In a very popular pray sang by Jews in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, there is a sentence that goes as follows:

We have sinned before you, have mercy on us.

Such an approach exists almost in all organized religions, including Islam and Christianity.

The state of mind promoted by such a sentence is meant to instigate deep fear-driven guilt. This fear-driven guilt is a fundamental component of organized religion's agenda of controlling the religious folks.

Guilt means inner conflict. A conflict between what I did and what I should have done. And a conflict means distress and fear from punishment. Without such distress and fear, why would people come and ask for the help of organized religions? of its role-based appointed authorities?

The truth is that you did not comit any sin. Actually, you couldn't comit a sin as you are not the doer.

A first step in the spiritual path is to pacify your mind. This can only be achieved by letting go conflicts, guilt and other accumulated conditionings you inherited from your culture and environment.

The second step is to give up authorities and organizations by realizing that no one owns the truth, no one owns god, no one has a manopoly over spirituality and religion. This may be scary in the beginning because you got used to the convenience of putting responsibility on these authorities that will always tell you what to do and elevate your spirit. Now you are on your own, but actually you are not, as in this new path, god, for the first time, is with you. You will feel it. Not in your mind, in your heart.

And you will also feel freedom. Maybe for the first time.

Do not be afraid. Not from the organized religions and not from yourself. It is not worth to live in fear and it takes you nowhere in the spiritual path.