Losing My Religion

Question: I need some clarity on a sensitive matter. I am 35 years old with 2 beautiful children and my own successful business. Since childhood I strongly believed (or led to believe) that going to church every day to the organised church activities is the path to salvation. After reading 5 of your books last year, and realising that there is more to life, I made a difficult decision to resign from my church position as an Elder and return to the Brother - status. It is a tough transition since it feels like I have no higher purpose anymore, and yet I believe I have. The church responsibility created very little time to spend quality time with my family and I neglected it, but always reasoning that I had to live my calling as an officer of the church. I don't agree with some of the "laws" and rules of the church anymore since I think they are man-made. My question is two-fold: How important is going to church? And how do I find a new purpose? Answer: You are in the process of shifting your sense of spiritual purpose from an external belief system to an internal organically generated one based on the experience of your own spiritual essence. Others who have gone through this process typically do not find that regular church or temple service is helpful to this process if their prior belief system is trying to undermine the validity of their experience. Be easy with yourself during this transition and give it time. Your new spiritual purpose will emerge naturally from your growing self-realization. Love,rnDeepak