Jun 24 2008
If the Spirit Moves You…
I’m going to go out on a limb today and ask some questions that make many people (myself included) a little bit uncomfortable. The subject I want to tackle is religion and/or spirituality. (I use both terms because I know both people who consider themselves “spiritual but not religious” and people who consider themselves members of a major religion, and I’d like to hear from as broad a group as possible.)
Lately I’ve been feeling like I need to pay more attention to my spiritual life. I devote a lot of time and effort to improving myself mentally, emotionally, and physically. I read voraciously about personal development. I’ve always got a personal improvement project or two (or five) in the works. I’m continually striving to grow and learn and change. But–even though I believe that there is an eternal, spiritual part of me–I do next to nothing for my spiritual self. This was especially evident to me as I struggled through 21 days of meditation.
As I’ve been thinking about this topic, I’ve realized that this is the one subject that is totally off-limits for me and most of my friends. I can talk to the girls about my sex life and my work drama, but not about my thoughts on the existence of the soul. I can initiate debates about abortion and gun control, but I can’t bring myself to ask about belief in God. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s something that feels intensely personal and that I’m very reluctant to share.
So I’m sharing it with the whole Interweb. ‘Cause that makes sense.
Here are the questions with my answers. I’m using the term “God” to mean the Higher Power that you believe in (if you believe in one), whatever you may call that Power. I’m truly interested to see how you feel and what you believe, and you–my regular readers–are the most open-minded, thoughtful people I know! If you feel comfortable enough, please do let me know your answers in the comments (you can even comment under a fake name)…
Do you believe in God?
Yes, but not in the “bearded old man in a white robe taking notes on my sins and transgressions” sort of way. More in the “there’s something bigger than me out there, and it’s a good, benevolent, loving Something” sort of way.
Do you believe that you have an eternal soul?
Yes, I definitely do. I’m reading Sacred Contracts right now (detailed review to come), and the author proposes the idea that each soul enters this world with a specific mission or “contract”–lessons that it must learn, experiences that it must have. That really resonates with me.
Are you a member of a church/religion? If so, what do you believe about your church/religion?
I suppose so. I converted to the Catholic Church in my early 20s, and I still consider myself Catholic-ish. As for what I believe about Catholicism, the best way I can put it is to quote a Hindu priest I met in India. I asked him what he thought of Christianity as a path to the Divine. He said, “It doesn’t matter what color the cow is–the milk is all the same.” That pretty much sums up how I feel about religion–that there are an infinite number of ways to get at the Truth, and they’re all valid ways.
Do you regularly attend religious/spiritual services?
No. I go to Mass sporadically, and I always feel so uplifted when I do, but I haven’t made the effort to make it a regular part of my life.
Do you pray?
Yes, but it’s a “God, please let me not get a speeding ticket” kind of thing, which I’m not sure counts as actual “prayer”. Do I set aside time in which I consciously commune with or talk to God? Sadly, no.
What other religious/spiritual practices do you have? Is there a particularly rewarding practice that you’d like to share?
Yeah, I’ve got nothin’ here…
What religious/spiritual practices would you like to add to your life?
I want to develop a regular meditation practice. I believe that would improve my life in many, many ways. So far, I’ve experienced a great deal of internal resistance with this, which baffles me, but I’m still working on it. (I’m looking for a good beginner guided meditation CD if anyone has recommendations.) I’d also like to pray more in the sense of communing with God and just… feeling the presence of the Eternal. I found my gratitude exercise very rewarding, and I think that would be a great addition to any spiritual practice. And I’d love to get into the habit of giving thanks at meals.
I hope to hear from some of you about your beliefs and practices. I hope I didn’t make anyone hideously uncomfortable or offend anyone (if I did, please know that it was not intentional!). I think we could all benefit from a more open dialogue about this very important but often neglected part of our lives…
I’ll comment on this one, I’m not much to shy away from these conversations..hehe Actually I’ve been fortunate enough to have some good friends whom I can talk to about this subject - I do have to admit however, that most of them are military and the reason we talk about it is largely due to the fact that each one of us came back from the war slightly different than when we left - there is something about that area that after you’ve seen it or faced whatever demon was there, it makes you question god, or your belief in god, but that is neither here nor there.
Do you believe in God? Yes, I was raised christian (Baptist) although my mother changed religion like she changed socks. I was taught to believe he existed in the traditional sense of the bible - now however I still believe there is something there, more of a higher power
Do you believe that you have an eternal soul? Again, yes. I’ve done some research on reincarnation but even so I am not 100% sure on it. I do believe we each have a purpose and that with each passing time our soul grows - knowledge is endless why would we stop here?
Are you a member of a church/religion? If so, what do you believe about your church/religion? I would call myself baptist, however I wouldn’t consider myself a practicing baptist. I’ve tried many different churches, methodist, luthren, catholic, church of christ, etc. I like your statement about the cow - it sums up how I feel. They might all have different labels, but in the end they teach the same principles. Even studing from a more evolutionary approach it still surrounds the same principles.
