Aunt Anna is here to help you with any problem you may have. Her advise is useful for any family member.

Here is a recent request Aunt Anna received from one the the Bedford Family members:

Q: I believe in God, but don't feel confortable going to church or reading the Bible. I feel that there is something greater than man, but get confused with the different religions. Could you please tell me the different between Spirituality and Religious?

A: There is a significant difference between spirituality and religion.

RELIGION is an organized or institutional set of attitudes, beliefs and practices. These attitudes, beliefs and practices vary depending upon the particular denomination with which one is affiliated. Religion is deeply steeped in dogma or doctrine. It is common for one religion to proclaim that their dogma and procedures are the only legitimate ones and that all others are some aberration thereof. In other words "My God is bigger and better than your God".

SPIRITUALITY doesn't require denominational affiliation, nor is it restricted by doctrine. It is universal and at the very same time idiomatic and peculiar to the individual. Therefore, an individual can be spiritual without belonging to a church or a particular religious denomination. This is not to suggest that one can't be religious and also spiritual.

SPIRITUALITY is the ability of a person to get quiet enough and still enough to get in touch with the genuineness within oneself. It is the ability to listen to the inner silence of one's own soul, knowing it is the loudest sound one will ever hear.