Articles | Book Reviews | Education
The Benchmarks of Spirituality - Conclusion
In this final section the author summarizes the benchmarks that have been identified in previous chapters and points out those indicators that can validate a healthy spiritual activity.
Conclusion
When we began this series I prefaced my remarks by explaining the rationale behind my interest in the subject of spirituality. It might be helpful if I summarized those remarks before drawing together the benchmarks which seem to be interwoven throughout the various areas we have been considering.
To a large extent my interest was motivated by a sense of frustration. On the one hand, I was captivated by the amount of literature, conferences, and enthusiastic discussions about the subject of spirituality, and on the other hand how much was said about what it was not rather than what it was. I looked forward to hearing some definitive statement that would describe what spirituality was all about. It was not forthcoming. I continued to hear people say that it was not a new religion, it was not some new creedal formula, it was not a particular set of religious traditions, it was not a prayer book or a new form of worship, it was not a compilation of certain values and moral traditions. But what was it? I could not discover the answer - hence my frustration.
My personal breakthrough came when I changed the focus of my search and began asking a different kind of question. What if I stopped thinking of spirituality as some kind of object that had set parameters and a particular form, and thought of it more as an activity emanating out from some religious base. In other words, stop thinking of spirituality as a noun but rather as a verb. And then, if we were to consider this renewed interest in spirituality as an activity, what were those defining benchmarks that characterized this activity. The previous chapters were an attempt to focus on those characteristics. What have we discovered?
What seems to set the stage for a meaningful spiritual activity is a kind of healthy discontent with the status quo. There is a desire to move beyond the existing parameters of one’s religious base or value system. This is very different from a attitude of total rejection. It is simply a desire to go beyond and explore something new, something that will not so much replace but enrich one’s spiritual journey.
Within this context the initial stages of spiritual activity occur. On so many occasions the experience is not solicited. It can even come as a surprise, an intrusion on one’s present sense of reality. It is as if an external force was imposing itself and one feels constrained to respond. There is a compelling nature to the experience. At the same time it can be a somewhat frightening and painful experience and there may even be a temptation to resist and seek safer pastures.
If one submits to the experience a number of reactions can take place. There may be a sense of loneliness, insecurity and anguish since the experience is a departure from what is familiar and comforting. What one is experiencing does not conform to the past. The new insight or vision may not have the clarity one would prefer and there is a need to accept this illumination as a gradual process.
As the significance of the experience becomes more of a reality the painfulness is replaced by excitement. There is a desire to share this new insight, to return to one’s religious base and encourage others to enjoy this exciting experience. This, in turn, may be accompanied by a new sense of anguish if the new insight falls on deaf ears. The message may be perceived by others to be a threat. It receives a guarded reception. This may be due in part to the difficulty one may have in adequately describing what the experience entails. It is like a new language. The experience has a kind of transcendent and limitlessness quality which goes beyond what has been the traditional methods of communication.
These are some of the benchmarks of spiritual activity. It is not required that all the benchmarks should be evident in every experience. It is quite possible that the experience will only exhibit one or two characteristics. But even so, this does not necessarily mean that we are witnessing a good spiritual activity. How are we to know that what we or others are experiencing is of a healthy or unhealthy nature.
For example, one of the characteristics that appears over and over agin is that the person engaged in a particular activity experiences a kind of outside constraint and this compels them to act or speak in a particular manner. But this constraint could have repercussions that in the eyes of other would have disastrous consequences. An instance that immediately comes to mind is the event on September 11th. One can easily imagine that there were very dynamic constraining forces at work within the individuals involved. The vision of a new sense of justice and equity for their own race. The dawning of a new resurgence and respect for their own religion. An activity that would change the existing order and bring new life to their cause. And even if they expected that many people in the world would deride their actions, this would not deter them from their spiritual quest. This is the sort of reaction one can expect from a new spiritual activity. They were to be the harbingers of a new order. Some of the benchmarks of spiritual activity were there, but to what end?
