19 Nov '16 08:49>
I've spent a great deal of thought on spirituality - probably more than it deserves. I reel in horror at the thought of countless neurons devoted to the topic.
I've been an ordained Christian minister for over 20 years, but have been inactive for 11 or 12 now. The reason is that I learned what I thought I needed to know, and all to often have run into others that do not see theology (spirituality) the same way that I do. I've grown tired of justifying what I see as belief, hypocrisy, and the unwillingness to acknowledge facts. Spirituality is best served when it is in conjunction with what we know is true. Spirituality lends itself to the "I don't know..." and all too often those who profess and reject a faith are equally to blame for disallowing an "I don't know." position.
Too often, the phrase "I believe..." is used to allow all manner of nonsense. Pish posh. "I believe..." is too often a convenient crutch to disclude fact. It's not necessary. What is necessary is a more open view.
The spiritual and the anti-spiritual both suffer from the same lack of fact. Both seem to not be able to say "I don't know." Can you assert that there is a "god?" Can you assert that there is not a "god?" No, of course you can't - which ironically places both believer and atheist on the same path. You are blinded to the other, but also inexorably attached to the other, Do you really not see the irony?
Spirituality is very simple, and at the same time personal. We are all free to believe as we wish. It does take a mental exercise to tell yourself that "This person is completely out of their fricken mind...but I'm ok with that." - meaning, the other person is free to believe what they believe and I must RESPECT that. Yeah, that's tough for us to do, and it matters not which side of the spectrum we fall.
Be gracious. Be kind. Understand that others will not believe as you do, and it matters not what your belief system is.
I've been an ordained Christian minister for over 20 years, but have been inactive for 11 or 12 now. The reason is that I learned what I thought I needed to know, and all to often have run into others that do not see theology (spirituality) the same way that I do. I've grown tired of justifying what I see as belief, hypocrisy, and the unwillingness to acknowledge facts. Spirituality is best served when it is in conjunction with what we know is true. Spirituality lends itself to the "I don't know..." and all too often those who profess and reject a faith are equally to blame for disallowing an "I don't know." position.
Too often, the phrase "I believe..." is used to allow all manner of nonsense. Pish posh. "I believe..." is too often a convenient crutch to disclude fact. It's not necessary. What is necessary is a more open view.
The spiritual and the anti-spiritual both suffer from the same lack of fact. Both seem to not be able to say "I don't know." Can you assert that there is a "god?" Can you assert that there is not a "god?" No, of course you can't - which ironically places both believer and atheist on the same path. You are blinded to the other, but also inexorably attached to the other, Do you really not see the irony?
Spirituality is very simple, and at the same time personal. We are all free to believe as we wish. It does take a mental exercise to tell yourself that "This person is completely out of their fricken mind...but I'm ok with that." - meaning, the other person is free to believe what they believe and I must RESPECT that. Yeah, that's tough for us to do, and it matters not which side of the spectrum we fall.
Be gracious. Be kind. Understand that others will not believe as you do, and it matters not what your belief system is.