LO RELIGION|SPIRITUALITY

To Those Who Think Being Fiercely Religious Or Spiritual Only Makes You Stronger

After decades of blind faith and devout spirituality, I think that many of us get it wrong

Dear people who think that being fiercely religious or spiritual only makes you stronger,

Firstly, please take note of the key word, “only”. I believe that blind faith and devout spirituality can make people stronger, BUT (a big but!) it can also make people weak- in mind and body.

Let me share a bit about my personal story…

I was born into the Catholic faith. I was baptized Catholic, but my family switched to Lutheranism while I was still a baby.

We went to church every single Sunday.

I attended a Christian school from first grade until eighth grade. I was taught things there, at an accredited parochial school in Philadelphia, that were simply not true.

My religion teacher pretty much taught us that creationism was true, that evolution was wrong and to distrust the scientific community.

Years later, when I looked into the curriculum that I was taught, this is what I found:

Accelerated Christian Education is an American company which produces the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE, styled by the company as A.C.E.) school curriculum structured around a literal interpretation of the Bible and which teaches other academic subjects from a Protestant fundamentalist or conservative evangelical standpoint. Founded in 1970 by Donald and Esther Howard, ACE’s website states it is used in over 6,000 schools in 145 countries. ACE has been criticized for its content, heavy reliance on the use of rote recall as a learning tool and for the educational outcomes of pupils on leaving the Accelerated Christian Education system both in the US and the United Kingdom.[1]

This is the part to which I kindly draw your attention

Science is presented in the ACE curriculum through the framework of Young Earth Creationism (YEC). For example, in Biology 1099, the existence of the Loch Ness monster is presented as a fact (as a plesiosaur), and used as a so-called proof against the theory of evolution.[25] Textbooks published in Europe removed the Loch Ness monster reference in July 2013,[26] but children are still only taught creationism as an explanation for the origin of life on earth.[27]

Textbooks used in the curriculum assert that abortion is wrong, evolution is false, and homosexuality is a choice. They teach that wives must be subservient to their husbands, women’s liberation leads to child neglect and that one can avoid AIDS by being abstinent until marriage.[28]

Thank goodness my mother could no longer afford to send me to private school and I managed to test into the best public school in Philadelphia.

That’s where my real education began.

However, I had a lot of hang-ups to overcome due to my former school and conditioning.

By the time I left high school and entered “the real world”, I’d stopped attending church regularly as well- much to my mother’s disappointment.

Once I dropped out of college after 3 semesters (needed to “find myself” and didn’t want to bury myself in debt in the process) and moved to Seattle, Washington, I no longer considered myself religious.

I was very spiritual though.

I studied theology, philosophy, yoga, spirituality, religion and devoured books on these topics by the handful.

For most of my life, I thought that Christianity was “right” and all other religions were “wrong”.

I was arrogant, ill-informed (contrary to what I thought at the time) and so-called “pious” as I tried to live a life that would make Jesus, Ghandi or Mother Teresa proud.

I carefully selected and gathered “truths” that confirmed what I WANTED to believe, not what was necessarily TRUE.

Of course, I naturally chose to spend time with others who reinforced these same ideas and behaviors, which, of course, led to no real growth, only imagined.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” — Socrates

It seems to me that more problems than solutions are created when people think they have “the answer/s” when it comes to fundamental religious and spiritual questions such as, “Why are we here?” and “What happens to us after we die?”

It is very important to think critically- to QUESTION things, continuously.

However, I’ve come to realize over and over again just how uncomfortable the average person is with “the unknown”.

Becoming comfortable with the FACT that there is much, much, MUCH more that is unknown than known is a terrific start to living a truly peaceful and fulfilling life.

It also allows more room in our minds and hearts to be truly open, tolerant and compassionate towards others who have different beliefs and practices than our own.

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” — Brené Brown

This is what I think we need in the world now more than ever.

Are you strong enough to allow your mind to question traditions or the status quo?

Most of us are stronger than we think, but not in the ways that we tend to think.

I hope that this letter has provided some brain (and maybe soul?) food for you to digest.

With warm and kind regards,

KL Simmons

Become a member: