Spiritual Development

[chimneysweep]

From time to time there are newspaper reports of local Christian Church organisations refusing to let their church halls for the practice of yoga, tai chi, Buddhist meditation or whatever on the grounds that underpinning these practices is a religious belief different to their own.
But do they miss a trick? How important is the awareness of different spiritual paths & their practices to personal spiritual growth or does purely academic study meet the need?

 

[Foreigner]

Depends a on a person's path, I guess. Some people use the framework of one or many systems to come to their own understanding of existence. Others just seem to endlessly involve themselves in koolaid for various purposes. There's no one "right" path... it might not be necessary to involve people in many different spiritual paths. Some people evolve their own system just by living life. Either way, more tolerance of each other's frameworks is really needed at this time.

I personally wouldn't want to do yoga in a church, but I've been to Buddhist meditations held in a church. They tookover the place and turned it into a temple.

The refusal of many Christians to look at outside systems is a reflection of the ancient and violent rivalry between Christianity and non-Christian faiths. It's sad that it persists in the modern world but that's what happens when xenophobia is built into the culture of the faith.

 

[chimneysweep]

Difficult to argue with this post - maybe it says it all

 

[Thorns Have Roses]

From time to time there are newspaper reports of local Christian Church organisations refusing to let their church halls for the practice of yoga, tai chi, Buddhist meditation or whatever on the grounds that underpinning these practices is a religious belief different to their own.

It's sound reasoning. Your average practitioner knows diddly-squat about theology/doctrine, and a lot of these eastern spiritual practices are delivered with spiritual purposes/assumptions that run contrary to Christian dogma. If you actually believe in a religion (as you ought to if you're a pastor or someone with say in what a local church, or even the whole denomination, allows), maintaining orthodoxy ought to be a prime concern. That said, some groups or more ecumenical than others.

There has been a lot of work put into Christian meditative methods, some informed by Eastern practice, and yoga would be okay if presented solely as an exercise regimen I would think. Also, would this be considered an issue if the situation were reversed and it was about not allowing a session on some intrinsically Christian practice in a Buddhist temple or some ashram or whatever?

But do they miss a trick? How important is the awareness of different spiritual paths & their practices to personal spiritual growth or does purely academic study meet the need?

I don't feel qualified to tell people what spiritual paths they should or shouldn't be exploring, but as for the second question I'd say study is not enough. IMO "spiritual" truths need to be experienced directly, language can only intimate them.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Without more information on what exactly these Christian groups' core principles and interpretations of Jesus' message are, and what sort of clientele they cater to, it's really hard to say much about this. Same for the Yoga and Tai Chi groups. I'd warn against painting all communities that sport the label "Christian" (or "Yoga". Or "Tai Chi". Or any other proper name for a practice or "-ism".) with one brush, because they're liable to vary widely depending on the leanings and sentiments of the people who compose them. All human institutions are dynamic entities, and all have pressure on them to cater specifically to the tastes and sensibilities of their local constituents, no matter how "universal" or "unchanging" they'll tell you their core dogma is.

That said, I personally don't think Jesus' core message is in any way incompatible with the healthier, better-taught, and personal growth oriented varieties of Yoga or Tai Chi. Notice I didn't say original -- it's my understanding that neither discipline was invented or originally developed as a form of mysticism, but both have come to be widely used this way because so many practitioners have had unintended mystical experiences while practicing them.

I personally could not worship with a Christian community that rejected Yoga and Tai Chi wholesale. Nor would I do Yoga or Tai Chi with a group that held a blanket anti-Christian sentiment.

 

[Tromps]

From time to time there are newspaper reports of local Christian Church organisations refusing to let their church halls for the practice of yoga, tai chi, Buddhist meditation or whatever on the grounds that underpinning these practices is a religious belief different to their own.

Not all "Christians" are the same. Many people call themselves "Christian," but do not have any of the values of love or compassion, among others, that Jesus teaches in the New Testament.

Let me share with you another perspective.

Muslims kneel and pray in a Christian Church as Heartsong Church opens it's doors to Muslims in Memphis while their mosque was being constructed nearby. The pastor of Heartsong Church, Rev. Steve Stone, felt it was appropriate to share their facility and build a respectful relationship with the new neighbors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJyLymH1H-M

Egypt - Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers in Tahrir Square

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqXfZTgOCOE

Church opens its doors to Islam: Christians roll out welcome to Muslims who were having to pray in the wind and rain because their mosque was so small. Church minister Rev Isaac Poobalan saw worshippers praying outside [in the rain], and has handed over part of the church hall to Chief Imam Ahmed Megharbi and the imam has led prayers in the main chapel. Rev Poobalan said that he would not be true to his faith if he did not offer to help.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...slims-having-pray-wind-rain-mosque-small.html

I think those are real Christians.

