When just barely is good enough

I suppose I should first say that I have a bias when talking about matters religious and spiritual. I see it all, inherently, as personal. We may meet in groups, we may work together, but in the end, it's something that no one can do for you. You get out of spirituality what you put into it.

That's not to say that people that only show up for services and otherwise fall off the face of the earth aren't annoying as all heck. They are. Religion isn't something you take your weekly dose of, like a pill, and then ignore for the rest of the time. And most certainly, one hour of church a week (or a year) doesn't somehow "make up" for all the wrong things you're doing the rest of the time.

One of the problems is that some religious groups play the numbers game. They care more about the number of bodies than the seriousness of the people in them, and so focus on getting the absolute maximum number of butts in chairs, in the strange belief that spirituality will apparently filter into these people if they just sit there enough. And, being people, they value everyone's work as equal even if it isn't in the hopes of getting the bodies.

All of these things can feel like threats. But they're not threats, not spiritually. We can look at them and feel like they're getting the benefits for free that we have to work so hard for. But, really, what benefits are they actually getting?

I, personally, would rather people just didn't bother with FlameKeeping than treated it as a numbers game or an occasional chore. FlameKeeping is a religion of self and Divine improvement. If you're not willing to do the work, you're just a butt keeping a seat warm.

Questions:
What do I give my spirituality, and what does it give me? I give it at least two blog posts a week. ;) More seriously, it is integrated completely into my life. I work to improve things where I can find them. More, I try to be aware of what I see and do and how that affects those around me, so I can try to do things intelligently. It's easy to want to improve things. It's hard work to actually try to do it.

What do I think of people that use spirituality as a weekly appointment? I really wish they wouldn't bother. I usually see it in Christians, but I know all faiths do it. And if anything attacks that casual certainty, they turn almost rabid. Nothing can question that base assumption, not the religion itself or the world around it. It exists in its own little world, and nothing can deal with it. They're irritating. But they don't affect my spirituality.

Why am I a FlameKeeper? Because it matches the way I see the Universe. I bring to it my gift of language. It brings to me a sense of peace and belonging.