A note to people allergic to Christianity Are you a non-Christian? An agnostic? An atheist? Pagan? New Age? Buddhist? Someone merely confused? Does talk of Christianity and Spirituality give you the goose-bumps and heebie-jeebies? Part of the problem is that society's stereotypical Christianity is so ... un-Christian. There are so many so-called Christians that go to church every week and then go off and commit big and small acts of self-centeredness, bigotry, and hatred. Yes, hypocrisy. They believe that their way is the only way, and all this can be summed up in what a certain person once said: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for our town." These people also tend to eye you suspiciously and announce, "If you don't believe in Christ, you're going to Hell." Well, that's very nice. Maybe I'll try a different religion that isn't so nasty about it. After all, a good religion shouldn't leave such a horrible taste in one's mouth, should it? It shouldn't. Really. "Good" does not lecture self-righteously from a safe distance. True "good," we somehow realize, is in the actions of those who roll up their sleeves and wade into the muck, helping people who are in trouble and leading them toward higher ground --- not just with words, but by example and deed. Not everyone has to be in the muck; some are on higher ground holding flashlights and uncoiling rope and directing parts of the operation. But they all participate, willingly, honestly, helpfully, to the best of their abilities. That sort of "good" holds a lot more water than, say, those people who lecture at you from behind the glass of a TV set. That sort of "good" is one of the crucial aspects of Spirituality: real participation, real caring. Yes, much of Spirituality hinges on the New Testament, which you may feel allergic to, but if you really look at the New Testament, look at the reasoning behind what Jesus said, and look at the psychic and spiritual experiences of other people, it starts making a lot of sense. What Spirituality *doesn't* mean: * It doesn't mean you have to stop believing in evolution and embrace creationism. If evidence from anthropology, ethology, embryology, archaeology, artificial intelligence and genetics have convinced you of evolution, then nothing about spirituality says you must abandon that. What it does say is that we must look at the evidence from religion, psychic investigations, personal experience, and testimony as pretty convincing indications for spirituality. * It doesn't mean you should believe men are somehow superior to women, or that women are less entitled to spiritual fruit. Most observant people in a reasonably equal society have noticed that some women are much better than men at traditionally "male" tasks, in the same way some men are much better than women at traditionally "female" tasks. To force people into one cubby-hole or another is exactly that: forcing someone to do something that may not fit. After death, Spirituality holds that gender makes even less difference. Even in the New Testament, the key person, Jesus himself, said that after death, people will no longer marry, and will be like the angels. * It doesn't mean that you have to accept the image of God and Christ as white males with long hair and beards who say "Thou shalt"; nor do you have to accept the image of angels as small chubby children with tiny bird wings, or as blond women with golden Aerobies floating over their heads. Spirits, including God, are neither male nor female, though with aspects traditionally assigned to each, and angels are certainly not small winged children or robed humans. Moreover, Jesus was born in an area that is notably filled with people who are not pale and Anglo-Saxon. Religious images are simply that: images created by someone biased by their own cultural filters and possibly ignorance. * It doesn't mean you have to accept the Bible, even the New Testament, as the absolute literal word of God. The New Testament, in addition to having been written by fallible humans, has been through numerous often-not-so-accurate translations, and has also been subject to additions, modifications, and deletions. However, one can assume that at least parts of the basic message have survived. How to figure out which parts is an exercise in discernment and plain research. * It doesn't mean you should look down on non-Christians. A particular religion may supply exactly what a person needs for spiritual growth at a particular time. Many non-Christians are probably closer to God than a lot of so-called Christians. This does not, however, mean that all aspects of other religions are true or good! * It doesn't mean that you must view animals and plants and other aspects of nature as soul-less automata to be used for human ends. Anyone who has appreciated the beauty of a mountain peak overlooking clear water has felt a little touch of God. Anyone who has experienced the love and trust in a dog's eyes has glimpsed a loving, trusting soul. Anyone who has felt awe and peace in the shadow of a tall, regal oak tree has sensed the life of that tree. And Earth is almost certainly not the only world blessed with life. As the Pagans say, "There are sparks of the Divine everywhere in the natural world around us." Why lose that sense of wonder? * It also doesn't mean you have to think of post-death as an either-or between a boring idyllic Heaven or a Hell of divinely imposed punishment. Spirituality holds that there is an entire spectrum between Heaven, where people truly "dare to care" for others, and Hell, where only one's own twisted pleasures matter. Where you wind up after death may well be based on your own deepest desires, and is not the result of an avenging Judge (at least, not yet). If you, as a living person, bring a piece of Heaven to the world, it's likely you'll be attracted to Heaven after death; if you bring a piece of