Religion in America

Since we’re going to talk a bit today about religion, I thought I’d use a pretty picture here of what my good friend Melissa calls “Biblical clouds”:

Earlier this week, my husband sent me this link to an article in USA TODAY, knowing I’d be keen to read it. You should probably read it, too. Go ahead…I’ll wait for you.

I love how the article describes people as exploring “spiritual frontiers.” To me, this is an incredibly apt descriptor, and I see it all the time as a minister at my own church. Folks often come to a Spiritualist church because they’re curious about mediumship and spirit messages, and they want to see if the wacky psychics on the platform during the service will be able to connect with them. Hopefully, by the time they leave, they have a little more respect for and understanding of what we believe as Spiritualists. But over the last 9 years as a minister in a church, I’ve seen more and more turnover, and more people really just “trying on” a spiritual practice to see if it works for them.

And you know what I think of this? I think it’s great.

This attitude would, of course, get me into a lot of trouble with more traditional pastors and ministers. Spiritualism is, by definition, a less-than-mainstream religion, one that some denominations don’t even take seriously as a legitimate religion. I’m not here today to argue the validity of my religion or to criticize people who don’t believe in it. What I find interesting is that, according to this article, more and more Americans are searching for a spiritual practice that fits into their lifestyle and their way of thinking. And I really support this because I don’t necessarily believe that Americans are looking for new religions, per se.

I think what Americans are seeking is a personal relationship with God, and they’re not finding it in the mainstream churches.

To many traditional ministers serving churches and congregations, this may appear to be a reflection of the decline of American values, the hedonism and selfishness of Americans, etc., etc. I would say in response: you’re wrong. I believe that more and more Americans really want to develop a personal relationship with Creator that is not contingent on how many times they attend church services or how much money they drop in the collection plate. Throughout our history, Americans have always been an intelligent, inventive bunch. Because of our inherent nature, we ask questions, and we strive to learn more. I believe the churches that survive into the future will be those that honor the personal struggles to connect with God that their members express. They’ll be the communities that support these individual searches for communion with God, and the ones that help those seeking Creator’s divine presence to understand how to keep that channel open and viable. They’ll be the ones that encourage their members to ask questions of God and to expect to receive answers. They’ll teach the members of their community that Creator is a real presence, not a story in a book or an intervention that happened thousands of years ago. These communities will help others to see that God is right here with us every day, and He manifests within each and every one of us. He is us.

Some critics would equate the decline in religiousness to laziness or a lack of dedication. I would argue, though, that to be a spiritual being, we must be dedicated and responsible. Just because we don’t go to church doesn’t mean that we live our lives without purpose and integrity. We don’t need to go to church every week to recognize the inner divinity of every living creature and to honor that divinity in our words, deeds, and thoughts about that part of creation. We don’t necessarily need our minister or pastor to read stories and explain to us what they mean. We can do this on our own and possibly draw even deeper, richer meaning from them. We need to stop relying on other people to tell us how to live our lives and get in touch with the hidden Source of all life within us, which will lead us in the right direction. We can certainly look to other great spiritual leaders and scripture writings to give us direction, but our ultimate guidance must come from within, which is how we are connected to God in the first place.

Having said that: church is about community. Belonging to a group of like-minded individuals is imperative to some of us, especially during times of trial, pain, grief, and other heavy emotions. It is within these communities that we can truly show all sides of ourselves and share support with others. If we want these communities to grow stronger, we need to help each other connect to Inner Divinity as well as teach all to recognize and respect this beautiful quality in every person. Being a true part of a community takes time, effort, and sincere commitment. But these help us to grow as spiritual individuals, and as we utilize these attributes, we understand how important they are to us as evolving beings.

So…I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Do you think that religion has a chance to continue in this country? How do you feel about religion or churches/communities in your own life? Do you need this? Feel free to leave a comment.

I bid you all Namaste on this lovely Friday: the Divine within me honors the Divine within you.

4 Comments

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  By Todd Powers, March 13, 2009 @ 11:21 am

  First I want to say that I see huge changes on this planet, leaving no area untouched, from religion, to geo-politcial, to economics, to even the the natural environment of the world itself. I’ve seen a death/rebirth in all of these areas. The time of great change is near.

  Second, I want to say that I agree with you. Church or community (or coven – I am wiccan), is not required for one to to be spiritual and connected to the universe. However, that said, I do feel these groups serve a vital purpose in one’s spiritual path and health. I believe highly structured, organized religion is going through a death at this time. Basic messages need to stay, but the volumes of rules and regulations are no longer serving the purpose for which they were created. For the majority of people I meet, traditional religion just doesn’t resonate with them. But the basic messages still do. I believe what is born out of this death is the intuitive realization that each if us is already connected to the divine source and our individual path does not have to be exactly the same as our brothers and sisters. That said, this does not mean there is no value in community…. quite the opposite…. community plays a vital role in our own spiritual journey by helping us when we doubt or when we’re blocked. Community helps us to reconnect ourselves to each other and to source. Afterall, while we are each divine creatures, we are also human and can become disconnected through our egos and will, and community, however on defines it, helps get us back on track.

