A Spiritual Handicap?

[Sunstone]

Do people spiritually handicap themselves if and when they refuse to embrace uncertainty in matters of belief, such as belief in deity?


By spiritual, I mean the manner and extent to which someone deals with or manages their psychological self, aka the "I". the ego, normal consciousness.

I would suggest they might handicap themselves. While I don't want to argue that is for certain just yet, I can see how a refusal to embrace uncertainty could help to ossify one's spirituality, hindering or preventing one from interpreting new experiences in other than old ways.

Your thoughts?

 

[Neo Deist]

@Sunstone You can't use the term handicap anymore. It is not politically correct, and I am sure someone will find it offensive. I believe the term you are looking for is Spiritually Abled Differently.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not going to pretend to understand your definition of "spiritual" so understand my response is basically eschewing that word altogether and responding to "do people handicap themselves if..."

It seems to this one that while it is limiting (I prefer the term limiting to "handicap"), so too is the alternative. All decision points impose limits. It is important not to fool ourselves into thinking that embracing uncertainty is any less limiting than embracing certainty. Both impact how we think about the world in different, limiting ways. It is a matter of which worldview one prefers - which strengths and weaknesses of the limits one favors.

Do you want to have to deal with the analysis paralysis and inaction that can come with uncertainty? Then don't embrace it. Do you want to have to deal with the rigid inflexibility that comes with certainty? Then don't embrace it. Whatever is your cup of tea - and you can change your brew whenever you want. Know the limits you want to put on yourself and know when to let go of them for something else. I find that more useful on the whole.

 

[Aštra’el]

Of course it can be advantageous to be open-minded about spiritual-religious matters, and to learn to look inward with contemplation and introspection and to be open to progression and transformation.

It can also be advantageous to be grounded and focused, and to embrace culture, tradition, and ritual when these things exist in harmony with one's Weltanschauung and True Will.

People want different things out of life, and people have different reasons for embracing their spirituality or religious views. Some people want to understand the secrets of the universe, some people want power, some want to express their devotion to something, some people just want to be happy, etc...

 

[sun rise]

You are defining "spiritual" in a different way than I do - not as an alternative definition of psychology but as a search for something beyond the egoic "I".

So using my definition, to walk the spiritual path, you have to have a belief that the journey is worthwhile just as when one takes any journey. Metaphorically it's like smelling beautiful perfume and going in search of the source of the perfume.

 

[BSM1]

@Sunstone You can't use the term handicap anymore. It is not politically correct, and I am sure someone will find it offensive. I believe the term you are looking for is Spiritually Abled Differently.

That's just sad..

 

[Neo Deist]

That's just sad..

Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should have used:

Supernatural Holistic Ideology Theological Humanistic Exogenesis Adversarial Disability Syndrome

 

[BSM1]

Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should have used:

Supernatural Holistic Ideology Theological Humanistic Exogenesis Adversarial Disability Syndrome

Then I would have had nothing to say...

 

[Revoltingest]

@Sunstone You can't use the term handicap anymore. It is not politically correct, and I am sure someone will find it offensive. I believe the term you are looking for is Spiritually Abled Differently.

That would be me...although the term I usually hear is "spiritually dead" to describe
my inability to believe in undetectable fairies, sprites, gods, demons, angels, etc.
It seems that some of the faithful cannot defend what they adopt as truth using
reason, so they make it about the inadequacy of the heathen....a mental defect.
They are gifted with what they call "spiritual insight". Satan has taken mine.
The cure.....I need only embrace the Bible as The Truth in order to believe in the Bible.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Do people spiritually handicap themselves if and when they refuse to embrace uncertainty in matters of belief,

The problem isn't with their beliefs or non-beliefs, but how their ego impacts their beliefs. Some people are seekers while many are not. Seekers can be broken down into several groups, but the honest or systematic seekers are germane to this discussion. They are trying to figure out what is true and noble. Their beliefs are open to change as they accumulate evidence for or against their understandings or the understandings of others. They aren't that malleable as you would assume. Their opinions are well researched and hard earned.

Casual seekers aren't that motivated while dishonest seekers are looking only to justify their current beliefs and you could on and on with subsets of seekers.

Then you have the non-seekers. Like seekers, they can be broken down into many groups. Trolls (contrarians), fundamentalists, people with agendas and so forth.

Every person, no matter what group they are in, has beliefs. Their abilities to look beyond their current beliefs depend on many factors. Beliefs in and of themselves aren't a positive or a negative then. How we arrived at those beliefs and our attitudes towards them are the real issue.

 

[Neo Deist]

That would be me...although the term I usually hear is "spiritually dead" to describe
my inability to believe in undetectable fairies, sprites, gods, demons, angels, etc.
It seems that some of the faithful cannot defend what they adopt as truth using
reason, so they make it about the inadequacy of the heathen....a mental defect.
They are gifted with what they call "spiritual insight". Satan has taken mine.
The cure.....I need only embrace the Bible as The Truth in order to believe in the Bible.

Meh, I don't embrace the Bible as absolute truth. Too many humans involved, and we know how they can be!

 

[Revoltingest]

Meh, I don't embrace the Bible as absolute truth. Too many humans involved, and we know how they can be!

Humans....don't trust'm.
They're the ones who invented the extended warranty.

 

[pearl]

I think spirituality without acknowledging mystery is not possible.