Spirituality

[Antonio]

I think spirituality or religion is my special interest. All day long I think about where I am in my spiritual walk and what God wants from me and how much progress I've made and I think about spiritual experiences I've had. Does anyone else have this special interest?

 

[Antonio]

Also I think about ethics and reconciling spirituality with science. I think that's part of the same special interest. But it's difficult to bring up without starting debate.

 

[Andrew206]

I think about my spirituality often. I was baptized 4 years ago.

 

[hurtloam]

It used to be my special interest when I was a teenager. I was growing up and learning all sorts of new things and it was exciting to me and I wanted to tell everyone about it. Then I realised that people don't like talking about spirituality and I was very disappointed. I don't really have a special interest at the moment, but threads like this still pique my curiosity.

 

[Daniel]

Hey, it just occurred to me from reading this thread that spirituality is a special interest of mine!

It used to be my special interest when I was a teenager. I was growing up and learning all sorts of new things and it was exciting to me and I wanted to tell everyone about it. Then I realised that people don't like talking about spirituality and I was very disappointed.

I hear you! It's not often that I get to talk about spirituality, and even then, I now try to remind myself to express it in a way that serves others, grounded in compassion.

It's a very personal subject, and I've found that if it's between me and God anyway, that's all that matters!

 

[SyAn]

I think about it a lot, but I don't talk about it much.

Some people just use the topic to get onto a rant for/against certain religions.

Others seem to get a bit edgy, maybe it's because they consider it to be very personal?

 

[Ste11aeres]

I have the same interest.

 

[Mary Lyn]

Antonio

Spirituality is very important to me too, in fact the most important thing in my life, in finding the will of God for me and pleasing Him. I am too sick to attend church very often and have been going through a dark night of the soul for 10 years (ended) but am now aware of Him again in my life and making contacts with other believers once again. Do you attend a church?

 

[rx7chick]

I think spirituality or religion is my special interest. All day long I think about where I am in my spiritual walk and what God wants from me and how much progress I've made and I think about spiritual experiences I've had. Does anyone else have this special interest?

I am just the same. Finding God and having a conscious experience now is my obsession and has been since I was tiny. It never leaves me. I also think a lot about ethics and mysticism as a science and that our body's nervous system is designed to allow us to expand our consciousness. I have had a spiritual teacher for 46 years. I have periods of time when this is all I can think about.

 

[Jerome]

I think spirituality or religion is my special interest. All day long I think about where I am in my spiritual walk and what God wants from me and how much progress I've made and I think about spiritual experiences I've had. Does anyone else have this special interest?

Spirituality is my special interest. I am a recovered alcoholic who used drugs and alcohol to compensate and cover up my Aspergers. When I came to Alcoholics Anonymous I was absorbed into the spirituality of the program. I struggle in the fellowship, but the open spiritual nature of the program saved my life. I was recently diagnosed and it was this special interest that sort of sealed the deal. I have studied enough spiritual literature to have a degree in comparative religion were I in a formal education setting.I recently considered taking an online course in Biblical Hebrew, but I withdrew from the course. I am very busy helping other alcoholics and addicts recover from their addiction and can't fit it into my schedule. Besided, I like the solitary pursuit of my ever evolving belief system. I lean towards the metaphysical aspects of spirituality and find science is a neglected avenue of spiritual understanding.
My sponsor in AA is also very spiritual. I believe he is an Aspie, but he doesn't give a hoot about it. He is deeply spiritual and has an acceptance of his shortcomings, as well as the shortcoming of the world. I believe that it is by spiritual design that we met. We are bringing AA back to it's spiritual roots. We aren't very popular in the fellowship, but we are well equipped psychologically to deal with it thanks to Apergers. Our efforts are paying dividends and many thousands of sick souls who would have been lost in their addiction are recovering. I reconcile my loss of friends in the fellowship by applying Vulcan logic to the situation. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one or the few."

 

[Judge]

Before the quest to discover my autism was the quest to determine why I'm here. What this existence is all about. It still very much preoccupies my heart and mind.

Of course in my own case, this "quest" has very little to do with organized religion.

 

[Harrison]

Before the quest to discover my autism was the quest to determine why I'm here. What this existence is all about. It still very much preoccupies my heart and mind.

