Can One Be Non-Religious but Still Believe in God?

Can one be non-religious but still believe in God? “My grandfather believed that the greatest religion of all was to ensure that we wipe the tears from every eye and bring hope and decency to every life. If performed with utmost humility, he said, this service would grant us the magnanimity to recognize and accept the many ways we are called to see God in humanity.” –Sankara Saranam (Saranam, 2005)
One can still believe in God without associating with religion. This is possible when people believe in searching for God through themselves, by choosing to distance themselves from religion because they do not want to be bound by religious ideals, and by staying away from religion due to one’s belief that the name of religion is misused in today’s time with the name of God.
People often believe in God by searching for the divine power through their inner selves. God exists within every human heart in the form of the love, compassion, understanding, and other positive traits that the human kind is capable of, yet they choose to suppress (Saranam, 2005). Often, one does not realize that regardless of what religion one follows, God is inside each human heart through all the positive qualities and emotions that one possesses. All the emotions that one feels are God given, therefore the search to connect with him can be done through one’s reflection of their life and the choices they have made. God is everywhere, so in order to connect with Him; one can choose to worship his power and existence without involving any religious aspect to their relationship.
One may choose to distance themselves from religion because they believe that indulging in it will restrict them from living their life on their own terms. Some people may choose to believe that what religious holy books teach, may tie them down to follow it faithfully. Moreover, if one decides to marry someone out of their religion, they may be accused of not being loyal enough to it. For example, Islam teaches that marrying outside of the religion is permitted only when the social and cultural values of Islam become the dominant values of the society, in which the man and the woman are living in. Therefore, if a Muslim man were to marry a Hindu girl, the girl would have to give up her religion and devote herself to her spouse’s religion. People would rather choose to believe that God accepts the union of every man and woman regardless of their race or color, because love is above all. Some people do not agree with these societal boundaries that are created by the difference of religion and that is why they choose to distance themselves from it.
Some people may believe that religion is being misused in today’s time using the name of God. People who are currently having a bad phase in their life may be lured into false promises by priests of their religion that they can solve all their problems in their life and regain happiness if they conduct religious prayer ceremonies to “appease” the Lord. Furthermore, it can be believed that people often fear God and because of this, they believe that priests and vicars are living the right kind of life that is free of sin, a one that God would want them to. So, they become misguided and donate to these priests in hopes that that will be included as a genuine good deed and that God will be happy with them. As L.Ron Hubbard had once said, “If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion” (Hubbard, 2012). Religion is supposed to be sacred and considered a logical explanation of how God and the world came to be, although it has been made a mockery of in today’s society. Every year, people donate hundreds of dollars to religious institutions, unaware of where their hard earned money is really going. Therefore, some people choose to not involve themselves with these religious gimmicks and choose to practice their own religion, which is their personal relationship with God.
Religion is not the only pathway that leads to the divine mystery we label as God, the Creator of Everything. Due to all the hatred, ignorance, and enmity that religion has caused amongst humans, some people believe to label their religion as just humanity. This religion does not have boundaries and restrictions, instead, it teaches everyone to love and respect one another. One can still believe in God without any involvement of religion. This is possible when people believe in searching for God through themselves, keeping away from religion because they do not want to be tied down by religious ideals, and by refraining from practicing religion due to one’s belief that the name of religion is misused in today’s time using God.