On Spirituality and Religion
Recently, I made the comment that I am sometimes not a fan of organized religion. That statement stirred up some strong feelings of concern in some friends! I was reminded that I am a minister and a church board member and that it was rather strange and even disturbing that I should feel that way about religion.
I make a distinction between spirituality and religion. To me, spirituality is about going within and reconnecting with Source – your Divine nature, the Higher Self, God Within – and consciously living Life from that state of awareness. I say reconnecting because you are in a sense reconnecting your ego-self to your Higher Self through conscious awareness. The truth is, we are always connected to our Source; it is illusion that we have become separated. We have a tendency to get caught up in daily life on the physical plane and the ego-self becomes our ultimate reality; we forget there is something greater beneath it all.
There are many ways of maintaining that awareness, of course. One can engage in meditation or silent reflection, practice yoga or Tai Chi, create mandalas, paint, sculpt, create music, or become involved in some other artistic endeavor, to name but a few. And yes, even religion can help maintain that awareness.
Religion does have its benefits. It calls one to a higher level of living and strives to keep the God-Presence at the center of our lives, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our families. This is good and noble. Religion has done much good in the world such as addressing issues of equality and racism, poverty, hunger, healthcare, oppression, war and violence. It has helped individuals and families in crisis, comforted those who grieve, and with great joy celebrated marriages, births, graduations, and the many other accomplishments of its members. These are wonderful things, indeed.
My problem with organized religion is that it is a very human institution that has a way of stifling and even deadening the very thing it is trying to nurture. Spiritual practice becomes ritualized tradition whether or not anyone benefits from it; it becomes “the way it’s always been done.” Though we find a certain comfort in tradition and ritual, we at the same time are bored and lulled into indifference by its constant sameness. That it becomes ‘second nature’ to us makes it easier to go through the motions of practice and our minds to wander elsewhere, thus betraying the call of religion to keep the Presence front-and-center.
While religion has done great good in the world, it has also done much harm. That religion is a human institution means it has very human weaknesses. The call to higher living does not mean that all of religion’s members answer it. Religion struggles with its own inner political gamesmanship, power plays, and ego-driven decision making. Though religion has focused attention on the larger issues facing humanity, it has also been many times on the wrong side of those issues: either causing, directly or indirectly participating in, or condoning war, violence, oppression, inequality, racism, sexual misconduct and abuse, indifference to environmental degradation, terrorism, and genocide. However, I am not here to beat up on religion. These things are as much the domain of the non-religious.
I worked in a large church for the better part of three decades and I have to admit I’ve become a bit jaded toward organized religion because I’ve seen religious life behind the scenes. Sometimes, it’s not only ‘not pretty’, it’s downright ugly.
One of the things that attracted me to New Thought was that it was a movement that had a way of transcending religion. Its main focus was on the experience of the Divine and not on doctrine and dogma or on ritual. Charles Fillmore refused to write a creed for the Unity movement; that was pure inspiration on his part. However, even now I see my beloved Unity and other New Thought churches becoming more like traditional denominations with each passing year. I can only assume they will encounter all the problems that traditional denominations do.
Dr. Paul Leon Masters, founder of the International Metaphysical Ministry, has a very small congregation. His ministry and educational system has ordained thousands of ministers around the world (including me), yet he isn’t in the business of building a grand church or religious organization. He views his work much like that of a psychologist or medical doctor: he is here to help you find your way back to a sense of wholeness and (spiritual) health and send you out to do and be whatever it is you were called here to do and be.
Your spiritual life is something that I as a minister have to approach with great humility, respect, reverence, and attention to my own possible motivations. Your religion is incidental to me.
The call to ministry has always been a struggle for me. I’ve always been a type of Jonah, running away and trying to hide from it. Frankly, there are times my ego-self wants to scream, “I don’t care! Your spiritual life is your business and none of mine!” But, in the center of my Being where Love resides, I really do care. Your spirituality (or lack thereof) informs your decision-making, your politics, and your worldview. That affects all of us. And I do care about you. I care that you and your families are living happy, healthy lives filled with abundant Joy, the Peace that passes all understanding, and the Love that knows no end.
In the end, I am dedicated to my Unity home and helping its membership heal and grow and become all they are capable of becoming in any way I can. Rest easy, friends.
breathe peace –
Rev. Rebecca
