Starting Over Talk - Peer Coaching Support Site

I was raised in the United Church of Christ and became Lutheran through marriage. It was in the Lutheran church I was sexually abused and exploited by the pastor of the congregation. My now ex-husband and I were having difficulties in our marriage and the pastard suggested I come to him for counseling. I did. Huge mistake. I used to believe churches were safe places. I no longer do so. My sons and I were thrown out of the church. For me, organized religion has become a thing of evil--something to be avoided.

It took a lot of REAL counseling for me to find my way back to sanity. My counselor was a Roman Catholic sister who was very open to one's finding God on one's own path. So, today I no longer consider myself a Xtian. But I do consider myself still somewhat a follower of Jesus as revealed to me in "conversation" with the Creator.

Currently, I have found comfort and spiritual peace in the Native American Lakota understanding of Spirit. In that I am in the process of constructing my own Medicine Wheel sacred space in my garden and find that to be nurturating to my soul.

Lesia -- sister,

Great to see you here.

I'm not often but it is nice to read a familiar name.

As far as traditionalism goes you know I am traditional but love discussing all the cool ins and outs of religiosity.

Dionysus

Wow, just saw this thread. I really learn so much from everyone who honestly posts beliefs, thoughts, etc. I'm Christian, but recently am discovering that I want to be "spiritual" not "scriptural" along with all the hypocrisy that goes with that like how I was raised.

Grizzlys4,

You make an important point. While I think nothing is wrong with having a mastery of the scriptures; all to often this mastery comes at the expence of spirituallity and thus hypocrisy. A true student of the scriptures will note the phrophets' constant fight over hypocracy in the church -- where the "believers" and some "leaders" stop following the spirit of the religion and fall into divers practices and evil. Hence the story of the good Samaritan, he was not one of the "chosen" people, yet he was the only one to do good and be spiritual.

So it must follow that "the good" are found both in and out of every religion.

I would contend that it is not any particular religion that is evil, but the hypocrate that does one thing and says another who practices evil and not spiritual.

D

Can you explain the difference between "Scriptural" and "Spiritual" ?

The reason I ask is because I think maybe the symantics are confusing me.

I think of Scriptural as more of a basis for a belief system (so if you have a belief, you should know what it is you're believing in - if your belief includes some scriptures, you should read them and know what they say).

I don't see spiritual as an opposite to scriptural in that way.

However, I can sure see how differing interpretation of scriptures can lead to all sorts of disagreement, hypocracy, judgmentalism, and downright bad behaviour. That doesn't make the scriptures themselves unworthy of study though. But it may make it necessary for a person to seperate themselves from religious labels, groups, interpretation or influence - and in a way allow the scripture to speak to or be understood by the individual themselves - and in that way become more spiritual.

JMO. Great discussion folks.

Probably the difference in "scriptural" and "spiritual" in my post is due to the way I was raised. I was referring to having the scriptures quoted at me, twisted to fit my mother's every thought, but nobody else's and also her belief that it "proved" her way of thinking and her right to judge everyone. My attempt at teaching my kids and learning myself to be "spiritual" is to incorporate the actual scriptural teachings (as well as other lessons learned in love and humanity) into becoming a loving, spiritual, giving, non-judgemental person. So that's what I specifically meant when I said that, not that reading and learning scriptures (or any other tenets) was a negative thing in the whole, well-rounded viewpoint. Hope I explained it better this time.....I still have lots to learn and am learning to be open about that!!!!