Spiritual but not Religious

As a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, I receive their publication Christian Counseling Connection. The current issue reports the results of a
recent survey stating, “Seventy-two percent of U.S. 18-29 year-olds say they’re ‘really
more spiritual than religious.’”

We’ve all heard similar statements before and know that many young people (and some older people) feel this way but 72%!!! That’s an astounding number.

There was no information on religious background, church attendance prior to age 18 or other demographics of the group surveyed so any conclusions drawn must be regarded with caution.

Spiritual but not religious – what does this really mean? Several possibilities come to mind. Could they possibly mean…

I want to go to heaven but I don’t want to go to church.

I believe in God but not in those church people.

Being spiritual is free but churches want money.

I would rather receive than give to others.

OK, maybe I’m being cynical. It could be much more serious than implied by the above statements. Many could have had bad experiences in church or resent having been forced by their parents to attend. I am sure this was the experience of some, but 72%! There must be something much more pervasive going on. I suspect there are several contributing factors.

The mass media’s attack on religion, especially Christianity.

Religious people are portrayed as being hateful, intolerant, self-serving and “holier than thou.” Often religious leaders are corrupt, immoral and power-seeking.

Being spiritual is easier than being religious.
Individuals can define spirituality in many ways. Religions actually have doctrine to be followed. Religions believe in community and in serving others. You can be “spiritual” all alone with no obligation to any standards or people.

Being spiritual is cool. Being religious is not.
The exception is that it is cool to claim to be a follower of some exotic religion. Madonna claiming to be a follower of the Kabalah comes to mind (She has since claimed to be United Methodist). It is a great attention getter to announce at a party, I am a follower of the ancient Egyptian worship of RA, the sun god.

Whatever it really is that has 72% of our young adults claiming to be non-religious, it is a tremendous opportunity for religious organizations to reach out and find out how they can
better meet the needs of this population.

Although they are unlikely to admit it, there are many people of whom it could be said, “They are religious but not spiritual.” I have met many people who are very active in their church but seem to have missed the spiritual nature of the organization. This is likely the case in synagogues as well but I am not personally aware of it.

We all have our own ideas about what “spiritual” and “religious” mean. You may be surprised, as I was, at the definitions presented by the Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2011. The
first three definitions of each word are shown below.

Spiritual:

1. Concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church

2. Concerned with or affecting the soul

3. Lacking material body or form or substance

Religious:

1. Concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church

2. Having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity

3. Of or relating to clergy bound by monastic vows

Taking just the first definition of each word would indicate that the words are synonymous although I would submit that common usage differs.

So, how DO “spiritual but not religious” people differ from religious people? Aside from the obvious difference of participation in organized religious activities, I think there are more similarities than differences and many of these are semantic.

For example, one group believes in God while the other group believes in the same characteristics of a deity but call it the universe, the infinite, collective subconscious or some other term.

One group believes in prayer and the other calls it meditation or cosmic ordering. One group believes in answered prayer and the other calls it manifestation. One has guardian angels
and the other has spirit guides. You get the point.

I consider myself to be “spiritual and religious” and don’t see being identified with either
group as a negative. In fact, I consider a very spiritual religious organization to be the ideal and I don’t mean speaking in tongues or handling snakes. A spiritual religious organization is one that recognizes the power of God (or the universe, etc.) to empower those who believe in Him (it, her,
whatever) to love others and act on that love by providing for the poor, sick, lonely, etc.

In my very first sentence, I indicated that I am Christian (a member of the AACC). Then why do I call myself a Spiritual Life Coach instead of a Christian Life Coach? It is precisely because I want to reach some of those 72% who consider themselves non-religious. It is because many people see the word – Christian- and immediately think of some negative stereotype.

Frankly, I am more concerned by those who are “religious but not spiritual” than I am those who claim to be “spiritual but not religious.” I am committed to helping both groups to better
understand their spirituality and how we have more commonalities than differences. I want to help the religious to become more spiritual and the spiritual to be more religious.

If you have questions about your own spirituality or want to grow spiritually I will be glad to help. You can contact me for coaching at www.CoachRonOwens.com or choose an inexpensive book from www.SelfHelpBookSite.com.

Universal Laws - Last in Series

Over the past few weeks, I have been writing about the
Universal Laws. Specifically, I have discussed the Law of Attraction, the Law
of Perpetual Transmutation, the Law of Deliberate Creation and the Law of
Vibration.

As mentioned in the first post, various authors have listed
up to 42 separate laws but the most common number is seven. Whether there are
really only seven laws or the number seven is used because it is the number
denoting spiritual completeness, I don’t know.

Today, I want to conclude the series by briefly listing some
of the laws not heretofore mentioned. They are:

The Law of Relativity Nothing stands alone.
Something is “big” or “small” only in relation to some other “thing.”
Something, for example, that is difficult for you, may actually be easy for
someone else. Therefore, the “thing” is neither difficult nor easy in itself
but only in relation to individuals’ perception of it.

The Law of Polarity Similar to the Law of
Relativity in that it is employed in relation to something else, this law
states that everything has a polar opposite. For every “good” there is a “bad.”
For every “right” there is a “wrong.” The Universe has a sufficient supply of
both. Whichever you devote your energy to, you will receive.

