The Religious Rub

So my last post was about reclaiming the dreaded concept of being “religious.” The idea here is that to be religious is to have had your core person transformed by an experience outside yourself. That’s Carl Jung’s definition, and something I can get behind. In fact, the Christian experience speaks to those who have been changed by the power of God through the Holy Spirit – not of course based on their own initiative or will – but a willingness, an openness.

So then, what’s the big deal to say, yes, this is me – I’ve had an experience with Jesus. I’ve been changed. I’m religious.

The rub of course is when we reduce this experience into a series of rules to follow.

The rub of course is when we’re taught to go through a series of rituals, and repetitions as if to recreate that original experience.

The repetitions, the rules is what we commonly think of as religious. If you’re like me, it can be a bit too much. It can seem like buyer’s remorse, and how did I end up here?

Jesus said “the true worshipers of God will worship in spirit and in truth” – spirit and worship in a truth shell. Those who have been changed by God are newly empowered to experience God, not based on what we’ve made ourselves, but on what God has made us. We can speak truth to each other on what we have become and are continually becoming – “children of God.” We can gather together to re-affirm who we now are, what we can now assimilate, what we can now learn. Instead of dead ending in repetitions and rules, we can move into new territory, in the new capacity that the Spirit brings.

That’s what I’m looking for.