Hell to the world while alive, you'll likely be drawn there after death. We tend to, after all, seek places with which we feel most familiar. Sometimes that familiarity means that we cling to the physical Earth, because that is all we know. Not only does Spirituality recognize the existence of lost, earth-bound souls (ghosts), but it also holds that reincarnation is possible, though not ideal. Too many spirits reincarnate to re-experience the pleasures of physical life and become confused and trapped. Heaven is our original home, and it is as true citizens of Heaven that we can usually help others the most, be happiest --- and be closest to God. * It does not mean that you will lose your free will. Spirituality holds that the highest and wisest always want you to make your own choices, of your own free will. Coercion, threats, anger, fear, and temptations are the way of darkness. * It does not mean that you will become weak or utterly dependent on someone else. Spirituality holds that each person, as a being of free will, is ultimately responsible for her or his own actions. Each one of us someday must be able to stand on her or his own two feet. But this does not mean we should believe that we necessarily know the right path for everything and should boldly do whatever "must obviously be right"; many times, we must turn to a higher Source for help, lest we, no matter how well-intentioned, make a mess of things. It's a tough balance to hold. * **It doesn't mean you must lose an open mind or your thinking skills**. You can --- in fact, should --- retain a healthy sense of skepticism. Be always ready to doubt, to test, to check, to argue, if you see evidence that something is wrong or feel that something is false. Spirituality is NOT: * New Age. New Age has less emphasis on serving God, than of self-improvement. "Humility," "self-control," "obedience," "selflessness," "evil," "reject darkness" and "deceptive spirits" rarely enter the New Age vocabulary, though they are all critical points. This does not mean, of course, that all of New Age is invalid. Like most religions, it has large elements of truth. However, there are very dangerous aspects of New Age frequently not apparent to those within it. * Stereotypical Christianity. Much of the problems with this are explained above. Stereotypical Christianity often looks down at non-Christians, and yet somehow has the odd idea that going to church once a week and confessing somehow makes one a "good" person. The true message has gotten lost in the preaching, and the forest can't be seen for the trees. Spirituality IS: * Seeking the true God, the Creator who loves everyone (NOT some bearded white guy in the clouds). It is the act of getting to know, to appreciate, respect, and thus love God. * Serving and helping others, whether incarnate or discarnate. Not just people who look like us and share our views, but all sorts of people who need our help, and whom we can help. And not necessarily just people, either: animals, plants, all sorts of spirits. This is the act of loving others. * The search for truth. The material world is real, and sometimes beautiful and sometimes cruel, but it is not all there is. There is a spiritual world, too. But the spiritual world itself is not purely good; it is very much full of evil. Not all voices can be trusted, and not all messages are true. There are wise spirits and foolish ones, mistaken spirits and plain deceptive ones. Anyone can lie and say their goal is love and peace and God, even if it isn't. (If cult leaders can do it, so can spirits!) Thus, the search for truth includes the vital principle of discernment, the stumbling block upon which so many well-meaning spiritual people have fallen. * Seeking to drop our spiritual baggage, so that we can rise. This means losing the chains that bind us to Earth, to Earthly cares, worries, and temptations. In serving first ourselves we cannot serve others; but more than this, we tend to become Earth-bound, drawn to material goods and material pleasures that a body-less spirit cannot experience in full. To become free spirits, we must overcome that attraction to matter, and draw ourselves closer to those things the spirit can truly give and receive: love, joy, acceptance, caring. * A commitment to focusing on the positive: on an upward trend toward love, patience, joy, understanding, self-control, kindness, faith, forgiveness, and so on. One must move away from self-interest, self-indulgence, jealousy, coercion, envy, greed, intolerance, hatred, and the darker realms. Spirituality says that we have been trapped in grey twilight long enough; it is time that we looked up and saw that there is more to life, to ourselves. No one can make you believe that there is a Light beyond the world you see around you; no one can make you believe that all these aren't mass hallucinations; no one make you believe that caring and kindness will lead to a higher truth; no one can make you believe there is such a thing definable as good or evil. But if you can make the first step of saying, "Maybe this is true; I think I'll try moving Lightward. It might help both myself and the world," then you have begun. Of course, you're not expected to be perfect --- the belief that one must be perfect is a great way to burn out quickly --- but you are expected to keep to that path as much as you can. In conclusion: It could be said that Spirituality is seeking to love God and our neighbors with a liberal application of intelligent research, testing, decision-making, thinking, discussion, and plain common sense. It is not an easy path. It is not a path that will make one weaker; it is a path that helps make one stronger. It is lined with deep pitfalls, but it is lit with joy and hope throughout its length, all the way to the brightest Light. ----Please contact me if you wish to discuss using this text (rei at mit.edu)----