Tag: religious freedom

When a Spiritual Consult Turns Out Differently Than Expected

Thank you for coming to me with your concerns and seeking guidance. It is a testament to your sincerity and desire to make things right. I understand that the tools and remedies I offered you may not have met your expectations. I want you to know that it is entirely your right to feel that way. Your feelings and opinions are valid, and I respect them.

The tools I offered are not sacred in themselves, but they can be used in sacred ways. In many instances, they have brought about miraculous results—sometimes, they may not. Each person’s journey is unique, and what resonates deeply with one may not do so for another.

I can assure you that we are all doing the best we can with the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding we have. I, too, am on this journey, striving to offer the best of what I can offer. But I recognize that sometimes what I offer may not be what you need, and that’s okay.

Here, in this space, there is no judgment. There is only love and forgiveness, for that is what God has given to us, and in turn, we offer the same to each other. Judgment is not mine to give; it belongs to the Lord alone. My role is to offer you support, to walk alongside you in your time of need, and to provide the tools that I believe may help.

If what I have offered does not resonate with you, I encourage you to explore other paths that may. There are many ways to find healing, peace, and guidance, and I believe the right path will reveal itself to you in time.

If you feel that you have sinned against someone, you may choose to engage in acts of contrition, pay penance, or make reparation. These actions can indeed be beneficial—they help heal relationships, demonstrate your commitment to doing good, and reflect the love and justice that many believe our Creator desires for us. However, it is essential to remember that you are under no obligation to undertake these actions. They are personal choices that you may make based on your own understanding and conviction.

You have been blessed with free will—the remarkable gift to believe, do, and say as you choose. This freedom is fundamental to our experience as human beings, and with it comes a great responsibility. Each of us is accountable for how we use this gift. This is not to say that our actions are without consequences; indeed, there is a reaction to every action. This is the nature of our existence.

In His infinite wisdom, God has granted us free will and the capacity to shape our world through our choices. It is essential to recognize that God is not to blame for the outcomes of our free will. We are each responsible for the results of our actions, whether they lead to positive or negative consequences. The conflicts and challenges we face in the world are not the fault of God but are the result of how we, as individuals, exercise our freedom.

Free will is both a blessing and a challenge. It allows us to build, love, and create, but it can also lead to harm if wielded thoughtlessly. Each choice we make—whether to curse or bless, to tear down or build up, to hate or love—carries an energetic charge that affects ourselves and others. Thoughts, words, and actions are not inherently good or bad; their value comes from how we use them and their impact.

In this way, we understand a person by the fruits of their actions—by observing how their thoughts and choices manifest in the world. Every material and immaterial thing is neutral until it is engaged by our will and intention. It is up to each of us to use our free will in the best possible way, striving to contribute positively and rectify any harm we may cause along the way.

Remember that you have the power to shape your path. You can choose to act with kindness, to mend relationships, and to contribute to the well-being of others. This is your responsibility; through these choices, you express your values and intentions. God’s role is not to condone or condemn specific uses of free will but to offer us the freedom to choose and the capacity to learn and grow from our experiences.

As we reflect on the nature of our existence and our place within it, it’s helpful to remember that our planet functions as a closed system. Life continues, with or without our direct involvement, and the natural world, in its intricate ways, constantly forms combinations of elements that lead to various outcomes. Whether or not we participate, this process exemplifies the concept of natural consequence.

The universe operates based on natural laws and consequences. Just as nature continuously evolves and impacts the world without our interference, our actions also create ripples that influence the environment and the people around us. Through our engagement, we have the potential to intervene and possibly alter these natural consequences. However, the outcomes of these interventions are ultimately our responsibility.

With the gift of free will, you hold a unique position in your own life’s universe. This freedom allows you to think, speak, and act in ways that shape your experiences and those of others. It’s essential to recognize that while you have the power to influence your own universe, you also significantly impact the universes of others. Each person’s universe is as valid as your own, and interacting with another’s universe carries a profound responsibility.

Our collective existence can be viewed as a multiverse, a vast and interconnected matrix of individual universes. The harmony and survival of this multiverse are crucial, yet often, due to the exercise of free will, we see instances where this interconnectedness is disregarded or neglected, leading to widespread consequences. In recognizing this, it becomes evident that our primary charge is to navigate our free will with respect for the collective.

As you continue your journey, I pray that you seek and discover the things you are searching for while minimizing the suffering of others. You are endowed with a remarkable mind and body, capable of incredible feats and choices. I hope that you use these gifts with mindfulness and consideration.

Please remember that if you ever need assistance or guidance, my door is always open to you. I am here to support you however I can, provided we mutually respect one another’s resources and intentions. Your approach to seeking help should reflect the same respect and consideration you wish to receive.

May you find wisdom and grace as you navigate your path, and may your choices contribute positively to both your universe and the multiverse we all share.

 

Religious Recovery

You’ve suffered at the hands of clergy who you’ve entrusted with the keeping of your very soul. You’ve pledged your allegiance to a religious order, given of yourself in service, sacrificed for the benefit of the organization, then found out it was not what you thought it was. Now, you’re in religious recovery.

Religious recovery is not to be confused with AA, which assumes that you’ve failed if you ever take a snort of alcohol again. No need to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

There is hope for you.

You have had a relationship with God, and you can keep your relationship with your higher power without having to submit to your previous religion. God is not the God of any particular religious organization. Individual religious organizations are stepping stones to a greater relationship with the source of all life.