You asked:

How important is the awareness of different spiritual paths & their practices to personal spiritual growth or does purely academic study meet the need?

Doesn't academic study of different spiritual paths = awareness of different spiritual paths? Do you mean actually participating in different spiritual practices, or simply studying them?

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

^ Great post, especially your last point. I think that one can respect and have tolerance for others who follow an entirely different spiritual path than the one you do, without actually switching or following a different path.

If there is a supreme being at the source of all this, it clearly (at least in my experience) has different ways of making itself known to different people at different times who have different experiences of life. Competition for converts and steamrolling over others' beliefs are Man's Law -- very politically useful in the here and now, but an affront to the Rashomon-esque multiplicity of takes we mere mortals have on the great beyond.

 

[scraphead]

Is there a danger here of encouraging the spiritual tourist?

 

[Ninae]

It seems to be getting fast. The illumination definitely seems to be speeding up lately as far as I can observe personally. Too many things to mention, but one thing I wonder about is if anyone else in the Western hemisphere can see the sun coming down is very bright today?

A sharper light that hurts your eyes to look at. It's whiter and less golden. Feels unusual and uncomfortable, like I'm seeing it like that for the first time, but at the same time I feel it could be a message of good changes.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Is there a danger here of encouraging the spiritual tourist?

I don't personally think there's any danger in this inherently. Anyone who does enough quickie feel-good retreats to exotic gatherings of worship will eventually realize how shallow their spiritual experience remains. Plus, in this day and age, many religious, spiritual, mystical, and ideological communities rely on the donations and souvenir purchases of folks "finding themselves", "trying before they're buying", or even "just passing through" to make ends meet. At any such gathering I've attended, those who've taken a trust fall and been buoyed up by that group are easy to tell apart from those who are on the sidelines observing, and have no commitment to the group whatsoever.

To groups that use absolutism as a supporting pillar in their belief systems, and rely on its members having no allegiances elsewhere, being a spiritual tourist or vagabond is generally not smiled upon.

 

[scraphead]

So are you saying that true faith MDAO will shine through regardless S

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Of course, scraphead. If one's spiritual path is one that is walked with the help and companionship of fellow seekers, then part of the requirement for progress on that path (a.k.a. spiritual development) is surrendering to the community and making yourself vulnerable to them, and in so doing take the gamble, on pure faith, that this community will nourish you and help you spiritually grow, rather than exploiting or rejecting you.

All human relationships work this way. You need to take it on faith that the other person really likes you for you, really has your best interests in mind, and really is who they say they are. And this is never guaranteed, even for people who are good at reading people and have had a lot of life experience. Joining a human institution likewise involves this kind of leap of faith, no matter what collective purpose the people are gathering for.

 

[Ninae]

I thought I would like to post a link to a channeling I thought was of better quality.

http://lightworkers.org/channeling/186856/august-25-miraculous-gateway-upon-us

"Will it be the Division of Worlds? Something miraculous is about to occur to those on the Ascension Path. We can all feel it; the moment-by-moment increase in energies, the vertigo of lovelight, the constant Shamanic dream of images, lessons, and final shedding of the veils for so many of us."


I've been experiencing this for the past weeks and it's like it's made my whole being spin. There is no way trying to explain it without sounding completely crazy, because it works according to a rationale so different from the one of this world at this point, that we've all been raised to perceive it couldn't be.

But to try to explain some of what has been happening to me - intense telekinetic/telepathic states where I've been bombarded with hundred ideas a minute, dissoution of the ego-self or what wants to fight or destroy others, a sense of bleeding through from the higher dimensions every now and then, or the 5th dimension, synchronicities increasing a tenfold, really understanding Jim Morrison, and, above all, a feeling of all nature as ALIVE and imbued with (intelligent, loving, giving) consciousness.

Like, I have a pot of a large yellow flowery plant blossoming in full glory outside my door, and everytime I pass I have to stop and bend down to admire its radiant beauty, it's strong vital or etheric energies which are practically physicslly perceptible, and the beautiful sense of giving love it seems to radiate out unconditionally to anyone who will take their time to give it their attention.

Anyone else getting more of these experiences lately? Great. And anyone who haven't have been missing out so far and can stop feeling so smug for various reasons.

CHOOSE LOVE, BEAUTY, AND TRUTH - FOLLOW THE HIGHEST

 

[scraphead]

Thanks for sharing that Ninae. Enjoy but don't cling onto it, Scraphead