 |
I’m Not “Spiritual,” I’m Religious |
 |
When it comes to faith and self-definition, words are extremely important.
In recent years there has been a backlash against the word “religion” and all its derivatives, particularly among young people. Many prefer the term “spirituality” because it suggests a relationship with the Divine or the Profound but does not carry all the baggage that is associated with religion - institutions, dogmas, creeds, etc.
“Spiritual” people are hungry for a way to transcend modern materialism without recourse to these oppressive religious structures: a way to restore interior harmony, peace, or fulfilment to lives that have become overly focused on exterior comforts and prosperity.
Spirituality, as the development of a person’s interior life, has its place. In certain ways, however, the contemporary enthusiasm for spirituality represents another incarnation of the culture of materialism, hedonism, and hyper-individualism. By asserting their right to a spirituality without rules or traditions, spiritual people are basing their “transcendence” on the slippery foundation of “what feels good.”
The spiritual folk who throw off the yoke of religion are also abandoning both the discipline that makes spiritual practice effective and the framework that makes spiritual symbols meaningful. Those who claim to practice Sufism but not Islam, Kabbalah but not Judaism, or Native American rituals without being Native American are missing the point, and whatever transcendence they may achieve is one based on self-delusion. Furthermore, those who “mix and match” practices and ideas from various religious traditions are exhibiting the worst of American consumer arrogance: the belief that the spiritual realm, like the material world, is just another place where they can shop around until they find exactly what they want, and where the customer is always right.
There is nothing wrong with spiritual exploration. I have no hostility to the California Sufis, the Madonna-style Kabbalists, etc - but I do believe that without some education, discipline, and respect for tradition, their explorations will yield little fruit.
There is also nothing wrong with learning about traditions, paths, and practices other than our own. In fact, such exercises deepen our comprehension of the human community, our own practice, and ourselves. But taking spiritual and religious phenomena out of context distorts our ability to truly understand them. The mystical traditions that exist within all of the world’s major religions are trees whose roots run deep, stretching back hundreds or thousands of years. How could one understand or practice Sufism without knowing the biography of the Prophet Muhammad? How could one understand or practice Kabbalah without a deep knowledge of the Torah?
BEING RELIGIOUS
I was raised in a family that could be described as atheist. I belong to no organized religion. I am on what some might call a “faith journey” - that is, I am trying to decide whether I believe in God, what such a God might be, what humans’ purpose in life is, whether there is life after death, and other questions.
Do I have the right to call myself religious? A great number of people would say that “spiritual” is a much better description of who I am.
I choose the word religious because it reminds me that I acknowledge authorities higher than myself. If nothing else, the vastness of the universe places my whims and opinions in perspective. And when it comes to learning about the world’s religions, even the ones I am certain I will never follow, I listen to the words of authorities rather than picking and choosing whatever seems good to me, and rejecting the rest before considering or understanding it properly. This is not to say that I listen, read, and think uncritically - but I allow established authorities to provide me with a roadmap of sorts.
I choose the word religious because to me it connotes discipline - the discipline that must frame any spiritual practice. Meditating, praying, or reading religious texts whenever the fancy strikes you may be “spiritual” - but to do so in a disciplined, consistent manner is religious.
And above all, I choose the word religious because religion is a total way of life, and not just a compartment of your life that you access whenever you feel like it, and forget about the rest of the time. What good is a spirituality that you only practice in your yoga studio or your weekend retreats? I feel at my most religious when I keep my temper in traffic, give money or food to a beggar, or simply take time to appreciate my friends and family.
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES DOESN’T MAKE YOU RELIGIOUS
A lot of people confuse “religious” with “dogmatic.” But the Christian businessmen who faithfully go to church every Sunday and then spend the rest of the week exploiting foreign workers or downsizing their companies are not religious. The Muslims who go to the mosque every Friday but then turn around and justify violent jihad against “infidels” are not religious. The people who are 100% that their creed is the correct one, but never lift a finger to help another human being, are not religious. They’re dogmatic. They take the principles and articles of the world’s great religions - principles and articles that are meant to guide living, breathing, dynamic religious practice - and turn them into dead dogmas that legitimate hatred and intolerance.
Truly religious people, in my view, are rare. Though you can find them in every religion, they are not the majority. This is the case because being genuinely religious is so difficult - for one thing, it requires that we avoid the twin pitfalls of vague and nebulous “spirituality” on the one hand, and rigid, unthinking “dogma” on the other. It requires humbling ourselves, and understanding that even though our paths may have certain rules, the rules alone do not make up the path.
So I must amend my earlier statement - I am not religious. I try to be religious, and it is my hope that for some brief moments I succeed. When I do, I believe it is because I am in tune with something greater than myself (be it God, the cosmos, or simply the universal human community and its deepest values), not on my own terms or as a window-shopper, and not out of blind obedience, but as a creative, free, yet reverent individual willing to acknowledge the responsibilities that I bear as one inhabitant of the universe.