Had you not had this experience, you might not have been aware of the existence of a higher power. Now that you have been introduced to God and started to develop a relationship, you can keep growing and expanding as you keep pursuing a greater relationship with the creator of all life on your own.

You’ve taken the first step. You’ve exited the influence of an organization whose intent it was to control you, which has held you back from moving forward and beyond the capabilities of the faction you had associated with in the past.

The will attempt to deploy all the fear-based intimidations they can to make you feel like you are unworthy, unwanted, and may even threaten your survivability, tell you you’re going to hell, or decrease your own will to live, and you may occasionally feel like you can’t go on another day.

Your initial reaction might be to rebel, and judge the organization for treating you badly, deciding,

If that’s the way God is, I want nothing to do with it.

But remember, your problem is not with God. It is with the organization run by the people who are doing the best they can to serve God in the only way they know how. They have been programmed by the generations that went before and they live within the confines of a religion based on fear. Fear of doing it wrong, fear of punishment, fear of eternal damnation.

God is not a God of fear. God is a God of love. And you know it.
Now that you’ve taken a step toward your own religious recovery, you have the wherewithal to start your own relationship with your higher power without having to succumb to the heavy-handed mechanisms of religion.

You are empowered to follow your own path to enlightenment in any way that you see fit, sort of like a modern-day shaman. The traditional path of a shaman is more structured, not unlike an organized religion, but the modern-day shaman is widely expanding and evolving along with the rest of the human race.

The times are changing, and the whole planet is evolving from a fear-based system (which is not sustainable) to a love-based system which is heart-centered and seeks peace and harmony for all.

God is loving you, so excited about your finding your own way, and waiting for your awakening.

See you at the Recovery from Religious Trauma Event in Olympia, September 21st

Spirituality and Churches

As the government continues to grow in strength and power, expanding ever further, it creates new ways to control the masses by brute force, enacting new laws, and monitoring and tracking our every move to ensure compliance or instill fear of punishment. Meanwhile, those who are spiritually inclined are also expanding.

Freedom of religion in the United States has afforded us the opportunity to play a particularly influential role in creating a better world for those of us who believe in a brighter future for our children, their children, and future generations.

We pray for a better life and a better world. People in the United States pray more than in any other nation, and even those who profess that there is no God, even 20 percent of those who profess no belief in God, can be found practicing prayer.

Within the medical community, the effect of prayer on healing and recovery is unrefuted; although it may be dismissed as a “placebo effect” in study after study, including double-blind studies, the results are consistently positive.

Churches have the most powerful impetus for change in the human condition. Every day, the less-than-desirables in the United States, the criminals, those who helplessly succumb to addictions, abusers (both legal and illegal), and other problematic members of society incredibly change their lives with the least amount of recidivism thanks to American churches.

Churches make the world a better place by reaching out to the disadvantaged, giving them a reason to live, and encouraging even the least of us to reach out and help to make the world a better place.

Thanks to churches, we see a reduction in crime, divorce rates, poverty, homelessness, drug and other addictions, depression, and other mental health issues.

Churchgoers tend to have a higher sense of obligation to do what is right, higher self-esteem, greater achievement among family members, and a more significant contribution to the community at large. They are more proactive and have happier, healthier families, increased immune systems, and greater life expectancy.

Spiritually minded individuals who profess a sincere connection to a higher power and regularly attend church, where they gather with like-minded people, live happier, more productive, law-abiding lives. They are more understanding, compassionate, and loving towards themselves and others.

The statistics reveal markedly and exponentially higher degrees of success and satisfaction in all areas of life among those who attend or gather together three times a month compared to those who gather once a month or less.

Many spiritually minded Americans who are ever-evolving into higher versions of themselves may have negative associations connected to the idea of church or a recognized religious gathering. The time has come for us to embrace the concept of religious freedom as part of our expanding consciousness.

Spiritual growth need not be a solitary journey. As we know, there is greater significance and more power for a better world when we combine our abilities with those of other like-minded individuals on a similar path.

We must ever be cognoscente about proceeding with such an idea in caution to prevent the interruption of our efforts by an oppressive ruling government.

Even though the founders of our country protected freedom of religion by declaring, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” in the First Amendment to the Constitution, effectively establishing a separation between church and State, since then, there have been attempts to integrate the church and state, giving government the final say in specific affairs of the church.

The primary method for controlling the church was for the United States to offer a deduction for financial contributions, exempting the church from tax debt owed to the IRS through registration and filing for 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Churches volunteer to do so to increase the financial support of their members but also become a corporation in the United States, clearly aborting the separation of their church from the state.

A church, as a non-profit organization of the United States of America, achieves the status of a state-recognized licensed church. Doing so may waive its freedom of religion and its ability to remain separate from the state, allowing for government intrusion.

You can see it in action: churches being violated, shut down, priests, pastors, preachers, and teachers being forced to testify in court, violating the penitent privilege. Churches, which may have otherwise been considered sanctuaries, are now subject to having their perimeters breached in the name of the state, and many compromises are made by voluntarily striking a deal with the state.

Is there a better way?

If you can’t find a church in your community that would welcome an expansion explorer like yourself, perhaps it’s time to create such a venue.

Could you be a part of this spiritual awakening and expansion?

Let your church be the antithesis of all those other churches.

It is your privilege, and your responsibility, after a time of healing, if you are so-called. You might be the key to providing a safe environment for others to discover themselves, engage in their own deep inner work, and do so in any way they see fit while being loved and supported by others who are doing similarly individual work.

My wish for you, for all of us, is that there is a church where any one of us would feel welcomed and supported without fear of not being accepted or threatened nearby.

This is the next step.