasing souls. Church of the East, however, is a mystical movement-especially in the sense that we believe the Church provides devotees with opportunities; tools and assistance to reach out and touch the Lord, to walk in the garden with the Spirit and be enthused by The presence, and thus wise grow in wisdom and grow in spirit...walking The Way. Of course we have rules and set ways and ancient ritual traditions-and all of these are tried, proven and popular devotional devices serving the quest for communion with the Spirit and gaining in spiritual nurture.