Religion vs. Spirituality
Growing up in a small Christian church, I learned my Bible stories and the nature of faith in Sunday School. After 32 years of studying at seminary and practicing clinical chaplaincy, preaching, and teaching, I don’t just “believe in God” anymore - I know G-d is “real” with every atom within me.
My hope is not that everyone would believe exactly like me because I hope that I have changed and will continue to evolve. My hope is that we start with a foundation of a religious tradition (depending on where and what culture we were born into) and evolve in our practices to integrate a spiritual life.
Spirituality is not the same thing as religion. I did not necessarily come to my experience of spirituality academically. It found me. Or perhaps, the Divine helped me to release my very small “G-d Box” by helping me to breaking out of my narrow perception I had about our infinite Creator.
Religion is a pre-established understanding of the Divine where we learn the “right” beliefs and practices. In spirituality one can question the beliefs to ask, “What is the highest love? What is the best way for me to connect and to hear from G-d?”
Releasing myself from religion I had to release myself from the teachings and fear of doing something wrong to make G-d mad. I began to ask whether I could open my heart and mind to new forms and paths more loving and compassionate than what I had learned. This meant I had to ask and have the courage to hear whether G-d was bigger than my religion. And I got answers.
I opened myself up to new ways of Divine connection that included more than prayer. If prayer is lifting up our Santa Claus list of needs and desires, I learned the importance of meditation as a way of shutting up and listening. My Hindu and Buddhist meditation practices have made me a better listening Christian.
Growing up in the US midwest in the 1970’s & 80’s, we never talked about anyone being gay, except to not do it because it was “bad”. Going to seminary and learning more about depth and breadth of Scripture and the history of theology helped me to be honest with myself and “come out” as LGBTQ. Now in our 21st Century there is not the same stigma about who we love. My own United Church of Christ congregation is open and affirming as well as now most main line denominations.
What if we gave up “having the whole truth”? In my former religious life, I felt that my teachings pretty much covered everything I needed to know. Then I began to talk with people and had experiences myself that were Divine mysteries that could not be explained or categorized. I had to add a new word to my formerly exploded “G-d box” to include “mystery”. And it was bigger than the remnants of my box. Aristotle was right, “The more we know, the more we don’t know.”
Have you grown tired of family, friends, and neighbors trying to persuade and to convince you to their side? I have too. Spirituality strives for unity by focusing on the quality of the divine message and not on the differences in the details. I once held beliefs that I have now abandoned. My hope is that we can certainly talk about our differences, but I would feel terrible losing a relationship over a need to be “right”.
My hope is that no matter where we are on our own journeys, all may feel welcome to share experiences, mysteries, and truths. We are better together than apart. Because not every human's essence is the same, we are invited to embrace and to support one another on our path to enlightenment together.
Religion does not need to be opposed to spirituality. We do not need to choose. It can be a both/and, “I have religious and spiritual practices that deepen my connection with G-d”. Both are welcome and fabulous for what they bring!