Spirituality Adventures
Listen: “Something to Believe In” by Young the Giant
In 2019, I found myself in a crises of faith, and I needed some community support for my own sanity and sobriety. In addition to attending church services, I decided to connect with a few recovery groups in Kansas City for the support I needed. Day after day I sat in groups of people and listened to them tell their stories and talk about their struggles. I’ve listened to drunks and addicts and prostitutes and atheists and rabbis and pantheists and Buddhists and doctors and prisoners and homeless and LGBTQ peoples. By listening to personal stories I’ve realized that everybody is spiritual, and I have been inspired by every type of person as they wrestle with dignity, with the issues and questions of life. I have found courage and hope in the strangest places.
Spirituality is vital to recovery. This truth can be challenging to the atheist, the agnostic, or the religious person who is angry at God. In 2019 as I was struggling with my own faith, I developed some content for just such a group of people. About fifty percent of the people who need recovery are atheist or agnostic and can’t tolerate religion. The course I developed was on “Spirituality and Recovery.” I have taught the Bible and focused on Jesus for over 40 years. The challenge of this course was to teach spirituality without Jesus or the Bible as my foundational text. It was a challenge, but one that I enjoyed. I feel like I learned as I prepared (most teachers learn more than their students). I discovered that regardless a person’s religious orientation or lack thereof, there are some universally recognized strategies for nurturing spirituality.
So first, what is spirituality and is it different from religion? If you look up these words in the dictionary you will find that they overlap. “Religion” means a reverence for and belief in a God or gods. In this sense, all of the great traditions of faith would be a religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Religion can be used in a positive sense as representing devotion to God/gods and compassion for others. A passage in the New Testament says that true religion is caring for the widow and orphan (James 1:27). “Spirituality” means a concern for the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. It speaks of a journey to connect with the infinite, a higher power, or something beyond. It involves connection with self, others, ultimate reality, and values that arise out of this pursuit.
In popular American culture, “religion” has taken on a primarily negative connotation and “spirituality” has taken on a largely positive connotation. This is true in the recovery community and in the culture at large. I have asked the question in many group settings, “What is the difference between religion and spirituality?” Answers vary but a pattern emerges: religion is depicted as an organized, rigid, dogmatic belief system which has injured and harmed people. In some cases, the offense comes from a rigid emphasis on rules over against loving relationship. In many cases, religion is seen as an oppressive force for violence, hatred, exclusion, conformity, tribalism, rejection, condemnation, and unkindness. Every major religion has failed to live up to its best values at various times in history (so have individuals who represent them). Spirituality, on the other hand, is seen as a personal or communal pursuit of ultimate meaning and purpose. It subscribes to an orientation of life which affirms the deep longings of the heart for love, beauty, goodness, meaning, purpose, and connection with something greater than self.
The fastest growing demographic in the rapidly changing spiritual landscape of America is “spiritual but not religious.” Most people around the world embrace spirituality. Open, curious, loving discussions with people about spirituality is a window to the soul. Most people love to talk about spirituality in a loving, nonjudgmental context. What’s interesting is that the topic of Jesus invariably comes up without forcing it. Jesus is known and recognized as a spiritual teacher around the world—as are Moses, Buddha, and Mohammed. These four spiritual teachers have influenced the spiritual and religious landscape of the world in which we live.
Spirituality Adventures is the name I am using for what I am doing to enter into this space in our culture through online platforms. Spirituality Adventures is a nonjudgmental place to explore spirituality. I will be interviewing people on various topics like “Recovery and Spirituality” and “Health and Spirituality.” I will be asking people from all walks of life questions related to any given topic. I will be listening intently to the stories people tell, and I will tell some of my own stories.
I have been a follower of Jesus since my late teenage years. I am certain that if Jesus were walking around today, he would be hanging out with “spiritual but not religious people.” He would listen and ask great questions (just read the Gospels with a focus on the questions Jesus asked). Jesus would also tell many spiritual stories (parables). He would hang out with people of high and low reputation and his heart would bend towards the most vulnerable and marginalized among us, regardless of their beliefs or lifestyles.
I encourage you to join me on this spiritual adventure. I am truly excited about the journey and those who would walk with me. Stay in touch and thanks for your support.
Shalom
©realfredherron 2020
