September 8, 2005 -Are You Spiritual or Religious?
"The new spirit, as it becomes more conscious, is increasingly capable of
transforming the moments of contemplation into one moment, into a
permanent vision." ~Piet Mondrain
How To Know God (Spirit) with Head and Heart
By: Allison Rockey
The cover of the last issue of Newsweek featured a woman with eyes closed
and head back. She was gazing towards the sky, with her arms open above
her head, in a clearly worshipful stance. She was glowing as a warm light
shone from behind her. The headline read “Spirituality in America.” If
this photo was supposed to shed any sort of light on what Spirituality is
in America, I was left starkly in the dark. At this time of religious
fanaticism from the right, and scientific reductionism of spirit from the
left, we are a confused country.
Newsweek points to the fact that people are seeking an experience of God,
but possibly not in the ways of the past. Newsweek partnered with
Beliefnet.com to poll Americans on questions regarding faith. An
astonishing 8 in 10 Americans believe that more than one faith can be a
path to salvation. One poll showed that 79% of Americans consider
themselves spiritual, while 64% call themselves religious. I started to
wonder what that means…So I did exactly what any 20-something would do, I
went to the internet. I quickly found an online quiz to answer all of my
deep existential questions.
I took two quizzes, “What’s your spiritual type?” and “What’s your faith?”
One had the following disclaimer, “Warning: Belief-O-Matic™ assumes no
legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul.” If this was a joke,
I found it very funny. If it was in some way serious, then the fear
campaign of both the legal and religious worlds has been more effective
than I could have imagined. Warning acknowledged, I took both quizzes,
and it seems my spiritual score was 46. This indicates that I am
spiritual but turned off by organized religion.
Now for the sake of my current career field it may have been advantageous
to score between 90-100 “candidate for the clergy” or at least 80-89
“confident believer.” To be honest I was just surprised I didn’t wind up
25-29 in the “hardcore skeptic” category, so I thought I should just take
my 46 and run with it.
I was left with the wisdom of the internet gods telling me that I was
spiritual, but not religious. I still had no more clarity than before.
What does the distinction of spiritual but not religious mean to these
Newsweek pollsters? Are they pointing to a distinction between religion
that is head knowledge and spirituality that is heart experience?
A common experience in many liberal Christian communities has been the
conflict between intellectual integrity and emotional comfort. A
concession to this problem often results in either a halt in rational
theological inquiry, or a relinquishing of any heartfelt, emotional, or
mystical experience.
Could it be that as we evolve we are experiencing more than just a
rejection of religious rigidity and dogma and are actually experiencing a
conflict between the head and heart? Could it be, as we transition
through developments and paradigm shifts, that we find we must choose
either our heart or our head, and accept this fragmented dualistic path?
I was remembering my own painful experience of this tension. In some ways
I began like many of us in a very traditional, rigid belief structure.
Every heart, mystical experience was explained by the fact that we were
Christian and the Holy Spirit was moving through us. I remember profound
experiences where I had these emotional, bodily experiences, particularly
while singing evangelical, worship songs. I remember the tears pouring
down my face, as I was worshiping an external God, to whom I felt I was
not worthy. I was responding to pain and separation in my life, and
yearning for a connection, and wholeness.
Then I went through a period of growth where the exclusivist,
fundamentalist approach to religion no longer worked for me. I could no
longer say that “non-believers” were going to Hell, and the literalistic
reading of the Bible seemed absurd. As this shift began, the traditional
belief and paradigm was replaced by a new outlook. My new liberal outlook
allowed me to embrace diversity, the world’s religious and spiritual
traditions, people of all sexual orientations, and a host of other
differences, but I could not accept the fundamentalist beliefs of my past.
Those beliefs felt so wrong to me, and because they had been the foundation
for my understanding of my mystical experiences I was left feeling as
though those experiences were invalid and irrational. I still ached for a
heart experience, one of that emotion and magnitude, but I went through a
period not believing in anything apart from the scientific and rational.
My head pushed on with my new belief paradigm, but my heart was left
yearning for mystical experiences.
This was that point of head/heart conflict for me. I am sure some would
choose to stop asking questions at this point, and to stop their head, so
that their experiences of the heart could be felt. Both of those paths
exemplify the same pain of separation between head and heart. Luckily, I
began to have heart experiences that matched my new paradigm. This
greatly helped, but there was always the pain of what felt like a lost
experience from the past.
So often a liberal religious belief comes as a reaction to a traditional,
fundamentalist belief. This counteraction causes a divide between the
experiences of our past and our present. We are left with an either/or
choice. Choose the heart experience of the past, or abandon them in
response to integrity of the mind.
An integral approach comes not out of wanting to fix a false belief, but in
a desire to integrate a variety of approaches into a comprehensive whole.
This drive is not to correct error, but to unite a multitude of ideals.
This mindset values a holistic approach, integrating both head and heart,
past and present, while also remaining open to growth and changes in the
future. A more complete, well balanced approach is continually desired.
How do we get to an integral level of development? How do we reach a point
where our head/heart, present and past, experiences and beliefs, can be
integrated into one complete whole? Any experience that expands our
consciousness and compassion will be transformative and will facilitate
growth. Whether it is through prayer, meditation, journaling, or other
artistic expression, we will begin to witness our beliefs, our feelings,
our bodies, and our egos. As we witness those elements, we will lessen
our attachment to them, and will be able to move easily and fluidly
through new stages. I believe what we are desperately seeking might be
called an experience of non-duality, or in Christian language “Christ
consciousness.” It will be a healthy, beautiful integration of head and
heart.
Newsweek: Spirituality in America
Check out the latest issue of Newsweek exploring Spirituality in America.
Read about how current religious issues compare to the religious attitudes
of the 60s.
This issue also has stories on Islam, Pentecostals, Kabbalah, Tibetan
Buddhism, and other spiritual trends.
Click here to read the complete article
What's your Spirituality?
Beliefnet.com offers quizzes that can give you answers to important life
questions, such as:
What's your spirituality?
What's your faith?
What kind of Christian are you?
What's your spiritual path?
Are you a narcissist?
Is your marriage spiritual?
Which Bible hero are you?
Yes, there really is a quiz for everyone!
click here for quizzes at Beliefnet.com
How You Can help Katrina's Victims
As we have all been devasted and shocked by the tragedy caused by hurricane
Katrina, many have been moved to offer support. If you would like to
donate to the relief effort, you may wish to check out this listing by NBC
news, to contact the organization of your choice.
click here for Hurricane Relief news and support agencies
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Check Out the Bulletin for Sunday and Our Bulletin Archive!
This week's Blessing: "Look to the world around you, and see the timeless
and ageless wonder of God through Creation. Look in the eyes of your
neighbor, and experience the uniqueness with which we all were made. Look
in the eyes of a stranger, and feel the strength of diverse community. And
look into your own soul, and sense the relentless presence of the Living
God that dwells within and without you, between and beyond you, at every
moment. Amen"
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How To Meditate: Learning To Control Our Mind
Saturday, September 17
Time: 1:30-4:30pm
Lakeshore Yoga Center, 715 1/2 Washington St., Grand Haven
At present our mind is like an uncontrolled and wild elephant. We are
distracted by many meaningless activities and always search for happiness
outside of our mind. Buddha taught that by learning to control our mind we
will naturally become more calm, relaxed, and peaceful. Learn methods on
how to improve your concentration which will lead to a more beneficial and
peaceful way of living. Everyone is welcome.
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