What is religion to me

I don't know much about any religion. But I find it hard to believe that a religion is meant to be complicated. Religion is for people to adopt and better their lives, and thus, should be easier to adopt. I apologise in advance if I say something which I shouldn't have, because 'people' consider it a sensitive topic. I am sure YOU and I don't fall in that category of 'people'. 

I was born in a fairly religious family, who would do their prayers on all the religious days and festivals, and had faith that HE is there to support us and make things okay in times of trouble. When I was two years old, my grandmother passed away, and my parents put her in the same pedestal as God, and we would pray to her everytime we offered a prayer to God. As I grew up, visited temples, met priests and saw and heard about their perspectives on religion and their way of following it, I kind of started to distance myself from it. How material offering and superstitious beliefs have been imbibed into religion, is what amazes me as well. 

I think religion and faith in someone superior is important in life and should be something, which helps us to hold on to something in times of pain, helps us to be on the right path when we are lost. But, we, humans have moulded religion according to our perspectives, and that is something which I am not very comfortable with. A small village in the mountains where I live in, people spend years taking care of a goat, spending half a day looking for fodder for the animal in the forest, only to sacrifice it in the name of religion. 

I, in my bad times would like to hold on to my grandmother, because I have seen her, and so have my parents, who tell me that she was a guardian angel for our family. I would like to believe in something I have seen or people I trust have seen from their eyes, rather than someone's perspective on something. Someday, I hope, I will have the energy to find out for myself about religion, and how it can help me become a better human. 

Again, someone might have a problem with my perspective on religion. I would be happy to change my thoughts if you can convince me that I am wrong :)!

This blogpost was inspired by my discussion on this article -

The discussion as well.