Religion Vs. Ideology
There is a fine line between the Spiritual dimension and the all-inclusive Leftist/Political/Social dimension. Spiritual USED to refer to a relatively coherent and rational schema of philosophical thought. That was out when the Transcendentalists - a philosophy much-loved by the Hippies of the 1960s - began their insinuation into organized religions. From Wikipedia: A core belief of transcendentalism is in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Adherents believe that society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, and they have faith that people are at their best when truly " self-reliant " and independent. Transcendentalism emphasizes subjective intuition over objective empiricism. Adherents believe that individuals are capable of generating completely original insights with as little attention and deference to past masters as possible. Originally brought into America by the Unitarians, this philosophy has infiltrated many seminaries ...