Although I have my theories regarding the nature of human beings and our world, there are many additional "thoughts" I have about spiritual matters that don't really fall into the theoretical category. That is, my thoughts and opinions about religion in general and specific religions as well. If you disagree with me, that is perfectly fine. Just know that I respect everyone's sincerely held beliefs, even if I do not subscribe to them myself. So, please do not be offended at my personal insights, as they are my opinions only.
Buddhists say that there are many paths to enlightenment. Any are acceptable, as long as they do not harm the self, other sentient beings or the Earth. I agree with this.
I grew up as a minister's child. My Dad served in the Unitarian-Universalist (UU) church for 60 years. So, my upbringing was Christian-oriented, though neither of my parents were very religious in terms of practice. When I was little, we would say grace before dinner and Mom would listen to our prayers as she tucked us in at night, but that was about it as far as religious practice in my home. (yes, even my Dad wasn't very religious, in the traditional sense)
Of course, I attended Sunday school, sang in the children's choir, and attended church each and every week. I did learn a lot about the Bible and about Jesus, but I never really "bought it". Even when I was quite young, it all seemed rather contrived to me. I did like the stories about Jesus' preaching and healing, etc., but I never could relate to the idea of the virgin birth or Jesus as savior to save us from sin. I still don't.
However, thanks to the encouragement of my Christian friends, I have begun to build a relationship with Yeshua (I prefer this version of his name, and I call him Shu for short). I speak with him as well as Diana and my other guides on a nightly basis, and often during the day as well. I was mildly surprised at how very loving and understanding he is, and he is fine with my skepticism of some of the Christian narrative. We'll continue to be friends.
Jesus/Yeshua
7 August 2025 - This is the image I found that most resembles how Yeshua appears to me. I just realized that I didn't include the source for this photo. I uploaded the image to a reverse search engine to find it, since I couldn't find it when I replicated the browser search I'd done to locate it in the first place. This is what I got in response to my upload: We searched over 76.6 billion images but didn't find any matches for your search image. I found this photo a few DAYS ago, using a simple internet search!
I do not believe in coincidence. 
Sin and Redemption
I do not believe in the concept of sin. To me, what others refer to as sin is simply human error. Human beings make bad decisions and poor choices and mistakes. That is part of being human, it is one important way that we learn. I do not believe human failures need any forgiveness from anyone, except perhaps the self.
Of course, there are people who do horrific things that cannot be categorized as a "mistake" or a poor decision. Still, I do not believe that anyone is punished for their digressions, once they leave this world. We are all part of Tara (God), all equally loved and valued. In my view, we, as a species, are trying to evolve to strengthen our spiritual nature and minimize our animal nature, at least the negative aspects of that, which would include violence, anger and the desire to harm others.
The stories related by NDEers (near death experience) make sense to me. They say that, while a soul that has been destructive on Earth is not punished in an arbitrary way, they are required to re-experience their life during a "life review". During the review, they not only witness everything they have done in their last life on Earth, but they experience their deeds both from their own point of view and that of their victims. They must FEEL the pain and anguish that they caused another person. In this way, the soul understands and learns, so that in their next incarnation, they will be less likely to engage in violent or destructive behaviors. For me, sin is simply not a thing. That is where I stand on sin, at this point in my spiritual journey.
Evil, the Devil and Hell
I have trouble accepting the idea of the devil. Let's just say I do not see it as very likely. As I've mentioned, I don't believe human beings are punished for the inevitable transgressions made during their lives. Therefore, I don't believe there is a horrible, burning place to torment the worse offenders, never mind those who do not subscribe to this or that religious article of faith.
Is there evil in the world? Yes, I do believe that there is evil. As far as I can see, all evil is perpetuated by human beings. If there were no humans on the Earth, there would be no evil. Plants and animals cannot be evil. They don't have the necessary level of consciousness or ability to commit acts of evil. Only people can do that.
For me, evil is the result of a human being who is acting on his or her worst nature, that is, his or her animal nature. Wait, didn't you just say animals can't be evil? Yes. But in the case of the human being, those latent animal tendencies that have been with us throughout our evolution are blended with the intelligence given to us by our creator(s). This is a dangerous combination. Hitler, for example, was a highly intelligent person. But he used his intelligence to unleash his rage, bigotry and hatred on the world. And, by his own standards, was, sadly, quite successful. The world is still recovering from his tyrannical, evil existence on this earth.
But Hitler is just a well-known, extreme case. What I am trying to indicate, using him as an example, is that our job as human beings is to manage or minimize our negative animal urges (anger, fear, lashing out, sexual misconduct, violence) and temper it with our intellect and our great capacity for love, empathy and kindness.
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