The Law of Correspondence Just as the physical
world has principles or laws of physics, the metaphysical or spiritual world
have corresponding principles or laws. Just as the law of gravity is real in
the visible world, the law of attraction is real in the invisible world.

The Law of Cause and Effect Every action has a
related effect. Since all energy is connected, every thought as well as act has
a resulting effect. We may not be able to perceive the effect but somewhere,
something is affected. This principle of Cause and Effect can cross worlds in
that a physical action can have a spiritual effect and a spiritual act can
affect the physical world.

The Law of Allowing This principle states that
we should allow others to be as they decide to be and not apply our values upon
them. It also says that we should allow ourselves to be who we truly are and
not pretend to be something we are not. Back in the 1970s, there was a term –
“being real” – that states this principle. Another aspect of the law of
allowing is to keep ourselves open to receive the blessings of God (or the
Universe, if you prefer).

The Law of Sufficiency and Abundance
Everything that you need and want is available to you. We too often think in
terms of scarcity and the only way we can get what we want is to take it from someone
else. Even financial abundance is sufficient for everyone. As Wallace Wattles
states in The Science of Getting Rich, success is a function of
service, not competition.

I could probably list at least ten or more laws or
principles but I think that you can see that they are all interconnected. If
you are interested in the Universal Laws, just do an internet search and you
will find an abundance of information.

If you would like to discuss applying Universal Laws to
achieving some goal in your life, contact me through www.CoachRonOwens.com or write to CoachRonOwens@gmail.com. I would also
like to hear from you if you have questions or topics you would like for me to
address in this blog. Don’t forget to checkout www.MasterESP.com and www.SelfHelpBookSite.com.

Law of Vibration

Today we will look at the Law of Vibration. It, in fact, is the basis of manifestation. You can think of the Law of Vibration as the means by which the Law of Attraction works.

The first thing that is important to understand is that all that exists, whether seen or unseen, broken down into it's simplest and most basic form, consists of a form of, or rate of vibration.

Let's begin by looking at something as simple as a piece of paper. As you pick it up and look at it, it appears to be a solid object that you can sense with all of the five basic human senses of sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing.

If you were to tear off a small piece of the corner, and place it under a microscope, you would find that it now appears to transform into a different form than when you held it in your hand or as it laid on the table.

As you observe it closely you will find that there appears to be movement within it. Not only does it appear to be so, but there really is movement! The movement that you see is millions of individual forms of microscopic matter that make up the piece of paper, which are called molecules. Everything in our world that you can sense with the five basic human senses are made up of these tiny wonders.

Going deeper, let's take one of those molecules and place it under a much more powerful microscope and as you look through the lens you will find that there appears to be movement from within the molecule. Not only does there appear to be, there is!

This movement is created by something known to the scientific community as atoms, which broken down and analyzed further consist of a proton, which is at the center and an electron which constantly orbits the proton, creating a vibratory pattern (energy). When I was in school, this was as far as the science went but with much, much more powerful technology (electron microscope) scientists can look “inside” the electron, proton, neutron, etc. What they found (and are finding) is truly amazing! The smallest “matter” found so far is called a quark. The reason I put “matter” in quotation marks is because there is a question of whether “matter” exists at all. The smallest particle is as much an energy wave as it is “matter.”

In fact, at the deepest level, everything consists of energy and is in a constant state of vibration and motion.

Even the seemingly solid items in your home, such as tables and chairs, vibrate. They vibrate at such a low frequency they appear as solid objects to the human eye.

Going even a step further, not only are things previously thought of as solid matter actually energy but things not considered to be “things” at all are also energy.

Thoughts are energy (vibrations). Emotions are energy AND we are energy.

Since you are reading this blog, you probably realize that we are spiritual beings who temporarily inhabit physical bodies. So what makes the difference between us and a brick? Among other things, it is our rate of vibration.

The Law of Vibration explains that differences between manifestations of matter, energy, mind and spirit result from different rates of vibration.

Each and every thought is energy and has its own vibrational frequency. We are effectively transmitting vibrational signals into the universe.

In addition to the rate of vibration, vibrational energy is also divided into positive and negative.

Generally, positive vibrations exist at a higher frequency than negative vibrations.

When experiencing positive emotions such as joy and happiness you are emitting positive vibrations.

However, if you are experiencing negative emotions such as fear, anger, nervousness or anxiety you are off track and vibrating at a lower frequency.

The Law of Vibration applies to everything you think, believe, act, intend and say.

If you don’t like what you have been attracting in your life, raise your vibration to invoke positive power and effectively apply the Law of Attraction. I may discuss ways to do this in a future blog but, basically, to receive positive energies you project positive energies. Like the Law of Attraction states, you receive that which occupies your thoughts.

For example, you have five bills to pay and enough money to pay only three of them. Worrying about the two unpaid bills will attract more unpaid bills but a sense of gratitude for having the money to pay three of the bills will attract more money to you.

If you need help in applying the Law of Vibration in your life, you can contact me for coaching at www.CoachRonOwens.com or choose an inexpensive book from www.SelfHelpBookSite.com.