Can Spirituality and Christianity Work Harmoniously Despite Popular Opinions?
I’ve been pondering whether spirituality and Christianity can work harmoniously for years.
I grew up going to church and Sunday school in the UK.
Somewhere in my teens I entered a rebellious era like many of us do (think lots of eyeliner and rock music on blast).
I dived into the corporate world in my late teens. It was stressful. Pressure was constant. Deadlines were daily.
Somewhere in the midst of corporate chaos, I realised I was riddled with anxiety. God was a subject of past that rarely crossed my mind.
Enter my spiritual awakening era in my early twenties. I discovered meditation and dived head first into it’s spiritual vortex as a way to tackle my anxiety and stress.
Half a year later, I felt an energetic presence during a deep meditation session. It was God calling to me from the depths of my soul.
Call me crazy if you wish. It didn’t feel crazy to me. It was the first time something felt right in a long time. I was, for a lack of a better term, a born-again Christian.
That was seven years ago now.
It was the first time I contemplated whether posts I saw online that so clearly separated spirituality and Christianity, such as the one below by John Murcs on Pinterest, were true:
They sparked my interest and I questioned whether spirituality and Christianity can work harmoniously despite popular opinions and differences.
After having what I believe to be both a spiritual and religious experience as someone who now identifies as a spiritualist and a Christian, something didn’t sit right with me when reading these statements.
Many believe it’s not possible to be both spiritual and Christian. Many for the reasons stated above. It’s a debate so profound and meaningful in terms of our existence as humans that it’s worth picking apart.
Before we get into it, it’s important to note that Marc’s post, like many of those similar, mention “religion” rather than Christianity.
However, it’s pretty apparent the points can relate to Christianity. Thus, his points are perfect to examine to answer whether spirituality and Christianity can work harmoniously as a belief system and life practice.
Let’s work our way through his points to discover if spirituality and Christianity can really work together.
Religion is believing in someone else’s experience
Spirituality is having your own experience
A large part of Christianity is living for Christ. Christians give thanks to Christ and God for pretty much all aspects of their lives. From the food they eat, to their houses, mental breakthroughs and financial triumphs. Thus I can see why Marc views the following of Christ as believing in someone else’s experience and existence.
Nonetheless, I would argue Christians understand they are living a life for God and are also a soul having their own experience on Earth.
We all have free will and can choose not to live according to God’s laws, given how easy it is to sin. But Christians try their best to live according to his Word.
As for spiritualists, it can be reassuring and encouraging to know there is something greater than mankind. They can choose to have their own experience by living according to their own terms. But we can’t rule out the possibility that spiritualists may also choose to embrace God’s laws. It all comes down to their personal belief system.
Moreover, many of God’s laws encourage us to strengthen our values and humility. I’m sure spiritualists and Christians alike feel virtuous living is important.
Thus, I see it as; humans are not living out God’s experience. Instead, they are experiencing their own lives through God’s perspective (you can read that again, if you wish).
Religion is based on fear
Spirituality is based on freedom
Authenticity is a key aspect of spirituality. Many spiritualists enjoy exploring their talents and expressing their values freely.
The same can be said for Christians. God urges his followers to work hard and express their values. For example, key Christian traits include helping the less fortunate and speaking up when something unjust happens.
As for religion being based on fear, it seems to me Marc’s basis comes down to both the concept of the fear of God and the fear of Hell. This is an understandable perspective considering the God portrayed in the Old Testament can be viewed as more of a tyrant than a caring parent discipling His children.
Therefore, it’s easy to see why those who have not read the Bible in its entirety and contemplated the overall nature of God assume that fear is a key driving point of Christianity.
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28
Yep, Bible quotes like this can sound frightening. But, as the saying goes, there’s no good without bad. Similarly, there is no triumph without fear.
Thus, the point i’m trying to make is; just because the Bible contains lines that display God’s almighty strength to literally wipe out nations in an instant because of their cruel acts and relenting resistance to abide by His word, doesn’t mean that will happen to us today.
There are times to rejoice and times of trouble in life. The same goes for the Bible and its history.
Further, God does not enact revenge. Instead, he acts for the greater good.
As for hell, I can understand why many would believe some are only Christians out of the fear of going to hell. Who wants to be jabbed in the back by a pitchfork for eternity, anyways?
But a key message often forgotten when accepting this point of view is that one of God’s main graces is his ability to forgive even the worst of transgressions. We are born from sin and are destined to sin, after all. He knows this best.
So, as long as Christians confess their sins to the Lord and honestly feel guilty about them, He will forgive them and they will escape the eternal fiery pits of hell (*phew).
Christian’s who have studied the Word enough know this, and thus they do not live in fear of God (in a tyrannical sense) or hell. They see God as a caring and forgiving Father who deeply understands them even more than they understand themselves. They adopt a healthy fear of God, knowing he does not reprimand the remorseful.
As for spirituality being based on freedom, I largely agree. Yes, spirituality is about genuine expression.
However, spirituality is much about genuine expression as it is moral living. For example, a spiritualist can choose to express themselves with truth. But, in order to be kind and righteous, a strong moral compass is essential.
In other words, a spiritualist can choose to freely express themselves and build their own values. But, are those values kind, considerate and uplifting? If you look at it this way, spiritualists are just as confined to a set of moral rules as Christians. Without any kind of rules or social constructs, the world would be a crueler place than it already is.
