Spirituality – Modern Spirituality?

Howler Staff - AUG 04, 2017
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/howlermag/public_html/old/wp-content/themes/new-paper/includes/general.php on line 193

Your Lead Paragrpah goes here

Gilbert K. Chesterton said, “Whenever you move any fence, always pause long enough to ask why it was put there in the first place.”

Wikipedia states: “Traditionally, spirituality refers to a religious process of re-formation which ‘aims to recover the original shape of man,’ oriented at ‘the image of God’. The term ‘spirituality’ originally developed within early Christianity, referring to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit.”

In today’s society, there is self-realization, me-ism, nirvana, non-religious, karma, Judeo-Christian, syncretism…so many various terms used to describe that in which we seek our “philosophy” of life. The basic (though flawed) belief system behind the whole concept of spirituality is that each person has a right to his or her own “truth” – that there’s no such thing as objective, absolute truth.

This view essentially makes each person responsible for deciding what’s right or wrong, good or bad, truth or lie. The result: there is no truth; people do what’s right in their own eyes. Usually in this quest for a god, we make one up, write our own philosophy and our god ends up looking pretty much like….us.

Henceforth, according to the original definition of spirituality, its purpose is empowering…enlightenment for us to walk in and embrace. Well, that immediately gets attacked. Not just by media and secular humanism, but even in the traditions of men and today’s religion that has convoluted the good news of, yes, God.

My wife had caught a cold while on vacation. She was chilled so she placed just her feet in the sunshine. I thought of the analogy of His creation…us. We settle for just some of the light, hope and love. I wonder why we never just dive in…allow the sunshine of all He is…cover us. Where did the thirst come from to actually seek? Where did the foundation of that well that flows deep within us to actually even have faith or believe, to seek out answers, come from?

To use the lyrics of PFR:

And you wonder why you feel this way
And you wonder how long it will take to heal
And you wonder what you did to get here
And you wonder who will save you from you
You’ve tried everything that has been in your reach
But none of it seems to satisfy
So like a man lost at sea your thirst leads you to drink the water
The more you drink the more your throat runs dry and you wonder why
But you won’t put two and two together
You know the sum will expose you

There is great peace in the created seeking the Creator and not just created “things.” Embraced
within His love, peace and grace, there’s fulfillment and rest. Anyway, what we believe has never changed His purpose and love for us. As for me, I’ll leave the fence where it is.