Do you pray? Yes, there are moments of “please god - no tickets” but I always feel like a sham, like I’ve got a friend I only call when I need something so I make extra effort to take a couple mornings a week to just say ‘thanks’ - thanks for allowing me strength to survive, will to succeed, or insight to see the opportunity before me.
~K
I can tell a difference in my life and how well things are going (or how well I handle things) based on how I am doing spiritually. Although I know, without a doubt God has answered my prayers, that things are so much better when I turn to Him and involve Him, I can’t understand why I don’t do it more…
Do you believe in God?
Yes, I believe in a powerful being that wants the best for us but also realizes that we will continue to make mistakes. He understands the mistakes but expects us to own up to them. I also believe He is like a parent, there are things we are not to understand but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t follow the “rules” - we should trust in Him…example, a child may not know why his mom says not to touch the stove but he should trust that she has his best intentions at heart.
Do you believe that you have an eternal soul?
Yes, although admittedly death scares me, I know it is not the end. I believe I fear the unknown but logically I feel the unknown is much better than the present.
Are you a member of a church/religion? If so, what do you believe about your church/religion?
I have never been drawn to any denomination. I feel that I can’t belong to something I don’t believe wholly in and there hasn’t been one that I don’t disagree with in some form or another. I am Christian and I am currently seeking my church family where my children and I will feel at home.
Do you regularly attend religious/spiritual services?
No, not presently. I do sometimes and then I don’t. I really want my children to be involved in a church and they do enjoy going. I must make more of an effort…
Do you pray?
Yes, when I pass an ambulance or funeral, I pray for the loved ones. We pray at dinner and say our thanks. I do not, however, pray consistently from my heart. When I do, I feel ashamed that I am not regularly doing this which in turn, keeps me from doing it very often.
What religious/spiritual practices would you like to add to your life?
I am going to start a prayer jar in my home for the kids and I. I also want to incorporate going around the dinner table and everyone say what they are thankful for that day. I want it to be more than just, I’m thankful I got to play with my friend today type thing, more of a I am thankful I am healthy today and that God has placed such good friends in my path - but they are kids so I may be asking too much. I just want them to understand God’s role in their lives.
I believe in some higher power. I don’t attend services, observe spiritual rituals or pray. I believe we have eternal souls, however, what happens when we leave this earth is a mystery to me.
Great post. And I agree that religion can be a tricky subject.
I’m LDS (or Mormon) and so I do believe in God, eternal souls, and I go to church weekly and pray daily.
I enjoyed reading this post. I’m going to e-mail you my comments!
I had the conversation about spirituality with my grandparents and concluded that for our generation this is a very individual experience rather than a group/community experience. That’s why we have such difficulty talking about it. But that’s just one theory.
I had to abandon my belief in a higher power for something more palpable. So I put my faith in humanity and the power of 1 person to create change. I aligned my purpose with this belief and decided to shoot for medical school (v. random). I’m 1 year into pre-med studies and working full time, but I love the challenge (however, it’s very easy to get discouraged and defeated at times, like what’s the point?)
no prayer, just a struggle to maintain optimism.
Do you believe in God?
I believe that God, Spirit, Soul, Love, Energy (Life-force, Chi, Ki, Prana) are one and the same. I come from this source and am made up of the same Spirit, Soul, Love, Energy, God-stuff. Therefore, to know myself, is to know God.
Do you believe that you have an eternal soul?
Yes, I believe in the eternal soul, but I don’t believe that when this life ends the composition of my soul will remain intact. I think the energies that make up my soul will disperse and attach to other energies, creating a different composition.
Are you a member of a church/religion? If so, what do you believe about your church/religion?
I suppose I am still a member of the Southern Baptist Church I grew up in. I haven’t moved my membership to another church, and I don’t intend to. What do I believe about my church/religion? I don’t want to talk about Southern Baptist doctrine or that church specifically, but about Christianity…I believe ancient Christianity was filtered and censored to become what it is today for social and political motives. There is much mystical and gnostic knowledge (taught by Jesus) that my experience with Christianity did not explore. I would love to learn about some of the more mystical teachings of Jesus.
Do you regularly attend religious/spiritual services?
No, but I want to.
Do you pray?
About half the time, I ask God to use my hands for healing clients, but sometimes I forget. My yoga teacher sings a prayer at the end of class, and I like to think it’s collective. Other than that, I don’t think much about my prayer/thought relationship with the higher power.
What other religious/spiritual practices do you have? Is there a particularly rewarding practice that you’d like to share?
uhhhhhh…ummmmm….
What religious/spiritual practices would you like to add to your life?
I also want to meditate regularly. I’d like to trust my intuition, that inner God-voice, and I want to let go of ego and the feeling of separateness to feel oneness with God, Spirit, Soul, Love, Energy.