Stages of Spiritual Growth

I’ve been reading a great book recently called “Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost its Meaning.” In the first few chapters, the author Scotty McLennan outlines 5 stages of spiritual growth:

Magic – kids are usually in this stage, believing in fairy tales and Santa Claus
Reality – Wanting to know what’s real and not real. Telling other kids that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.
Dependence – relying on a teacher or a guide for spiritual growth/sustenance. Relating to God as a parent.
Independence – skepticism towards the received wisdom of the dependence stage, working to debunk myths. Often think of self as spiritual, but not religious.
Interdependence – recognizing the constructed nature of religion, but finding meaning in it anyway. Example: someone who knows Jesus wasn’t really born in Bethlehem, but finds meaning in the Christmas story.
Unity – someone who’s achieved a mystical union with the divine. (Obviously, not everybody gets to this point)

I find it fascinating to think that spirituality has a path like any other type of development – physical, emotional, mental. It’s helpful to me for understanding people at different stages in their faith. Of course, like any developmental growth, these stages are more like broad outlines than discrete categories. One day we might be feeling independent – challenging every assumption – and then the next day we might just want someone to tell us what to think, or on the other hand feel comfortable with all the paradoxes. But the basic idea is useful—that everyone is not in the same place in our spiritual journeys, and that we can understand each other better with a little extra knowledge.

Baltimore Spirituality and Faith Network

I've been thinking for a long time about starting a church or some other kind of community intended to reach out to people in their 20's and 30's. I've started up a yahoo group. Tell me what you think.

Nerdy Facts About Lent

Lent starts today, and here's why.

Organized Secularism?

I don't necessarily agree with everything this guy has to say (in particular on the gays, for example) but the column's still funny.

Spongebob in Cleveland

Fortunately, the UCC has a better sense of humor than James Dobson, when it comes to asexual cartoon characters.

PS Thanks for the link Shannon.

PPS Happy Ash Wednesday everybody!

The spirituality of transitions
Or: what I learned from moving 8 times in 5 years

According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, death is not an ending, but a transition to another life. How well you handle transitions during life will determine how well you handle your transition at death to the next life, and ultimately makes the difference between ending up a fly or a god, next time around.

While I don't believe in reincarnation, I do think there is some wisdom here in recognizing that living well, especially in today's mobile society, means learning to deal with transitions well.

Part of learning to deal with transitions is learning the meta-information. I may not know what the neighborhood I'll be moving into looks like, but I've learned how to go about finding all the back roads. Knowing what you'll need to know is part of the battle.

Transitions are also spiritual because they put us in a place of vulnerability. We realize our own fragility and human loneliness being far from what's familiar. This is an especially important time to practice spiritual disciplines that calm and give perspective, and to be in touch with friends and family we've left behind. But more than that, it's an opportunity to reflect again on how much we really do depend on God, and to choose again to trust God in all our most difficult times. God is with us, caring for us always. During transitions is when we most need to see and accept this.

May God bless you in your transitions.