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  By Rose, March 13, 2009 @ 11:59 am

  Thank you so much for all of your insightful comments, Todd. I completely agree that the earth and all of its inhabitants and energies are going through very important spiritual changes at this time. As with all rebirths, there are deaths first, whether they be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. I agree that religion and some of its trappings are part of this natural progression.

  I also agree that community is vital to our understanding of ourselves, both as individuals and as spiritual beings. I believe that communities (and this includes churches) must evolve in order to still be viable in today’s world. This doesn’t mean that the inherent messages must completely change, but that they must be presented in ways that fit with where we now are as an evolving species. There will always be value in community, just as there is value in solitude and inner work.

  So glad to see you here on the blog! Blessings to you!

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  By Pastor John, March 14, 2009 @ 5:15 pm

  Hi Rose,

  I am an Ordained Minister with the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC). THE COMMENTS BELOW ARE MINE AND NOT THE VIEWS OF THE NSAC.

  I think we’ll always have religion in some form. I believe that we human beings need the rituals and support that comes from being a member of an organized spiritual group as well the fellowship. Religion and churches are a vital part of our society and have been influencial in causing social change. I agree that while a great deal of good is done by churches and religion, a lot of harm has been done as well. I think that we need to realize our similiarities instead of our differences.

  As for Spiritualism, we began as a movement and not a religion. The first Spiritualists did not leave their “Christian” demoninations, but worshiped as they had for years and made time in their services for the Spirit Messages. It was a group of radicals, so to speak, that began to take all “Christian” teachings such as the virgin birth and others out of Spiritualism, because it was too “dogmatic.” However, Spiritulism has become very “dogmatic” on its own. I believe that by beating down Christianity was the beginning of our membership falling off and the reason we cannot attract more members. We need to be more embracing and less exclusive. That’s why Martin Luther began the Reformation, which caused a split in the Roman Catholic Church. Well, one of the reasons.

  Spiritualism was brought to us to expand and increase our spiritual knowledge and understanding. It was also to teach us not fear death and that we had responsibility for ourselves and that what we said and did and thought had an effect on mankind as a whole not just us as individuals. Spirit communication never told us anything about not accepting virgin births or miracles, etc.

  I find myself bringing some of my previous Catholic prayers into my personal spiritual practices. I believe that it is not important what prayers we pray, but that we pray. The words set up positive vibrations around us and throughout the physical and spiritual realms. They bring us spiritual support and positive energy and healing.

  I am proud to be a Spiritualist Minister, but I worry that Spiritualism is in danger of dying out. Most of our members are over 40 and we are not attracting young members with young children to continue on after us. I think we need a great deal of change and need to get back to our roots.

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  By Rose, March 15, 2009 @ 2:48 am

  Hello John! So nice to see you here. Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your thoughtful comments.

  Your insights into Spiritualism and our issues as a religion are especially interesting to me. I agree that some factions of Spiritualism have also become too dogmatic. I know from my own work in a church for the past 9 years (one that is completely independent of any organization other than itself) that some of this seems to be an almost natural progression. You begin to outline more set “rules” and “tenets” because the people in the congregation see a need for them, and in order for the organization to run smoothly, you have to become stricter about things. I am also proud to be a Spiritualist minister, but I also fear that Spiritualism, as a religion, could die out. I did find this statistic in the USA TODAY article fascinating:

  “Meanwhile, nearly 2.8 million people now identify with dozens of new religious movements, calling themselves Wiccan, pagan or “Spiritualist,” which the survey does not define.”

  The fact that some people (apparently, quite a few!) are identifying themselves as Spiritualist is intriguing to me, and I wonder how many of those people know anything about the Spiritualist religion or have been to a service. I also wonder if these new “Spiritualists” are moving back to the movement’s roots and perhaps investing time and energy into home circles and development outside the more mainstream Spiritualist churches and organizations. It would be very interesting and telling to find out. But this statistic also points again, I think, to the main point of my post: that people are trying to find a more personal relationship with Creator. I believe that Spiritualism, along with many of the Pagan religions, truly fosters this connection. Time will allow us to see how good the religion itself is in continuing to foster this connection and still help people to connect with others in community.

  I do feel, as you do, that religions have been instrumental in our country in instigating positive social change. Unfortunately, in the past few years, some of the more dogmatic ones have been trying to influence the country in more negative social change as well (the exclusion of homosexuals from marriage rights comes first and foremost to my mind). I am hopeful that spiritual people will begin to exercise their voice in social change more and more, whether they belong to a religion or not, so that this country can move forward.

  Many blessings to you, John!

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