I remember many times hearing that the smartest people in the room ask the best questions.
For this post Jodie, I decided to read only your portions as I do not believe that the AAs could add anything of consequence. I understand that others want their guidance, as I sometimes do--I also know that you can speak their guidance without directly quoting them.
Similarly, a couple of years ago, I wrote an essay, Spirituality Redfined https://medium.com/p/ff45cb53eaf2, that distinguished spirituality from religion, with quotes from other tuned-in humans on Medium to help my thesis, best stated by God itself through a well-known author of 19 or more books but I only needed to read one and that is really all anyone needs to read:
"Religion cannot stand Spirituality. It cannot abide it. For Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion — and this no known religion can tolerate. Religion encourages you to explore the thoughts of others and accept them as your own. Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own."― Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God Book 1
One of the very first essays I read on Medium, https://medium.com/@leahcastellon/which-religion-is-right-f0bd30e714a2 by Leah Castellon, said:
"If there is one clear message that I feel I have learned on my path it is this: God is love and more expansive than I can wrap my brain around; His love is so much greater than I can comprehend. With the diversity of the people on this earth, doesn’t it stand to reason that infinite love would provide a multitude of channels to access that source? I think so. For that reason, I will not adhere to any particular religion, but I will honor my personal journey and the paths of fellow earnest seekers."
Moreover, my personal definition of spirituality welcomes atheists:
"When I use the term spiritual, I use it in a manner that transcends the binary of theism versus atheism. One can act entirely spiritual with or without a belief in “god” however one understands that term. Spirituality only requires love, empathy, compassion, humility, honesty and courage."
