For All The Solitaries

Also- I think we are, as a whole, moving away from organized religion into private practice. I think for the most part that has a lot of good merit to it, however, occasional communion is also very important for spiritual growth. I think that where religion has failed is by taking away responsibility from the practitioner, they've preached to show up one day a week and that is your spiritual servitude.

Personal responsibility is being encouraged in solitary which means struggle, and moving up, not sitting complacent in a stagant pool of ungrowth. That's where so many churches show their unused potential - they have the warm bodies, the money and the tools to teach and encourage spiritual growth, but so few do. This is where religion as a whole has failed humanity and why we inherently look elsewhere, I think, for the answers we inherently know we need.

TigersEyeDowsing wrote:Personal responsibility is being encouraged in solitary which means struggle, and moving up, not sitting complacent in a stagant pool of ungrowth. That's where so many churches show their unused potential - they have the warm bodies, the money and the tools to teach and encourage spiritual growth, but so few do.

I must disagree with you, TED, that few churches teach and encourage spiritual growth.

I went to a Methodist church regularly for about a year 20 years ago, and the minister often urged adults to join one of the adult Sunday School classes and emphasized the importance of regular prayer, Bible reading and other private spiritual practices.

It's been somewhat longer than that since I was an active Catholic, but Catholicism is adamant that going to Mass regularly is vital but not enough. Individual prayer was always emphasized when I was growing up as were "good works" such as visiting the sick, doing kindnesses for others and the like. I think my formerly Protestant mother probably did a lot more Bible reading than most Catholics, but that was also encouraged. I never saw my dad pick up a Bible. I'm not sure he knew where our family Bible was, in fact.

The problem, I think, is more that a lot of people think that they haven't any personal responsibility beyond going to church. Thus, it becomes easier to blame the church when they're actually the ones who aren't doing much of anything toward their own spiritual development despite various options offered by their church.

It's odd how what's regarded as friendliness and being polite in one
area of the country is often seen as nosiness and rudeness elsewhere.

So True! My father accidentally insulted his new neighbors as they were moving in ... my dad saw children and so he asked the man 'how many kids do you have' The man got this really odd expression.... come to find out, there are several families living in the house, and the man was apparently insulted by my dad's well-meaning question. (To defend my dad, he was thinking the kids could play with my kids when they are visiting. To defend the neighbor, they are new immigrants from Asia.)

Maybe so Dot; I've had the experience of great churches, myself, since leaving Baptistland but there are a lot of conservative churches here that deny personal responsibilty. After all, it doesn't really matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you're saved when you die. Those churches are everywhere, and I see them as what I called stagnant ponds, never moving forward or backward, just sitting.

TigersEyeDowsing wrote:Maybe so Dot; I've had the experience of great churches, myself, since leaving Baptistland but there are a lot of conservative churches here that deny personal responsibilty. After all, it doesn't really matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you're saved when you die. Those churches are everywhere, and I see them as what I called stagnant ponds, never moving forward or backward, just sitting.

LOL, TED. Your remark about the "complacent saved" reminded me of a fervent and very active Southern Baptist I used to work with who somewhat acidly remarked about people who think getting saved is all they must do, "Well, Jesus didn't sit on his rear doing nothing but waiting to die and go to heaven, did He? No! He was out 'doing His Father's work' every day. We should be, too!"

But yeah, I've met people who thought that was all they had to do, get saved and be "home free."

TigersEyeDowsing wrote:Maybe so Dot; I've had the experience of great churches, myself, since leaving Baptistland but there are a lot of conservative churches here that deny personal responsibilty. After all, it doesn't really matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you're saved when you die. Those churches are everywhere, and I see them as what I called stagnant ponds, never moving forward or backward, just sitting.

In my pre-baptism class at my American Baptist church, I've been teaching about "Soul Freedom," which, in a nutshell, is that each individual has the right and the responsiblity to create and maintain their own relationship with God. I have been drilling into their little heads that it is not the minister's responsiblity, my responsiblity or anybody else's responsiblity to do this...it is theirs alone. And I'm very proud to say that I think they are actually getting it!

Stepping back in....

I just volunteered to help one of my local wildlife conservancies Given that I am, for lack of a better term, something of a Panentheist, this will be, for lack of a better term, something like a "church" for me.

Actually... that would make my hiking group and yoga classes like 'church'

Hmmm..... perhaps this is worthy of exploration.....

(working it out)

I think something like that can be a far more spiritual experience than any church. I say, "Go for it, and may you find the experience fruitful."

I get so sick of churches getting wound up in membership drives, pledge drives, should-we/shouldn't-we-build. I discovered that I profoundly don't care how big the membership is or how cozy the building.

I can have a far more religious experience by going out to water and tend my little container garden, breathing in the fresh, cool morning air and simply being grateful to be alive and to enjoy these simple pleasures.

DotNotInOz wrote:I can have a far more religious experience by going out to water and tend my little container garden, breathing in the fresh, cool morning air and simply being grateful to be alive and to enjoy these simple pleasures.

That sounds like a most beautiful experience DOT... being grateful for simple pleasures is no small thing.

I say, "Go for it, and may you find the experience fruitful."

Thank you DOT, I appreciate the blessings

I agree, Sakhaiva.....go for it!!