Religion can be divided into two types, high glycemic index and low glycemic index. High glycemic index gives you a big rush where everything seems really great and then you come down with a big crash afterwards. Low glycemic index is slow and steady, nourishes the soul, and keeps you going through the hard times.
Evangelical Christianity (for example) gives you a big rush of excitement when you “give your life to Jesus” but then it starts making you feel guilty the minute you “sin” (swearing, thinking sexual thoughts, etc).
There are also other religions and spiritual practices which seek intense spiritual highs, and this can also be problematic, as practitioners need a more intense experience each time in order to achieve the same high as before.
More liberal religions – ones which allow you to escape from “sacred time” and re-enter “ordinary time” – tend to offer a more nourishing spiritual experience, one which sustains a quiet joy throughout the week, instead of resulting in massive highs followed by massive lows. That’s why I refer to them as low-glycemic-index religions.
Changing Paths 