Religion and Spirituality

by Mary Mageau White March 31 - 2002

We are living in a time of shifting paradigms. Many of the established Christian churches of all denominations are witnessing the erosion of their memberships as fewer and fewer people look to the churches for answers to their contemporary problems. And yet at this same time a new spirituality is taking form, expressing itself in changing attitudes towards caring for the environment, exploring Eastern religions and the practice of meditation, in expressing social justice concerns, in seeking a more abundant economic system for all and employing peaceful negotiation as a counter balance to warfare. The new spirituality is growing today as our established cultural, political and economic systems all seem to fail us. Perhaps it is because our contemporary experiences of alienation are so overwhelming, that a deep desire for a strong connection with a sacred presence within ourselves and nature is driving these changes forward. It may seem that established religions and the new spirituality exist at opposite ends of the pole and yet there need be no opposition between the two. But in order to continue perhaps we should first define a ‘religionist’ and a ‘spiritualist.’

A Religionist is a person who follows a doctrine or dogma in blind faith without questioning it. The religionist also obeys a set of rules or a text (the Bible, Koran etc.) to guide ones every move. In the world of a religionist the Creator is viewed as an all powerful being, singular in itself, which rules over human awareness and watches every move to judge the worthiness of each participant. Those who are designated to speak for this power determine that which is right or wrong. The religionists believe that the Creator will do everything for them and if they give their best, their reward will be to ascend into heaven where joy and beauty abound.

A Spiritualist is one who realizes that societies are in a constant state of evolutionary change thus he or she must continue to resolve the possibilities that every new opportunity brings. As each life experience contains a learning lesson, the self-imposed beliefs of others must not be allowed to dissuade the potentiality of ones evolution. To the spiritualist, the Creator is the Omni Presence of all light in creation and is held within each human. In order to return to the fullness of the Creator's Light all learning lessons must be fully experienced with every possible encounter met and completed. Each one must develop fully and heal through the awakening of the love essence.

The religionist believes in the Spirit of One. At some point religionists could cease to learn by allowing their ideas to solidify around themselves. Against the walls of established dogma new experiences, awarenesses and teachings collide and new insights are excluded. Though these ones may worship, study and strengthen their minds, obedience to the rules and defence of the walls becomes their purpose, militancy their virtue and evangelizing for converts their activity. Fear and prejudice against others frequently result. The mind is like a door within the wall but for so many it remains closed and locked through their rigid adherence to a set of fixed beliefs.

The spiritualist believes in the Oneness of Spirit. The new spirituality is the opposite of established religion in that it is holistic rather than dualistic, incarnational rather than transcendental, inclusive rather than partiarchal, environmental rather than anthropocentric and democratic rather than hierarchical. Since each human is believed to be a particle of the Creatorís Light we must return to a remembering that all was brought to life in love. One then believes and knows that all is perfect and that separation from the Creatorís essence is only an illusion. If we come to a clarity that we have never left the Creatorís Light, we are in fact that very Light ourselves. Therefore we assume our own co-creative powers and choose to honor our own creations by taking different journeys in the Earth plane.

And if within the great Creatorís Light of which we are all a part, there is only the unity of love, then might this world be perceived as a matrix in space and time wherein humanity is encouraged to experience and play out every possibility? Might a new sense of responsible freedom then accrue to us as we acknowledge the Creatorís respect for the free will choices of all Its creations? And so within this process, the choice of the religionist is one journey and the choice of the spiritualist is another. The focus and experiences of either journey can be chosen for the particular growth possibilities each provides. And yet, neither one journey is better than the other, as all paths can hold the potential to lead us home to the Light.