Reason vs. Faith...

...Practical vs. Theoretical, Rational vs. Illogical...and I don't know where I fall in the spectrum. Born and raised as a Christian from the Church of Christ, my faith in God has sort of become an influx of different beliefs I have learned from various religion classes, and now just a shade of grey. With the many Gods people have worshiped at different eras, with each time period varying entirely in context, why feel compelled to choose just one ultimate God in strictly one practice? Okay, obviously, the belief in incarnation for instance, does not concur with the idea of heaven, so I guess to some extent you do have to make a sound decision on which side of the spectrum you're on; but like many schools of thoughts and ideologies, there is always that shady area open for questioning and in some brutal cases, open for attack.
Through the years, factual history has proven that religion has been both progressive and retrogressive for man -- pastors have been the prime movers of civil rights and women's right to vote but at the same time, religious wars and beliefs have caused more fatalities than war itself. Just a thought, if religion were inherently 'good', then all religions should be one force on the battlefield promoting the 'good', instead of battling each other out to be 'the one'.
I guess I just don't like the idea of religion as dictative of our actions for the sketchy hope of 'salvation', whatever that may mean to you; or the hidden missionary aspect of spreading God's word via charity work to expand in numbers. I would much rather enjoy serving a God without being forced to, and I would appreciate the help of someone who truly wants to help and not want to secretly convert me later on.
Maybe I'm a non-practicing atheist, or a semi-insincere practicing Christian. However, I do strongly believe in spirituality, because for me, spirituality does not automatically relate to religion or religious beliefs/practices. Given the right frame of mind and intention, I could travel to Sri Lanka to sit under the Bodhi tree, or sit atop any mountain, and meditate until I no longer feel the physicality of my body but only my soul at one with the universe. I could cleanse my soul, so to speak, through the simple ways of making someone laugh, meaningfully lend out a helping hand, or doing objectively good things both for the betterment of society and to simply make me feel good. Those, I feel, carry so much more weight than one hour of spacing out in a humid church.
Maybe the truth lies not in the outdated scriptures, but in the tangibility of everyday with respect to the possibility of a greater force you attract through meaningful and self-less actions. You shouldn't need a religious icon to stop you from enslaving another human being; likewise you shouldn't need to choose a life promoting the attack of religious zealots.
This could clearly go on forever and I am in no position to back up either side; so I guess it all comes down to you and what you want to do with your life.
Oh and, Happy Easter :)