Spiritual Blows
I am a Christian. I am not going to condemn you.
Though it largely shapes who I am, I rarely talk about my faith in school. I’m not one to walk around promoting my religious agenda. Nor do I try to convert anyone. Nor have I ever, and will never begin to think I have the right or power to condemn anyone. This is not who I am. I have a spirituality, though, and it shapes who I am, and is the center of my emotional strength. My spirituality is exhibited in how I interact and live with others and myself, while I try to set an example for what I think my faith should represent in this world.
Lately, though, I’ve taken a few spiritual blows from people.
“You’re a Christian, right? I am going to hell, then? I am, huh?”
People tell me stuff like this. It’s condemnation. Somehow people think I should be doing the condemning because I’m a Christian. Some people should understand that it’s their responsibility to respect everybody’s beliefs-and perhaps learn from them.
Everyone has their own spirituality. I have always respected that, as should everyone. If you don’t respect everyone’s different lens they wear about the world, and if we don’t listen, live and understand each individual view, then who are we to judge? Don’t breed stupidity. It starts from (1) an inability to comprehend other’s views, (2) then an intentional ignorance of those who surround you, (3) progresses to prejudice of their different views, (4) then the blind eye, (5) and finally stupidity. If we don’t take everyone’s life into account, then how are we enriching our own?
A Christian is a name. Religion and spirituality are two different things. And I don’t use the word ‘religion’ too often when speaking of my faith. Realize that a person who calls him or herself a Christian is not one who follows all the orthodox rules of Christianity. If that was the case, we would all be heretics. Maybe not Pat Robertson, but hey… This is me: A person who is labeled a Methodist, and who tries to embody qualities of morality for the sake of equality, dignity and personal betterment of all who surround me. If I’ve ever used my faith to degrade yours, than tell me I’m a liar. I’m not a downer, and I don’t want to be. This is not all I am, though. If you think I don’t incorporate parts of gnosticism, existentialism, Buddhism, etc. and other spiritual elements into my faith: then you’re wrong. I do. It’s the way of the human mind to incorporate more than one philosophy into its personal spirituality. The creativity of the human mind should never be reserved to one word. Christian. Athiest. Homosexual. Republican.
We all have our personal spiritualities, whether they be what we call Judaism, Islam, Athiesm, Christianity, Agnosticism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or etc. But even when we call it that, one word shouldn’t define one soul. Maybe I’ll get around to writing a personal spirituality here someday. I’d sure like to hear someone else’s.