I appreciate this review of a book having a moment from a reviewer I trust. And the attention you and the book bring to religious individuals reaching out to improve the lives of the less fortunate. I needed this positive message today
"l believe everyone is on a spiritual journey. And l think people who take advantage of others' spiritual yearnings are the worst kind of people. So what i'm looking at is the harm brought to people through control of their spiritual lives and threats of eternal damnation, etc.." This is such a concise and important statement that certainly describes my situation, Victoria. It took me decades to recover enough from the harm of my Evangelical background to be able to open up again to my spiritual self (which has nothing to do with any organized religion and which has been wonderful for me). Thank you for this!
I’m glad you are open to your spiritual life again! Organized religion can be a good thing—I think of how churches run charities, have any number of collections (for the food pantry, socks and underwear this week for unhoused people, spaghetti dinner fundraiser for veterans and on and on). If a parishioner just contributes along, they can do good. But it seems that too often, there’s the ‘sinners in the hands of an angry God’ element, right? Because that helps them to control people. I wonder how hard it is for them to let go of that control—because if they did, it would be good for their spiritual lives as leaders.
Charitable social action and community care by any group does indeed seem a very good thing to me - l just don't know how people can ascribe to religions when the tenets of that religion are so obviously detrimental to people's psychological and even physical health - as you say, controlling, which comes along with fear of judgment - and just basic ideas that to me seem harmful, like the idea of original sin, and the oppression of women that so often goes along with it, and in many denominations, the exclusion of certain groups of people. I genuinely don't understand how people convince themselves that these things are positive or if they just try to ignore that part of it? Christianity is essentially judgmental in its very essence - "if you don't do what we say or say the right words to God, you will go to hell." l can't get past that stuff. But my spiritual life apart from religion has enriched my life enormously.
You’re right—so much (like original sin) is so damaging. I think being a heretical Christian 😆 is a worthy aspiration! But so is having a meditation practice. Or being secluded in nature to feel the connection. And on. Spiritual life isn’t meant to be filled with guilt.
I appreciate this review of a book having a moment from a reviewer I trust. And the attention you and the book bring to religious individuals reaching out to improve the lives of the less fortunate. I needed this positive message today
I hope the rest of the week goes well!
"l believe everyone is on a spiritual journey. And l think people who take advantage of others' spiritual yearnings are the worst kind of people. So what i'm looking at is the harm brought to people through control of their spiritual lives and threats of eternal damnation, etc.." This is such a concise and important statement that certainly describes my situation, Victoria. It took me decades to recover enough from the harm of my Evangelical background to be able to open up again to my spiritual self (which has nothing to do with any organized religion and which has been wonderful for me). Thank you for this!
I’m glad you are open to your spiritual life again! Organized religion can be a good thing—I think of how churches run charities, have any number of collections (for the food pantry, socks and underwear this week for unhoused people, spaghetti dinner fundraiser for veterans and on and on). If a parishioner just contributes along, they can do good. But it seems that too often, there’s the ‘sinners in the hands of an angry God’ element, right? Because that helps them to control people. I wonder how hard it is for them to let go of that control—because if they did, it would be good for their spiritual lives as leaders.
Charitable social action and community care by any group does indeed seem a very good thing to me - l just don't know how people can ascribe to religions when the tenets of that religion are so obviously detrimental to people's psychological and even physical health - as you say, controlling, which comes along with fear of judgment - and just basic ideas that to me seem harmful, like the idea of original sin, and the oppression of women that so often goes along with it, and in many denominations, the exclusion of certain groups of people. I genuinely don't understand how people convince themselves that these things are positive or if they just try to ignore that part of it? Christianity is essentially judgmental in its very essence - "if you don't do what we say or say the right words to God, you will go to hell." l can't get past that stuff. But my spiritual life apart from religion has enriched my life enormously.
You’re right—so much (like original sin) is so damaging. I think being a heretical Christian 😆 is a worthy aspiration! But so is having a meditation practice. Or being secluded in nature to feel the connection. And on. Spiritual life isn’t meant to be filled with guilt.