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Spirituality - The Elephant in the Room?
I relatively new to this forum. I am surprised at the absence of discussion of spirituality in any way shape or form. I know it can become a sticky subject quickly, but I would think this would be an important subject for moms. I'm not interested in bashing any particular denomination or religion, just curious about others' journeys.
I wandered away from my parents' church when I left home for college. I considered myself a Christian but didn't find church life-giving.
With the best of intentions and faith, I returned to church (trying my fiancee's denomination) in my mid twenties because I wanted to be married in the church, but again, I couldn't sustain my attendance.
When I had children in my 30's, I began to panic about what I was going to do with them. I wanted them to have spiritual foundations but didn't want to return to either of the denominations I had experienced.
Now, after visiting about 10 different churches, I've been at a Community Church for 8 years, and it feels right.
What has your experience been?
Do you find it strange that this site seems to ignore spirituality? Or do you think Moms in the Triangle aren't interested in discussing and sharing in this arena?
Comments
I have found that there are many references to religious preferences throughout this forum, some subtle and some more overt. I also think that as a topic, it can be as polarizing and controversial as gay marriage, creationism, abortion, politics, and all of the other subjects which you don't often see mentioned. Is it important to expose your children to your beliefs about all of these subjects? Absolutely. Is there anything to be gained except for frustration in sharing your opinions in this setting? I'm not sure. Still, there is an abundance of politeness here so maybe it could work.
Hi itis,
I love your nickname.
Yes, I suspect you are right. How ironic that spirituality discussions can lose their civility so quickly!
Thanks for sharing.
I agree with itis....as soon as one starts discussing God, the walls go up and the nails come out. It's the general attitude of our times that there is no absolute truth and no one has a handle on the truth, so why should one listen to or accept anything that makes one feel uncomfortable or makes one think....
Discussions about God and heaven make people uncomfortable b/c it awakens the slumbering conscience and the conscience, once stirred, isn't an easy thing to put back to sleep.
Still, there are those who seek God in earnest and Scripture clearly encourages this.
Romans 10:17 says "....so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God".
And certainly NO ONE wants to think about 2 Corinthians 5:10!
Not sure I'd call it "the elephant in the room". I think many people simply view spirituality as a private matter, with no overwhelming desire to discuss it. There's a reason politics and religion are not considered polite dinner conversation. More often than not, religion is discussed with spiritual arrogance, vs. spiritual humility, each person feeling sure they "know the truth". The reality, is none of us really know, and just do our best to come to a reasonable conclusion based on our own experiences, understandings, and interpretations. I think when it's approached from that perspective, dialog may be possible, but that's a rarity.
Hi Caty and Lily (interesting that you both have insect names),
Thanks for the dialog. This is what I was hoping for. Again, not a bang you over the head with a certain religion or belief type chat. Paradox can be found in the Bible. I'm OK with saying, I don't know or I can't reconcile these two supposedly irreconcilable thoughts. (For example, God is one; God is three. Jesus was fully human. Jesus was divine.)
I look around and must conclude that our God is a God of diversity. No one person with the same fingerprint, ever. So how can we conclude that one human's interpretation of anything (to include the Bible) is the Truth?
Furthermore, if we believe that God is so beyond us we could never understand him, we have to hold our beliefs loosely. And that is scary! We want to know that what we know is truth.
So, what I care to do is share my experiences while remaining open to others, and trusting God to direct my path. If we believe and trust in his Divinty, it will be OK. We need not strive to bang people over the head with a certain dogma. All is well. God is in control. We do well to listen and obey, but the results are in his hands.
Thoughts?
mmmc
I certainly do think that the concept of God and eternity, sin and death are almost unfathomable. Our finite minds have trouble grasping these ideas. MMMC, you are right that there are things that we will never be able to understand until we meet God face to face someday.
However, don't be fooled into thinking that truth is in the same category as holding our beliefs loosely. Confusion about this area of what God does or doesn't want us to know is rife in the church community today.
The wisdom that you need to hold your beliefs with confidence is right in Scripture, but it will never be found by the casual student who is skimming Scripture and not delving deeper. Scripture is meant to be read, studied, memorized and meditated on to know the truth of who God is and what He wants from our lives. Our insecurity with what we believe is b/c we don't really KNOW what we believe and we will never know unless we are developing our relationship with Christ on a consistent daily basis.
God gives us such clear direction for every area of our lives and His word is completely sufficient to answer our questions in the time of need. What He doesn't always reveal is His plan (which almost always differs from ours) and while trusting that God is in control in obedience is good, I don't always let that be my mental cushion to fall back on.
When life is unclear and circumstances are intimidating, I know that God is sovereign and in control and it's not just a pat answer. I know it b/c Scripture clearly states it.
For example, God is sovereign over the governments and militaries of every nation - 2 Chron. 20:6, Romans 13:1-2, John 19:11, etc...
Let's see, what are some other difficult areas that people question God in? How about, God is sovereign over sickness and disease..good one? Is there absolute truth in Scripture to answer this difficult question? Certainly. Check out Exodus 15:26, Matthew 4:23, Deuteronomy 32:39, Mark 6:56...the list goes on and on.
Natural disasters, check out Ps 50:10, 107:29, Amos 4:7, Nahum 1:3-6, Matthew 5:45, Luke 8:24
Discussing solid scriptural truth is not dogma unless, as you've both said before, it is done in a spirit of pride and not love and humility. But certainly having a solid and knowledgeable faith in what you believe is what God desires from us. Proverbs is packed with God's instruction to us to seek wisdom, seek God, seek the wonderful knowledge of His Scripture as you would seek treasure. God wants us to seek after Him through studying His word b/c He knows the more we study His words, the more we will understand about His character.
A great quote I read lately from John MacArthur was this:
"Truth exists outside of us and remains the same regardless of how we may perceive it".
God is the same yesterday, today and forever and His truth is the same. His Word is cross cultural and timeless.
Good discussion! I love discussing Scripture!
Cady
www.cadydidrooms.com
Hi Cady,
You are a well studied lady. I love the quote from John MacArthur. And of course, the ones from God too. :)
Regards,
Michelle
Not really, I just do a ton of reading. I think to sum up your original question, that yes, discussing spiritual things is a HUGE elephant in the room. It didn't used to be and I hope that it won't always be, but it is as of this moment.
Cadydid
www.cadydidrooms.com