Many times in history the motivations for spiritual activity have been questioned. I have already mentioned how the Jewish authorities were intent on condemning the teaching Peter and John. Are we to always adopt the attitude of Gamaliel when we are suspicions that a certain spiritual activity will have bad consequences? Do we just sit back and wait for the results? Or are there certain indicators which we can use to detect what constitutes a healthy and an unhealthy spiritual activity?
In an attempt to answer that question I have found some very helpful guidance in a book by Charles Kimball called "When Religion Becomes Evil". Kimball is an ordained Baptist minister and Professor of Religion at Wake Forest University. He is an expert analyst on the Middle East and a specialist in Islamic Studies. He wrote the book because he believed that there is a need to distinguish between corrupt forms of religious expression and the authentic forms that offer real correctives and solutions to the world’s problems. He identifies five warning signs of corruption in religion and describes them in such a way that they might serve as indicators when a spiritual activity is about to go wrong.
Absolute Truth Claims
"When zealous and devout adherents elevate the teachings and beliefs of their tradition to the level of absolute truth claims, they open a door to the possibility that their religion will become evil. As we will observe in the chapters that follow, people armed with absolute truth claims are closely linked to violent extremism, charismatic leaders, and various justification for acts otherwise understood to be unacceptable."
Blind Obedience
"Authentic religion engages the intellect as people wrestle with the mystery of existence and the challenges of living in an imperfect world. Conversely, blind obedience is a sure sign of a corrupt religion. Beware of any religious movement that seeks to limit the intellectual freedom and individual integrity of its adherents."
Establishing the 'Ideal' Time
"When the hoped-for ideal is tied to a particular religious worldview and those who wish to implement their vision become convinced that they know what God wants for them and everyone else, you have a prescription for disaster." "Those who narrowly define ideal temporary structures of the state and determine that they are God's agents to establish a theocracy are dangerous. Religion is easily corrupted in this context. Beware of people and groups whose political blueprint is based on a mandate from heaven that depends on human beings to implement. "
The End Justifies Any Means
"In authentic, hea1thy religion the end and the means to that end are always connected. But it is often easy for religious people to lose sight of the ultimate goal and focus instead on one component of religion. When a key feature of religion is elevated and in effect becomes an end, some people within the religion become consumed with protecting or achieving that end. The end goal of protecting or defending a key component of religion is often used to justify any means necessary."
Declaring Holy War
"We have said that more wars have been waged, more people killed, and more evil perpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional force in human history .The sad truth continues in our present day. In somewhat different ways, leaders and combatants continue to depict their war as a holy cause. In doing so, they compound the grave mistakes of those who went before them, and they distort the very heart of the religion they claim to be defending. Declaring "holy" war is a sure sign of a corrupt religion."
If these are valid motivations for an unhealthy spiritual activity then the converse would also seem to be true. If we can perceive within the spiritual activity the absence of exclusivity and recognize the inherent desire for inclusiveness, then this is a good sign that we are witnessing a healthy activity. The desire to incorporate a new insight into the exiting religious base so as to supplement rather than supplant would be considered an acceptable motivation. If we can see that the intention of the activity is to make a contribution to the personal and corporate growth of the community then this activity can be welcomed. If there is sufficient evidence that the person or persons proclaiming this new insight are not doing so for personal self-interest or for the glorification of one particular religion to the exclusion of others, then the activity can be considered acceptable. If people are using their religious base for peaceful rather than destructive ends, then we have some assurance that the spiritual activity is valid and healthy.
The inevitable effect of any spiritual activity is change. And this is probably the main reason why there is resistance to anything that may disturb the status quo. If we have learned anything from the history of religious formation it is the fact that there will always be agents of change. Just as it is foolhardy to try and affect change for change’s sake, it is also futile to resist change just for the sake of resistance. Spiritual activity has been around for a long time and it is not going away.
by Paul Chidwick
Posted by editor on November 25, 2003 01:54 PM