Religion And Lifestyle

WED., APR. 20, 1983, 7:17 PM
SPRINGFIELD, MED CENTER

You are faithful, o son, to My call this evening. You have many other things to do and matters to deal with, but you know you have not carried through with your commitment, made last week, and you know you must stay in contact. It shall be a bit easier as the weather warms and the chores in relation to early-morning heat become unnecessary. But now, as you might expect, I am disappointed that you were not willing to fulfill the commitment, but I am glad that you are here now. Listen and hear.

I said, in a previous Teaching, that the form and practice of religion is extremely varied and diverse. And, I have told you before, there is no one form that pleases Me more than others. It is the spirit of individual worshippers, the spirit of the congregation (which may be greater or less than the simple aggregate of individual spirits), and the spirit of those conducting that are the crucial factors. A person sitting quietly participating in a Catholic Mass may be in complete spiritual tune with Me and with other worshippers, or may be participating in body only… or any combination of involvement and apathy imaginable.

Likewise, a person speaking loudly and fervently in tongues in a Pentecostal service may be in ecstasy and very close to Me, or may be just putting on an act… or any combination. Ministers, too, may represent a wide range of spiritual at-oneness, even those who are outwardly calling for My help. It is interesting to hear words like “Come, Holy Spirit, come” resound with conviction from the mouth of a minister and know that his spirit is not really involved in that call.

I said, and I say again, that it is possible to be healthy, be spiritual, and be in no need of medicine, and still not practice religion. It is possible, and some accomplish it, but more claim to than honestly succeed. Most who include religion in their healthy lifestyle follow the practice of their family of nurture or select a denomination or form and stick with this. There is a familiarity and a security in this practice, and I certainly have no objection to this.

Still, I would state that those who tend to have the most spiritual development and that quality of health you rightly call adaptation can be comfortable in and genuinely spiritually involved with different religious practices. I encourage some to seek this experience, not just as a novelty, such as going to an amusement park, but as a true way to grow in spirit.

Can you feel My presence in a “strange” building, with people who are not, from long association, your fellow seekers? Can you feel My presence in a style of worship that is different from that that is most familiar? Can you draw spiritual power from the content and process that may be different from what you are used to?

The Bible tells of many diverse ways in which religion was practiced and spirit manifested. Can you imagine Me, as Jesus, giving the highly spiritual message in the Sermon on the Mount (or was it on the Plain… or between?)? Was religion different as We fed the 5,000? The Last Supper has become the epitome of Christian worship… the imitation of what We did as a fond farewell to earth life. How many ways the Biblical description is interpreted as this becomes part of religion.