Mature, Functional and Immature Spirituality

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1552c963.jpg"> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="158" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#660000 HEIGHT= 71 WIDTH="146"><div> <A HREF="wf.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Waco Partnership for Psychological and S"><U>Waco Partnership for Psychological and Spiritual Care (WPPSC)</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="mailto:wmeades@gmail.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:wmeades@gmail.com"><U><IMG SRC="6799c150.png" border=0 width="156" height="21" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Spirituality"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="intro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Introduction"><U>Introduction</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id484.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Faith is NOT: Part 1"><U>What Faith is NOT: Part 1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id485.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Faith is NOT: Part 2"><U>What Faith is NOT: Part 2</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id486.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith: Living As If"><U>Faith: Living "As If"</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id487.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith: What Gets You Up in the Morning?"><U>Faith: What Gets You Up in the Morning?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id488.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith and Telling the Truth"><U>Faith and Telling the Truth</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abby and the Bad Witch"><U>Abby and the Bad Witch</U></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dcffffff00.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mature, Functional and Immature Spirituality</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id502.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith: Concrete and Abstract Thinking"><U>Faith: Concrete and Abstract Thinking</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="rohrville.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Trip to Rohrville"><U>A Trip to Rohrville</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=170 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="589" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 143 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="78480800.png" border=0 width="128" height="128" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="78c9e700.png" border=0 width="414" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="146"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="146" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="432"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="432" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=310 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Mature, Functional and Immature Spirituality</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Mature, Functional and Immature Spirituality</B></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="752" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1203 WIDTH="746"><div> As with all things religious, there is a tremendous disagreement about what constitutes a mature approach to the spiritual life.  My experience has drawn me towards three categories.  They are:      </div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mature spirituality</B>, characterized by the search for <B>truth</B>.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Functional spirituality</B>, characterized by the search for <B>comfort</B>.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Immature spirituality</B>, characterized by the search for <B>control</B>.</div> <bR> <div> No one ever simply arrives at mature spirituality for good.  We live in all three categories, and can find our immaturity cropping up at the most interesting times.   What follows is a brief description of each category.  At the end of this essay is a chart which attempts to describe further differences in these three points of view.  (I welcome your suggestions on what to add to or change about this chart) </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Mature Spirituality</B></I></div> <bR> <div>      The motto of people living a mature spiritual life is<I><B> “I do not want the God I want, I want the God who is.” </B></I>(Note 1)<I><B> </B></I>As persons move toward mature spirituality they find their preconceptions of God breaking down.  They begin to realize that God is far larger and infinitely more mysterious than ever imagined.  Maturing spiritually often involves letting go of the notion that God is some sort of cosmic parent who can manipulate the universe for one's benefit.   This can allow the natural anxieties about life and death to move toward the surface.   Pema Chodron has said, “Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”  (Note 2) A person who is genuinely engaging in a mature spiritual journey is not afraid to be afraid.  As one moves toward mature spirituality he or she may pass through a period of deep cynicism about religion.  There is no question that religions can be sources of great pain and manipulation, and there is no religion that is devoid of all destructive expressions.  Many people move through this cynicism, however, and ultimately find a religious community that offers an approach to education and ritual that fosters maturity.  </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Functional Spirituality</B></I></div> <bR> <div>      The motto of people living the functionally spiritual life is <I><B>“I do not want the God who is, I want the God who will keep me peaceful.”   </B></I>Persons living the functionally spiritual life are usually very intellectually committed to a particular religious group and its corresponding beliefs about God and how God works in the world.  These folks usually participate in services because they enjoy the experience.  They like the music.  They like the sermons.  They like the children and youth programs.  The religious group is often their primary social group.   Their values are not significantly challenged by their religious practices.  Such folks may also have well developed personal spiritual disciplines, such as daily prayer and scripture reading.  There is often a subtly superstitious element to religious practice, built on the belief that things will generally go well in life if one is practicing religion properly.<I><B>  </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Immature Spirituality</B></I></div> <bR> <div>      The motto of persons on an immature spiritual path is <I><B>“I do not want the God who is, I want the God who will give me control.” </B></I> Persons following an immature spiritual path see religion as a way to manipulate God into giving them what they want.  There is often concern expressed about doing God’s “will,” but such folks are generally convinced that God’s will is almost certainly the same as their will.  This approach to religion is deeply superstitious, seeing scripture in terms of strategy (If I give my money to the church, then God will give me back even more).  Immature spirituality often covers deep anger and anxiety.  Religious practice provides a coping mechanism for keeping painful fears under wraps.  Perhaps the most destructive aspect of immature spirituality is the tendency to see everything in terms of black and white.  Others are either for us or against us.  God blesses anything we do to deal with those who are against us.</div> <bR> <div>      Sometimes when it seems that faith is not working, its because our anxiety has us locked into a functional or immature approach to faith.  For faith to be a vital part of life, then we must be walking toward what scares us, not running away from it.  