As the world is tearing apart at the seams over competing religious viewpoints, I thought I would express the joys of being a sideliner NRSP…
So, here are 10 joys of being a non-Religious Spiritual Person (in random order…because that’s how we NRSP’s like our order)…
1. Lack of Guilt – Over things that religious people love to make you feel guilty about. Now, granted, some of these “things” might actually be bad for me, but I for one don’t like being “guilted” into doing only what other people think is good for me.
2. Open Mindedness (domestic issues) – I get to choose for myself things like who I might vote for, and what political viewpoint I prefer to get behind…without being pressured into towing the theo-political line…under the threat of potential excommunication.
3. Open Mindedness (international issues) – I get to see the world as it really is…a great big place full of people who might look, think and worship differently, but really are made of the same flesh and blood and have the same basic needs and wants…when you get right down to it.
4. Peace and Calm – I don’t feel that sense of outrage about the world not marching in lockstep with my ideology, which convinces (and terrifies) me that things are only going to get worse and to store up “provisions” in my backyard nuclear-holocaust-proof underground bunker.
5. Optimism – And #4 brings me to this one, being an NRSP allows me to hold an optimistic view of the world and the direction it’s headed in…because I believe in the commonality of humanity rather than a version of it that divides us all into warring ideological groups sequestered behind invisible and politically-contrived borders.
6. Reality – I get to look to science to give me a rational explanation of matter, rather than some fantastical fairy-tale story…oh, and I don’t even have to strain credulity to reconcile the two.
7. Love – I can love everyone, even those that don’t believe what I do…because I really believe very little at all and adhere to no dogma whatsoever. So, hatred doesn’t enter into the thought-stream, especially not that virulent strain known as “religious hatred.”
8. Being Wrong – I can be wrong and be perfectly happy about it…in other words, it won’t upset my entire world view because I maintain one that is open to, well, any truth that I happen to stumble upon.
9. Savings – I get to save all that money that my “pastor” would otherwise shame me into turning over to him. Or, I can use it to benefit people and planet as I choose, not as “the church” chooses.
This is not a call to indoctrination, only a suggestion.
NRSP’s as a rule do not proselytize!
Now, I know religious people will call me names…like atheist, hypocrite, agnostic, liberal, progressive, etc…
And that’s OK, I’m open to it!
image credit: Jiuck via Compfight cc
How does the spiritual part Loyola like in your life? I understand the non-religious, but how can you tell with confidence you are spiritual? What it is your mesure of being spiritual? Where did you get that definition from?
Thank you
Eduardo, that is an excellent question! I didn’t really address that in the post, did I. Well, maybe it is implied in the fact that I do experience a certain joy in being non-religious…which gives me the freedom to explore a deeper and fuller spirituality. I believe life is a continuous search for truth…once you latch on to a particular religion you stop searching, thinking, I believe erroneously, that you have found ultimate truth. I believe true spirituality is a mindset that never stops searching. Thanks for your question and comment…it was a good one! Perhaps fodder for a future post?
My spirituality arises from the idea that I do not believe science can explain the human phenomenon of self-sacrificial impact…which I believe is ultimate good and which must emanate from God…