I'm Religious, Not Spiritual
Oh snap!
The world is wild, and so am I.
It happened again: Sunday, I despaired. Monday, I was hopeful. Today, I am filled with a weird kind of excitement determination. Like I said, my emotions swing all over the place. I haven't learned how to control them, but I am learning how to stay on the path while my heart thrashes about. I'm looking forward to writing about my water elementals. I'm looking forward to writing so many stories. First, I have to establish Rudolph Strategies. Then, I can write full force.
In other news, there's a strange disparity between religious and spiritual. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people say, "I'm spiritual, not religious."
I'm gonna tell you right now: I'm religious, not spiritual.
Hear me out.
When people are talking about spiritual, it often incorporates something about dream catchers or meditating or chakras or mantras or zodiacs or some other ethereal thing. Maybe there's a big, spiritual world that I'm missing (I'm almost sure I'm missing many things), but I don't know how dream catchers put bread on the table. I don't know how chakras heal broken hearts. I don't know. I'd be glad to learn, but every time someone talks to me about the zodiac, it sounds like a Facebook survey: "Use Your Star Sign to Tell You Which Disney Princess You Are!"
What is religion? Is it the rules and regulations we've made up? I think not.
James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
The world is wild, and so am I.
It happened again: Sunday, I despaired. Monday, I was hopeful. Today, I am filled with a weird kind of excitement determination. Like I said, my emotions swing all over the place. I haven't learned how to control them, but I am learning how to stay on the path while my heart thrashes about. I'm looking forward to writing about my water elementals. I'm looking forward to writing so many stories. First, I have to establish Rudolph Strategies. Then, I can write full force.
In other news, there's a strange disparity between religious and spiritual. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people say, "I'm spiritual, not religious."
I'm gonna tell you right now: I'm religious, not spiritual.
Hear me out.
When people are talking about spiritual, it often incorporates something about dream catchers or meditating or chakras or mantras or zodiacs or some other ethereal thing. Maybe there's a big, spiritual world that I'm missing (I'm almost sure I'm missing many things), but I don't know how dream catchers put bread on the table. I don't know how chakras heal broken hearts. I don't know. I'd be glad to learn, but every time someone talks to me about the zodiac, it sounds like a Facebook survey: "Use Your Star Sign to Tell You Which Disney Princess You Are!"
What is religion? Is it the rules and regulations we've made up? I think not.
James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
I'm definitely not perfect, but stained is different than imperfect. I get muddied and bloodied so often, but the blood of Christ washes me white as snow again and again.
The rest of religion seems pretty simple then: visit orphans and widows.
I don't know how to be spiritual. I know too much math. I have too much of an attitude. I can't stand the zodiac. I'm not sure what people mean when they say "meditate." Most churchy music doesn't move me, and I don't think I ever put my hands in the air.
I do know how to visit people though.
Our response to what God has done for us.
ReplyDeleteWhat specifically is our response?
DeleteI, too, am religious, yet I am also a spiritual person. To me that means I'm to pray for others, be kind, be generous, and love, even the unlovable. We aren't limited to helping just widows and orphans, but all those in need or suffering. It means first and foremost that I'm to be a follower of Christ.
ReplyDeleteOne can be a believer in Christ, and yet not follow his teachings, and suppose that he is spiritual. I think this supposition is inaccurate.
There is a difference, too, between people who believe in "new age" ideas, and someone who says they are spiritual, but still accepts that there is one God and believes in Jesus. So I don't think I can categorize all people who say that as the same.
Agreed. I suppose I can't say I'm NON-spiritual, but it always feels weird when people say "spiritual not religious."
DeleteThe main thing we can do is cling to the love of Christ and share it with others.