Mark, interesting question and thank you for raising it. You'll find that a great many of us have a strong spiritual life; although, not all of us belong to a specific religion. We've learned to be respectful of these differences of the years and it truly is a rare blessing to find a diverse group such as ours that is so accepting of these differences.
My spiritual journey has been wide and varied, but doesn't involve a specific religion. I have learned from many different religions and belief systems along my path, and have realized that the differences aren't, for the most part, that big at all. One thing I learned was that how I react to what happens in my life, is my responsibility. I can't control what happens, but I can control how I respond to things.
Like pain. That was a tough one, because the effects of pain on the psyche are unquantifiable and you very often don't realize you're taking your pain out on other people until someone throws it in your face. But after a while, as I see it, a person has to realize that they're angry all the time, but they don't understand why. A person has to realize that anger is their first response to everything and maybe they ought to do something about that. Or, conversely, sad and crying all the time, which is another effect that pain can have on us. At some point, you have to look at yourself and say, "Jeeze Loueeze, this isn't good and I need to do something about it." Personal responsibility has been a huge part of my personal growth.
As for is it karma or bad luck or an opportunity ... I've tended to see it more as an opportunity to learn new lessons in my soul's growth, become a better person. Certainly, the folk here have helped with that a lot!! They're an amazing bunch. But I do believe in karma as well; albeit, more in a what goes around comes around way. I don't know what my soul may or may not have done to bring AS into this lifetime, but I do know that the lessons I've learned from it have gone a long way toward my soul's progression.
Hugs,