Faith is most vital when it helps us face the truth about ourselves and the rest of the world.</div> <bR> <div> Questions for Relflection:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">What elements of each approach to faith do you see in your life? </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How would your approach to religion change if you committed yourself to overcoming the more functional and immature aspects of your faith?</div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> Note 1:  This turn of phrase is courtesy of my friend, Dr. Mark Long.</div> <div> Note 2:  Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart, p. 2.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> This chart is very unfinished....</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="786" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="77"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="33" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="77" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC><NOBR><div> <B>The Mature Religious Perspective</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC WIDTH="232"><div> <B> The Functional Religious Perspective</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC WIDTH="227"><div> <B>The Superstitious Religious Perspective</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Goal</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Spiritual Growth</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Comfort</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Control</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Motto</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> I do not want the God I want, I want the God who is. (paraphrase of J. M. Long)</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> I do want the God who is, I want the God who will keep me peaceful.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> I do not want the God who is, I want the God who will give me control.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Anxiety</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Seeks to overcome anxiety in order to love sacrificially and unconditionally.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Seeks to use religion to soothe personal anxiety</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Seeks to use religion to justify the control or destruction of any perspective that generates anxiety.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER ROWSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 99 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Science</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Embraces scientific discovery and is comfortable revising dogma in the light of science. <I> "Archeology shows us that the Bible is not attempting to offer a detailed picture of earth's history."</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Compartmentalizes scientific discovery which threatens to conflict with dogma. <I>"Why study archeology at church?"</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Denies the legitimacy of scientific discovery that conflicts with dogma. <I>"The account of creation in the Bible is literally true, therefore God placed dinasaur bones in the ground to confuse scientists."</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Able to separate observation and interpretation.  <I> "I see the incomprehensible complexity of the universe as an indication of a Creator, but I also know there may be other explanations"</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="462"><div> Fuses observation and interpretation.  <I>"The universe is too miraculously complex to be explained by anything other than a Creator." </I></div> <div> Note:  Recent arguments about "Intelligient Design" and "Creationism" seem to me to be appealing to those seeking comfort and those seeking control.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>God</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> I will worship the true God.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> I will worship the culturally acceptable god.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> I will manipulate god.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 66 ><NOBR><div> <B>Theology</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Recognizes that theology is an intellectual exercise and that the intellect is extremely limited in its ability to define and understand God.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Can enjoy discussing and debating theological propositions, but rarely allows such discussions to challenge life-style decisions.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Believes that theological propositions express concrete truth about God.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Ritual</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Recognizes that religious rituals are symbolic ways to describe and experience God.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Does not think much about the relationship between theology/ritual and God.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Believes that religious rituals provide an avenue to control and manipulate God.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 99 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Law</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Recognizes that rules for living are principles which must be applied with care and with regard to the unique circumstances that life presents. (Kohlberg's "Post-Conventional" Ethics) </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="99" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="232" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Insists that rules for living are to applied concretely in every setting.  God punishes those who break the rules and blesses those who keep the rules.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Faith</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Defines faith as “living as if.”</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="33" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="232" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Defines faith as believing certain rational propositions.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="77"><div> <B>Personal Sin</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Attitude towards personal sin is curiosity.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Attitude towards personal sin is denial or indifference. </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Attitude towards personal sin  is judgment.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 66 ><NOBR><div> <B>Evangelism</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Evangelism is best carried out in acts of love and service.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Evangelism is best ignored.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Evangelism is best carried out by explaining theological propositions to persons and inviting them to accept those propositions as true</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC HEIGHT= 82 ><NOBR><div> <B>Faith</B></div> <div> <B>Community</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="225"><div> Faith Community is important because it provides the support and accountability necessary to maintain a sacrificially loving relationship to the rest of the world.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="232"><div> Faith Community is important because it provides a place where it provides a place of belonging that is comfortable for me.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="227"><div> Faith Community is a mark of correct belief. Those who are not a part of the correct faith community are not in proper relationship to God.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>