Is It Religious?

SUN., JAN. 12, 1986, 5:00 AM
FARM, STUDY

One of the rather important questions concerning either of the plays considered in the study session last evening was, “Is it religious?” Lenore suggested an alternative query, “Is it spiritual?”… and both questions are sufficient for a Teaching on this cool dark Sunday morn. It shall be a day of both religion and spirit, so hear, o son.

Religion is spiritual, but not all spiritual matters are religious. In religion the ultimate reality is spirit, as in “God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” However, there is some truth about spirits, including some ultimate spirit, and that becomes scripture, which become the basis for some worship and other practices. Other structures may be developed, such as rituals, prohibitions and a form of government. And, lo, spirit has been manifested in a religion.

“Is it religious?” thus asks, “Does it relate in some way to a religion?” presumably already established. Since your religion is Christian, it would be more specific to ask, “Is it Christian?” Then the evaluation would be against the Holy Bible, the practices, and the worship form of Christianity. Since the first play was about the encounter between Me, as Jesus, and the devil or the tempter, which is clearly Scriptural, it is definitely religious, for, properly, My Spirit prevailed (with the help of Me, the Holy Spirit), and the temptations to circumvent the realities of earth life were rejected.

If you know the Christ story… if you are a knowledgeable Christian, then it certainly is possible to see, in the second play, the Christ figure, seeking relationship and dying, even, to maintain it. Thus the religious story becomes the model, and a play that is like unto it becomes… religious. But first it must be spiritual… it must clearly be about spirits in interaction, about values beyond the present and material.

The study session last evening was secular in that it met in a home with no Christian symbols, with a variety of food and drink, but none sanctified. There were no prayers… no invocation of My blessing (even though it may have been given). On the other hand, this apparently secular meeting was religious because it was a planned activity of your church, a religious structure, and because those invited and present were Christians, recognizing that this was a Christian function.

It became a spiritual experience as people began relating to each other and as the nature of the first play was realized and discussed. Actually that involves an interesting “reversal” in relation to spirit. Jesus is encouraged to use supernatural powers that He has because of his intimate relationship with God, the Ultimate Spirit. He refuses, humbly accepting the admonitions from Scripture… the Scripture of His time… to resist temptations to use these powers selfishly or inappropriately. But actually it did not become as spiritual a gathering as it could have been. With more sharing of how these readings affected the spirits of those participating, with more revealing of self, it could have been a more powerful spiritual experience. Thus, it was nominally religious and nominally spiritual.

The group this evening will not be religious in intent, but should be spiritual. You may exert some effort toward assuring that the discussion and interactions are of a higher spiritual quality, involving the personal as well as the abstract.