Posted as a comment elsewhere but I wanted to save it here…
I sort of think that most “organized religion” is a farce compared to real self-examination. To me, religion means “your belief system” and organized religion often (but not always) means “your belief system comandeered by others”.
A belief is both a thought and a feeling. It is what you sincerely and strongly *think* and *feel* is right. If your actions are connected to your intellect and your convictions, that is the best state to be in. If you believe one thing and are led to behave some way that contradicts that, that’s not so good. This could be either by some strong emotion that bypasses your convictions and gets short-circuited directly to your behavior, or because someone else convinced you that your way is not as good as theirs.
From time to time, you will be prompted to question your own beliefs, either because they led you to a choice that you later decide was bad, or because someone you respect feels strongly the opposite. Your thoughts and feelings will lead you the right way, given time.
(I will stop babbling for now but there is a bit more filed under beliefs and thoughts/feelings on my memories page)
–Rev. G. Connor :)