What is freedom?

Many people I know consider religion an organized structure designed to control and keep people in check.

I thought about that long and hard and decided it was just the opposite.

What is it that religions ask of us exactly? Or even generally? Mostly, God asks us to pray to Him and worship Him, and nothing else and basically not give ‘worldly desires’ precedence. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism etc basically call for letting go of this world to some extent – not totally.

I guess the other side of the coin is someone who finds their passion in something other than God.

The thing is, people (even people who follow religions) often find their desires fulfilled in other ways. It could be work, fun, hobbies, even maybe alcohol, drugs, or sex (whatever). I guess people in their own way, (trying to free themselves from organized ideology or maybe just following their hearts whims); tend to fall for another form of worship.

Some people are addicted to money, power, and life in general. And just as a religious person abstains from everything that would anger God and tries to do what will please Him, others will dedicate their life to their own ‘addictions’ to get what they want or what they feel they deserve. They become entranced, like a pious believer in an ashram, they will wake up early for what they love, and will do what they can to get what they want. I don’t see how that makes them any different from any other worshiper?

The problem is, when people ‘worship’ for example, work, money or women, it doesn’t always end well. When we get too attached to eating, power, work, a certain person, or any completely human desire that doesn’t really benefit anyone except ourselves, this can totally destroy us or at least render us completely obsessed.

But what does religion ask you to do? Sacrifice? What is it exactly that we are sacrificing? Things, not emotions, just things or actions that ultimately won’t hurt us if we don’t have them in our lives.

I think in a way, freedom is freeing ourselves from becoming obsessed with certain worldly conditions. Freeing ourselves from becoming slaves to habits we can’t shake, to desires we follow without warning, and to the world. Maybe freedom is choosing what we worship, because truly, even without religion, everyone holds at least one thing in particular reverence. And really, even people who take religion and spirituality to obsessive levels for themselves and forget the God-factor might actually be compromising themselves.

I guess at the end of the day, I speak as a ‘believer’ and not a bystander.