Some people use religion to wake up.
Others use it to stay asleep.
And if we’re not careful, the very thing meant to set us free, becomes the chain that keeps us stuck.

I want to get real about something sensitive.
This isn’t about disrespect, it’s about truth.
Because I’ve seen firsthand how religion can heal and how it can hurt.

Religion is a double-edged sword.
At its best, it frees the soul.
But in the wrong mindset, it becomes a cage.
A performance.
A mask.
A script.
A tool of control, not inspiration.
A system that indoctrinates instead of awakens.

Let me tell you about a client of mine.
She was deeply religious. Went to church every Sunday. Prayed daily. Involved in every event.
To her, religion felt like peace, a place to escape reality and just breathe.
She thought she found her soul there.
But after working with me, she saw the truth: she was stuck.
She stayed in a marriage that clearly wasn’t working because she was taught leaving was a sin.
So she lied to herself every single day. Pretended she was happy. Pretended her husband was a great man.
She hunted for every reason to stay.
And here’s the real kicker, it wasn’t just belief holding her back.
It was her ego.
She didn’t want to face the shame of a “failed” marriage in front of her church.
She wanted to save face, not save her soul.

So she stayed.
Carrying the whole family on her back.
Doing everything to please others while dying inside without even realizing it.
She wasn’t living.
She was avoiding.
Avoiding truth. Avoiding growth. Avoiding accountability.
And she called it faith.
That’s indoctrination mixed with ego, a toxic cocktail.

Religion can be a starting point. A spiritual kindergarten.
But if we never move past it, never question deeper, never own our power, never do the inner work,
we’re stuck.
Growth needs reflection, not performance.
You don’t ask your kindergarten teacher to supervise your PhD.
So why are we clinging to teachings meant only to get us started?

Here’s the bottom line:
Real faith never asks you to abandon yourself.
It won’t make you lie.
It won’t demand your suffering as proof of belief.

If your religion rewards you for shrinking,
for staying small so others can stay comfortable,
for pretending everything’s fine while you’re breaking inside,
that’s not divine.
That’s programming.
And it will slowly destroy you while convincing you it’s God’s will.

Our soul didn’t come here to please a system or anyone else.
It came to evolve.
To awaken.
To break through.
Our soul doesn’t care about reputation.
It cares about liberation.

Nowadays, many religions rebrand themselves as “spiritual.”
But underneath, it’s the same indoctrination.
Shrink, obey, dim your light.
Stay stuck in survival mode so you’re easier to control.

And when we cling to religion or spirituality just to avoid looking inside, we trap ourselves.
It becomes a vicious cycle.
The more miserable we are, the tighter we cling to religion.
The more we rely on it to fix our life, the more we’re told to stay quiet, be good, don’t rock the boat.
So we stay stuck in lives that suffocate us, all while convincing ourselves it’s holy.
We’re not growing. We’re surviving in a cage we call peace.

Real spirituality demands honesty and self-reflection.
So starting today,
do the inner work.
Face your truth.
Be honest with yourself.
Honor what you truly need.
Set your soul free.
You are not too much!

“Til next time, take care!

Kary Light ❤

© 2025 karilight. All right reserved.

Photo taken in June 2025. Nice, France