Of Religion and Things Spiritual

Having returned home after several weeks in Birmingham, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, I suddenly realized that this was Sunday--nothing earth-shattering about that, other than I was taken aback by my total lack of giving thought to matters of the soul on this day that has been traditionally set aside for such reflection. My upbringing was one in which Sunday was revered as a sacred day set aside for worship, prayer, rest, and the doing of good deeds.

These things are still part of my psyche and form the core of my identity.

I will admit, however, that most of my attention of late to religion and spiritual matters has revolved around reflection and meditation rather than church attendance. It's not that I am opposed to going to church but that my schedule has inadvertently excluded this from the realm of possibility.

Still, my spiritual roots run deep. I am a descendant of a long line of religious non-conformists and congregationalists in the British Isles. These hearty souls dared to stand up to religious and governmental authorities who attempted to dictate doctrine, polity, and politics, and forged a path of resistance to the Church of England. The congregational non-conformists branched into several different strains through the years, the Baptist movement of Smyth and Helwys in London in the early 1600s, the Puritan movement, the Methodist movement of John Wesley, as well as other reformers who blazed a trail resulting in the Scottish Presbyterian movement, as well as the Calvinistic Methodists of Wales. The early Quakers were also part of this group.

An important principle rises to the surface of my religious views and spiritual practice resulting from my heritage. That hallmark principle is the freedom and power of the individual to make choices, to serve and love God and to practice their spirituality in their own way, without interference from any government or ecclesiastical body. Roger Williams, one of the first Baptists to come to the new colonial settlement in New England (who, by the way, founded the state of Rhode Island), was so insistent on the concepts of the 'free church movement' and 'freedom of the individual' that he was banished from the colony by the Puritans.

We non-Conformists can be an ornery and stubborn lot.

We place great value on following one's conscience as we are led by One who holds all wisdom and knowledge in His hands and who transcends the finite minds of the human race. One man or woman armed with truth is more powerful than a thousand Huns with swords.

There is much to be said for sitting in your chair in the quiet and solitude, with an open Bible and open mind, seeking the presence, illumination, wisdom, and guidance of God apart from any human interference. In such a setting, it is just you and God. Great spiritual insights come to those who quietly read, meditate, pray, listen, and wait for the light that comes from a higher realm. Christ said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' Wise men and women still seek Him and His truth today. As you can see, there is a rather significant thread of Quaker thought that runs through me.

I am ready to get back to church. Although I nurture my spiritual core and tend to matters of the soul on a personal basis, my soul thirsts for the music, the prayers, the ritual, the readings, and the preaching of the corporate worship experience. I am not saying I won't be absent for periods of time ever again, for that would be unrealistic. But the soul needs to be fed. I get at least some of my soul nourishment there.

And thus, those are some of my thoughts on religion and things spiritual on this Sunday evening. I hope your Sunday was filled with peace.