Honesty about beliefs
A significant barrier to spiritual inquiry is not being honest about what we believe. Congruency is important. It is no good to be an atheist in our heart, and yet profess to others and ourselves that we believe in God. Similarly, it is no good to believe in God deep down, and yet tell the world (including ourselves) that we are atheist. The most important thing is to be honest with ourselves. It is very difficult to make spiritual progress if we will not even admit our own beliefs. The second most important thing is to be honest with others. When we lie to others, we usually end up lying to ourselves. Furthermore, this dishonesty may also lead them astray. Therefore, we must be open about our beliefs, and we must allow others to also be open without fear of being judged.
Religion, particularly the monotheistic ones, have a tendency to stress the importance of belief. This is a problem because it can lead people into trying to convince themselves that they believe something. But belief is not a choice. All we can do is become familiar with the world, and become familiar with ourselves, and beliefs will arise of their own accord.