Ish,
Thanks for your article. I think you’re right on target about spiritualiy/religion becoming another sort of item that we can shop around for until we find the right fit. Then again there is also the dogmatic extreme where rules are all that matter. I can testify to the damage that rules based only faith can leave behind However, I do agree that spiritual growth cannot be achieved without some kind of discipline and submition to accountable authority.
Ish, I commend you for writing such a personal piece, and I completely agree with your statements about spirituality in America — it often represents yet another manifestation of consumerism, of cherry-picking, and of hyperconfidence. Frankly, I think this trend is a predictable product of affluence, choice, and also youth in our society — for many of us, the older we get the more we come to appreciate the comforts of discipline, consistency, and humility, to which you speak.
I’m a fairly privileged kid with liberal persuasions, and have probably spouted off an overconfident line about my “nonreligious spirituality” in the past. But these days I know better. Personally, I feel religious in times of extreme pain, love, fear, and optimism, not because I subscribe to any major religion, but because it is in these moments that I have no choice but to concede I belong to a world way bigger than I, filled with questions unanswered for me. At times like these (and we all have them) it just doesn’t work to pretend we know the answers — as cheesy as it sounds, faith of some kind (in our value, our purpose, our right to exist and have love and happiness) is pretty much our only “salvation” from despair.
I think, Ish, you are accurately identifying in many people’s “spirituality” a lack of commitment to what they claim to believe. That might work on the easy days, but in my opinion, in our toughest moments, that particular brand of spirituality just won’t help us out.
I guess I don’t feel religious or spiritual, and that’s because I suffer from what you’ve pointed out above. I typically look at religions in the “what can they do for me” kind of light. I don’t feel the need to look for a spiritual answer, and so I don’t. This is, of course, the opposite way that religions are constructed. Through teaching and ritual, they cause you to feel a higher power, not the other way around. I guess I’m not ready to take the plunge towards religion or sprituality or whatever.
Wow, I too admire your deeply personal tone throughout. I recently had this conversation, as I am sure most of us had. I’ve notice quite a few people turning away from traditional church forums and instead choosing to express their religious beliefs in solitude or through discussion. I too am going through a similar spiritual journey. From Lutheranism to atheism and back to a higher power, the one thing that I am sure about is exactly what you pointed out–dogmatic does not equal religious. Thanks for writing this piece, gave me lots to think about.
I’m sorry, but I could have sworn you were writing from a Christian standpoint. You don’t ever seem to criticize any Christian practices, but you seem to have some veiled opinions about Islam and Judaism.
In fact I think your message is “don’t consider yourself knowledgeable in the subject of God until you’ve fully committed yourself to his worship”.
I do believe you are conflicted in your thoughts and feel you are missing something without popular. organized religions. I don’t think you’re trying to deceive anyone with your writings, I just think that you are in the final phases of letting go yourself and have conflicting feelings within your own mind. I suppose writing them out for others to see is a good way to reach where you’re headed. Good luck!
non-believer, what do you mean about “veiled feelings about Islam and Judaism?” I have open negative feelings about bullshit California Sufis who know nothing about actual Islam, and similar feelings about casual kabbalists who know nothing about Judaism.
I have respect for real Christians (I’ve met a few in my life), but I do not believe that Christ was the literal son of God - either all of us are “children of God” or none of us are, I think. With as much certainty as I can muster, I’ll say that I never expect to embrace a belief in the unique divinity of Christ, and hence will likely never be a Christian.
The most profound influences on my religious thinking have actually been the Quran, several Sufis (al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi), and some Zen authors, especially the monk Dogen. Also the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, and the Gospels.
good stuff, Ish…particularly as most people think religious beliefs are something to be felt out, or ascertained due to just feelings, rather than something to be studied (theology).
I think you have some good thoughts here Ish, but I would like to take issue with one thing. I will quote you first then make my comment, “Furthermore, those who “mix and match†practices and ideas from various religious traditions are exhibiting the worst of American consumer arrogance: the belief that the spiritual realm, like the material world, is just another place where they can shop around until they find exactly what they want, and where the customer is always right.”
For me personally, I find the opposite true: it is precisely the mixing and matching that shows the vibrancy of one’s thoughts and experiences. The fact is that religion (like most things) is culturally, politically and geographically determined. Hence, I have absolutely no real connection to the accepted Christian schools.
I love my Buddhist philosophy for instance, but there are certain things about the practice that I think are out of touch and/or internally conflicting. Do I have to abandon the whole concept just because the Dalai Lama and I disagree about eating meat or the morality of homosexuality? I really hope not. I am a product of different influences and educated by my own meager, humble existence on this planet.
I prefer not to think in terms of religious or spiritual anymore, because like you I rarely meet anyone who actually lives their faith rather than just preaching it.
Anyway, nice work.