I would argue that a key goal of many Christians and spiritualists is restrained freedom for the greater good of all.
Religion is for people afraid of going to hell
Spirituality is for people who have already been there
Seeing as we’ve just covered the fear of hell, let’s focus on spirituality being for people who have already been there. What does this really mean?
I take this as, in the most simplest sense, life is hard. Yep, we all know that’s the truth!
We also know that problems, struggles and worries are part of life, for Christians and spiritualists alike.
Moreover, being spiritual doesn’t entail the stereotypical ‘toxic positivity’ people talk about. Spiritualists who have deeply delved into their being, such as through meditation, and have explored the Human existence, know that struggles create strength and teach us valuable lessons. Christians also believe this.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10
As such, I agree that life could be considered hellish. However, life is not hell in the biblical sense:
“furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth” – Matthew 13:50
That doesn’t sound like the life we know here on Earth. Hell is depicted as—what you could call—a different dimension to earth.
I can see where the author of this quote was coming from though. There is an element to life that is cruel and torturous. The hell he mentions is not to be taken literally, but metaphorically.
I disagree that it’s the same hell Christian’s believe in. But I agree that both Christians and spiritualists experience a type of ‘hell’ here on earth.
Religion separates (excludes people who have different beliefs)
Spirituality unites (includes people regardless of their beliefs)
I would see this statement as accurate if it were not for the frequent mention of false idols in the Bible:
“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 26:1
There’s approximately 150 verses in the Bible that mention or relate to not worshipping false idols/Gods, which includes spiritual leaders, gods from other religions, and even celebrities.
Hence the idols mentioned in the Bible are ones we have created ourselves.
These false idols can, however, most certainly separate us by our beliefs and behaviours.
Nonetheless, Christians realise we are all creations of God and we are all equal. We all have a soul and a heart. In that sense, we are not separate.
As for spirituality uniting. Most definitely! Spirituality encompasses authenticity and equality. But that doesn’t rule out someone being spiritual and also having beliefs outside of idol worshipping whilst believing in God. Yep, our belief systems can be complex!
Moreover, a Christian can choose to respect and value all humans as equals despite their beliefs. Thus, in a sense, uniting everyone under their own belief system.
Religion is outside you
Spirituality is inside you
I believe that Christianity emanates from inside us. Think of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides inside us. This is the force I believe I met in deep meditation. Here’s another Bible quote for you:
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” – Romans 8:9
Many spiritualists believe in the soul as well as the energy of all things. But where do they originate? I would argue that they originate from the source of all life and energy i.e the one God.
I can, however, recognise how Marc believes religion/praise is experienced seperately to our being. When Christians pray or go to church, it can seem as if they praying to an entity outside of themselves.
However, to Christians, the Holy Spirit resides within us all. As such, religion can be seen as something that emenates from within. Which is a very similar concept to the spiritual communities’ soul.
Religion worships God
Spirituality becomes one with God
This is somewhat a continuation of the last point. It also highlights a connection between spirituality and God which is interesting. Perhaps Marc does believe in the connection to a degree.
I agree that Christians worship God. But that doesn’t mean Christians worship God without the goal of becoming one with him. A key message of Christianity is growing close to God and developing a personal relationship with Him, and more notably Jesus, to transform their inner being and life course. In a sense, becoming one with Him through his almighty power and spirit.
Which leads back to the point; if the Holy Spirit resides within us, we can become one with God throughout our life by abiding by His word to the best of our ability.
Religion is like being stuck in a fish bowl with only limited things to explore
Spirituality is like having the entire ocean to explore without limits
Hmm… the author of the quote definitely left the trickiest argument to last. But I’ll give my best shot at determining whether spirituality and Christianity can work harmoniously in this context.
I’ve explored religions other than Christianity such as Buddhism i.e I believe in the power of mindfulness and meditation. I’ve also dabbled in ouiji boards and telekinesis with results (but that’s something I’d rather not cover or participate in anymore as I now see them as spiritual practices in an occult sense, especially ouiji).
However, I’m also aware that everything comes from God, and thus there will inevitably be parts of other religions and spiritual belief systems that in fact incorporate God’s messages.
I personally would not practise something that so obviously goes against God’s word since learning from my not-so-honourable spiritual choices of past.
Therefore, I’ve been able to explore other dimensions of spirituality, without denying any of my Christian beliefs and inevitably always returning to the Word.
So, when you look at it that way, you can explore other means of self-exploration as a Christian without denying God’s word. You can still explore the ocean, but choose which streams of beliefs and values you cruise along.
It has also been proved that parts of the Bible have been removed over the years. So, how can we absolutely say parts of other religions and their beliefs were not, at some point, included in the Bible? In other words; how do we know that everything we could know about life and our existence is included in the Bible we can purchase today?
That’s the thing, we don’t. So, instead, we can choose to explore what works for us which may very well be in some part spirituality and in others, Christianity.
So, the ultimate question is: can spirituality and Christianity work harmoniously?
You know deep down if you’re doing something that’s right for your well-being and life (most likely with some trial and error). So, as long as we try to improve and be open to learning new things (a key message of both Christianity and Spirituality), and as long as we also try our best to be kind to ourselves and others i.e we don’t cause any purposeful harm; well, why can we not be both spiritual and Christian?
What do you think? Do you believe spirituality and Christianity can work harmoniously despite popular opinions and their differences? Or shall we instead phrase it as; because of their similarities?
Leave me a comment below, I’d love to know.
