Fr. James Martin has been in the news a lot lately,
particularly for his witty discussion of his qualifications for the papacy
(read here, and prepare to laugh). I have been reading Martin’s bestselling
book The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything and came upon this nugget on the whole issue of being “spiritual
but not religious”.
Overall, being
spiritual and being religious are both
part of being in relationship with God. Neither can be fully realized without
the other. Religion without spirituality can become a dry list of dogmatic
statements divorced from the life of the spirit. This is what Jesus warned
against. Spirituality without religion can become a self-centered complacency
divorced from the wisdom of a community. (page 50)
Earlier Martin states:
We all tend to
think we’re correct about most things, and spiritual matters are no exception.
Not belonging to a religious community means less of a chance of being
challenged by a tradition of belief and experience. It also means less to
chance to see your misguided seeing only part of the picture or even that you
are wrong…Religion can provide a check to my tendency to think I am at the
center of the universe, that I have all the answers, that I know better than
anyone about God, and that God speaks most clearly through me...
Religion can lead
us to terrible things. At its best, though, religion modifies our natural
tendency to believe that we have all the answers…religion at its best
introduces humility into your life. (pages 47-48)
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