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This is the fifth article in a series on John Main's book, Awakening.
Now we come to the chapter in John Main’s book, Awakening, titled, Jesus the Teacher. Maybe you are not someone who considers yourself religious. Great! I don’t either, and yet I attend church every week. You might be thinking, “Wait…what?!” Yes, you read that correctly. I am spiritual.
What is the difference between being spiritual and religious? John Main says that Jesus was "recalling people to the basic, necessary attitude concerning God as the most significant and important relationship in our life–in all human life.” In other words, a spiritual person knows that a relationship with the God of the universe is the most important part of life. A religious person follows a set of doctrines or rules.
One need only look at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day to understand the difference. They hounded Jesus, asking Him questions to try and trip Him up. For example, Mark 10:2-3 says that some Pharisees came up and asked Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” They hoped He would contradict their laws. What they received instead is an indictment against them.
Being spiritual helps us. It gives us an anchor in the storms we face in life. Being spiritual in the sense that Jesus meant leads us to a relationship with our Creator. God will never let us down. He is a friend that loves more deeply than anyone else.
Perhaps humanity’s propensity for rules and regulations, hence religion, is why Jesus likened the spiritual life to a narrow gate. “Enter by the narrow gate,” He told His disciples. “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
The rise of white Christian nationalism
With the rise of white Christian nationalism, we can see that the gate to enter the spiritual life is narrow. White Christian nationalism sees non-whites as a threat. Remember manifest destiny? It was a notion that white Americans were destined by God to spread from coast to coast and dominate. White Christian nationalism comes from within Evangelical Christianity, which is the majority of Christians in America.
Why do I mention white Christian nationalism? It scares me as a person of mixed heritage. It frightens me that many white Evangelicals embrace it and express American exceptionalism. They do so without looking hard at our history. Slavery was widely practiced all over the 13 colonies. The economies of the colonies depended, either directly or indirectly, on slavery. And slavery was a horrible institution. Kidnapped Africans placed into the cargo holds of ships were forced to do back-breaking work. Many of the women experienced rape. Punishment of slaves included whipping their bare backs while tied to trees. People who called themselves Christians and attended churches kept slaves. Let that sink in for a moment.
Every inch of this country we call the United States of America is land stolen from the natives. Christians who attended church advocated for manifest destiny. They supported a government that broke every treaty it ever made with natives. They looked down on natives because they were dark and different.
We are being religious when we claim that this country was founded on Christianity. We are looking at a set of doctrines and theology and saying, “Our founding fathers adhered to these Christian rules.” However, we fail to see that our founding fathers failed to live up to the teachings of Jesus. Remember the Golden Rule? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Jesus said.
Choosing spirituality over religion
We can choose true spirituality as Jesus taught and practiced. We can become humble like children. Jesus said that “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) We can become humble enough to acknowledge that the teachings of Jesus were definitely not what America was founded upon. We can embrace this fact and still love our country.
As more of us embrace and live out the teachings of Jesus, we can transform America. This can be something that survivors of childhood trauma can lead. We can be living examples of true spirituality in a nation drowning in religiousness.
Who will join me?
I am in a path of exploring my spirituality. I grew up catholic but don’t go to church. I am not religious but I do believe I live my life walking like Jesus did. That’s what matters, right? I look forward to reading more of your non religious path/going to church.
I have never liked being called "religious". I love Jesus with all my heart and He is my compass for my life. I try my best to live by Proverbs 3: 5-6. Trusting God to lead me in every area of my life and to look for opportunities to show His love to my neighbors and whoever I am given the chance to share His love. God bless you, dear Gina "Jesus is the Reason, for the Season" Sending love, hugs and prayers <3