I only believe what people I consider authorities tell me. Am I anti-spiritual?

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Not at all. This stuff is really really hard. I wouldn’t fault you for listening to doctors when you want information about your health, and I wouldn’t call you anti-health for doing so. I wouldn’t call you anti-law for taking legal advice exclusively from your lawyer.

It’s even harder to come up with good spiritual knowledge on your own than it is to roll your own law / medicine. I do lay research all the time, my needs regarding understanding the mechanisms behind cold remedies or moving violations are perfectly satisfiable with relatively minor efforts.

Trying to answer even the most basic spiritual questions to my own satisfaction took me well over a decade of focused study and practice. Try do anything hard, like reconciling afterlives vs. reincarnation, well I had to invent my own theology to do that.

Priests aren’t always the most knowledgable persons out there, but the training and education needed to get into that position puts you light years ahead of most.

Imagine spending six months teaching yourself how to do your own taxes. You might know more than an accountant fresh out of school, but there will still be gaps in your knowledge simply because you’re focused on solving your own needs, while the accountant obtained knowledge that allows him to make at least basic progress on anybody’s taxes.

As such, my own spiritual knowledge is tailored to my own needs. If you have questions that intersect with my own interests, I can give you a far better understanding than any professional. If you’re just looking to discuss, I can hold my end up no sweat.

But if you’re looking for reliable, professional spiritual help, I’m going to refer you to someone with the training and the inclination to walk you through the basics. Spirituality is a hobby for me.