Of course in my own case, this "quest" has very little to do with organized religion.

Much the same as your good self, and I'm enjoying the journey.

 

[Jonas Oliveira]

Modern religion was one of my special interests in my teenage years. I often read books about religions for hours, daily, in the past. I attended to many different churches and for a long time none of them satisfied me. After spending some years going regularly to a church that I won't mention, I got uninterested in taking part of religious gatherings and my spirituality faded away. I kept on reading about religion, but from the historical and mythical perspective. For me, modern religion, specialy christianism, is just our current mytholgy and has nothing special or actually new when compared to greek, roman, nordic... mythologies. I believe that the ethics and moral standards that most religions stand for are good and that they try to give us some guidelines on how to behave as humans living in society, but no much more than that. What really bugged me at first was the never ending lists of "don'ts", that vary according to the church, and then the hypocrisy inculcated in pastors, preachers, fathers, and so on, as they try to be moral guides to the believers but are as flawed as anyone else. At last, all that doctrine of exclusion bothers me. Churches that didn't/don't take afrodescendants as members, gays, people from this or that different religion... Nowadays I just stay away from religion, except from studying it, and try to be empathetic and polite to people who talk about it with me.

 

[icesyckel]

I wish it was mine. I have trouble motivating myself to do more in pursuit of my faith and to put it in action. Still, I am a Christian, and so I try to find ways to make this my particular area of interest. Still working on it. I find Ravi Zacharias a good motivator in this respect.

 

[Jerome]

[Qshare your honest doubt about rrligion,"Jonas Oliveira, post: 148511, member: 11235"]Modern religion was one of my special interests in my teenage years. I often read books about religions for hours, daily, in the past. I attended to many different churches and for a long time none of them satisfied me. After spending some years going regularly to a church that I won't mention, I got uninterested in taking part of religious gatherings and my spirituality faded away. I kept on reading about religion, but from the historical and mythical perspective. For me, modern religion, specialy christianism, is just our current mytholgy and has nothing special or actually new when compared to greek, roman, nordic... mythologies. I believe that the ethics and moral standards that most religions stand for are good and that they try to give us some guidelines on how to behave as humans living in society, but no much more than that. What really bugged me at first was the never ending lists of "don'ts", that vary according to the church, and then the hypocrisy inculcated in pastors, preachers, fathers, and so on, as they try to be moral guides to the believers but are as flawed as anyone else. At last, all that doctrine of exclusion bothers me. Churches that didn't/don't take afrodescendants as members, gays, people from this or that different religion... Nowadays I just stay away from religion, except from studying it, and try to be empathetic and polite to people who talk about it with me.[/QUOTE]

I once shared your honest doubt about religion, but I try not to throw the baby out with the bath water. In AA we honor each others spirituality. One requirement is that we accept God, as we understand God . For only with this honest admission can we make spiritual progress. Religion is a social construct built upon a divine concept. Spirituality is a personal concept built upon a divine experience. You need not be religious to have a divine experience. My sponsor is Catholic. I am non - religious. We both have had a divine experience that changed our nature. We can talk endlessly about spiritual matters without judgment of one another. My spiritual walk has taken a turn towards Christianity lately. I've studied Tao, Buddhism, paganism and have a strong affinity for Native American spirituality. Another requirement of AA Is that we have an open mind towards all spiritual matters. This keeps my interest fresh and my walk lively. In my perspective, every religion is right and none are wrong. It is like blind men describing an elephant. They can't see the entire elephant, so they describe the part that they feel. So it is with religion for me.

 

[Antonio]

I am just the same. Finding God and having a conscious experience now is my obsession and has been since I was tiny. It never leaves me. I also think a lot about ethics and mysticism as a science and that our body's nervous system is designed to allow us to expand our consciousness. I have had a spiritual teacher for 46 years. I have periods of time when this is all I can think about.

Me too I've had a few spiritual experiences and I wish I could reproduce them. I also wish I could understand what is a legitimate spiritual experience and what is just a feeling or an imagination. For example a sudden enlightenment during prayer could be a revelation from the spirit world or just an idea that popped into my head. I wish I could know for sure.

