There is a beautiful organization to our world. It is evident everywhere in Nature. No two snowflakes are alike, for example, but their creation follows an underlying energy pattern. The mystery underlying these patterns is so deep that we will always have unanswered questions. Being open to these questions is the hallmark of a quest for spiritual identity––a search for meaning and purpose. Where do we come from? Why are we here? What happens when we die? What is God?
Religion offers answers to these questions, but often at the price of spiritual growth. Organized religion is a human group. It requires the follower to absorb a set of beliefs in order to belong. The beliefs carry the baggage of history. The organization’s structure is tainted by the politics of human interaction. In order to belong, believers develop a social identity. These limits reinforce Ego.
Spiritual growth can and does occur within religion. It also occurs without it. Development of a spiritual identity without Ego requires a very broad perspective, because Spirit exists in a larger context. It’s realm is Nature, Life Force, Timelessness and the Universe.
Unitarian Universalism is an exception to other “organized” religions I think. The problem with UUism is that in trying to welcome every path they as a group have moving on their shared path.
Several other examples come to mind. The Quakers have an inclusive, low-structured system of organization. And Buddhism claims to not be a religion even though it has a hierarchy of monks and teachers. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all religion!