 

[DogwoodTree]

Yes! God, relationship with God, knowing Him deeply (which has been a real struggle for me), what it means to love and be loved (not romance...rather, spiritual and emotional intimacy), who I am deep down inside, how to be more authentic with people, how to see the value in people (or rather, love them regardless of their "contribution"), what life is about, how to face into the pain and struggles of life, what it means to be grateful without being dependent on "having", how to raise my kids in freedom to be who they are created to be...

I could talk about this all day. Except...I rarely find anyone who wants to have this discussion for very long, so I'm not in practice of bringing it to the surface. So I tend to mull over it all inside, and usually only get it "out" when I write.

I'm strongly Christian, but I also read some from other belief systems if I find something that really resonates with where I'm at and what I'm learning.

 

[Antonio]

Antonio

Spirituality is very important to me too, in fact the most important thing in my life, in finding the will of God for me and pleasing Him. I am too sick to attend church very often and have been going through a dark night of the soul for 10 years (ended) but am now aware of Him again in my life and making contacts with other believers once again. Do you attend a church?

Hi Chocoholic,
Yes I attend a couple of different churches. What's important to me in a church is that it must be life-giving in the sense that there's an emphasis on the power of God to heal and transform us, with strong demonstrations of faith. Doctrines have some importance, I guess, but I think the spiritual aspect is primary. I like churches where people are so on fire that the preacher raises his voice and people get excited and people share stories of how God has changed their life. It's not just about getting together with people who share opinions or to practice following rules, in my opinion
How about you, do you go to a church?

 

[Antonio]

... For me, modern religion, specialy christianism, is just our current mytholgy and has nothing special or actually new when compared to greek, roman, nordic... mythologies. I believe that the ethics and moral standards that most religions stand for are good and that they try to give us some guidelines on how to behave as humans living in society, but no much more than that. What really bugged me at first was the never ending lists of "don'ts", that vary according to the church, and then the hypocrisy inculcated in pastors, preachers, fathers, and so on, as they try to be moral guides to the believers but are as flawed as anyone else. At last, all that doctrine of exclusion bothers me. Churches that didn't/don't take afrodescendants as members, gays, people from this or that different religion... Nowadays I just stay away from religion, except from studying it, and try to be empathetic and polite to people who talk about it with me.

Hi Jonas, Thanks for sharing your experience! I guess I tried to frame the thread in terms of spirituality rather than religion, because, yes, religion can be those things. I wonder if it's possible to find your own spirituality without religion? I'm pretty sure it is, actually I think choosing a religion is really a matter of knowing your own spirituality then looking for a set of beliefs that match what you already know. At least I wish it was that!

 

[Antonio]

Yes! God, relationship with God, knowing Him deeply (which has been a real struggle for me), what it means to love and be loved (not romance...rather, spiritual and emotional intimacy), who I am deep down inside, how to be more authentic with people, how to see the value in people (or rather, love them regardless of their "contribution"), what life is about, how to face into the pain and struggles of life, what it means to be grateful without being dependent on "having", how to raise my kids in freedom to be who they are created to be...

I could talk about this all day. Except...I rarely find anyone who wants to have this discussion for very long, so I'm not in practice of bringing it to the surface. So I tend to mull over it all inside, and usually only get it "out" when I write.

I'm strongly Christian, but I also read some from other belief systems if I find something that really resonates with where I'm at and what I'm learning.

Hi DogwoodTree,
I would love to have conversations like that too!
For example, about being grateful, I've been discovering that if I believe that I am a loved child of God, and if I stop worrying and try to just live in the moment, I can view even a painful experience in a new positive light. Even when experiencing a painful mood or a difficult circumstance, if I just stop and live in the moment and think "I'm here right now, experiencing, just stop and feel the feelings, close my eyes and look at these feelings" I can be amazed at what what a gift it is to just "be", to just be a being that experiences anything at all, whether good or bad. It's like a roller coaster ride, there are scary parts and the suspenseful part, but they're all needed to make it what it is. People go on obstacle courses which involve pain but they involve overcoming difficulty which is rewarding on it's own. So I think of the present moment as climbing over that obstacle and thank my creator for making this crazy obstacle course for me. It makes it so much better.
How about you, does that resonate at all?