Ah, spirituality, that curious buzz word on many people’s minds for this past decade. Just how different is spirituality from religion? Can we be spiritual without being religious? Moreover, can we find ourselves devotedly religious without being in touch with our spirituality? These probing questions were explored in an SJA book discussion group last fall (Wednesdays 10/01 through 12/17). We covered Diarmuid O Murchú’s provocative 1998 book Reclaiming Spirituality that investigates this alluring subject and how religious fanaticism and its patriarchy and indifference affect how we stop growing spiritually.

Mary Dymond and Penny Ebbitts

Spirituality has been around for at least 70,000 years while formal religions have seen only 4,500 years of existence. O Murchú’s goal for writing this captivating read was “to retrieve the long-lost, subverted tradition of spirituality, and to re-establish its primary significance in the human search for meaning and purpose in life.” Our goal as a group, one hopes, should be to pick apart the subject matter allowing each participant to offer their own insight into what they gleaned from reading the book. SJA parishioner/educator Katie Johnson, our insightful facilitator for discussion, offered a great introduction for the group, viewing Jane Goodall’s 1999 video Reason For Hope: A Spiritual Journey. For each week, a member of the group was asked to bring in a reading that might tie meaning into the assigned chapter for our discussion. The introduction may have been too good as Goodall set the tone for arousing our spiritual consciousness, allowing the group license for unbridled diversions from discussing the subject matter. These sidetracks left this group member pining to succinctly discuss the book’s rich content.

Noelle and John Anderson

As weeks went by, diversions from chapter topic discussions only grew worse; it took longer and longer for our group to get through the chapters. This book discussion scheduled through 11/19/03 extended for one month later. However, on a real positive note, the group’s individual chosen readings—meditative, absorbing, touching and enlightening spiritual subject matter— from authors Brian Swimme, John O’Donohue, Roberts and Amidon, Matty Stepanek, Mother Teresa, passages from the First creation story, Duncan’s The Olduvai Theory of Industrial Civilization, Nelson and Longfellow, Starhawk, Carter Heyward, St. Aelred of Rievaulx, Matthew Fox, Pema Chodron, Henry David Thoreau, Anita Diamant, Jim Farrell among others— brought to the table a wonderful introduction for dissecting O Murchú. This author, who also penned Quantum Theory, asks its reader to think and question rather than be spoon-fed religious dogmatism. Fox elaborates “when it comes to religion, many of the most thoughtful young adults are really post-denominational. They want spiritual experience and the ethical responsibility it implies, but they are not committed to the us-versus-them ideology that has accompanied so much of the history of institutional religion.”

Reclaiming Spirituality examines neither an animosity nor disregard towards religion, but a desire to probe into deeper meanings. Not satisfied with one succinct answer but rather interested in exploring complexity, O Murchú feels that true faith is about doubt negotiated, not about doubt avoided. He writes “this has been an era of mechanistic modeling, patriarchal control and the triumph of rationality. It has reaped many advantages for humankind but has now outgrown its usefulness and is proving not merely irrelevant but highly destructive for the future well-being of person and planet alike.”

Despite the frustration of staying on task, lively and engaging weekly discussions took place causing for a sense of possibility and of hope; of bonding and camaraderie amongst us. We discussed often the subject of fear and how its red flags control one. Fear should serve a purpose that can create an outlet for dialogue and understanding. When chaos happens in our lives we usually run for safety. What we should do rather is allow chaos as a building block for reconstruction.

Facilitator Katie Johnson(left)

We looked at the importance and difference of following Jesus Christ and his teachings as opposed to worshipping Jesus Christ. That divinity is truly a call to become human and not just for worship. What Jesus did with his humanity is what makes the difference. We also examined what the church has against the natural world. Why we should trust the natural order.

More concerns: Why, indeed, are our babies born with original sin? Why we depend on bad structure for answers because we can not handle no structure. How we’ve been denied the dialogue of our Catholic Church history of cover-ups. How in hard times, every 20 years our world will experience an international backlash. How power comes from drawing back the bow and releasing the arrow. How the notions of whatever else we sense about God, deep in our spiritual collective psyche, we believe God to be about relationships. How Jesus was indeed a gift to the world, not Christianity. How institutions end up being stumbling blocks for humankind.

Why if we don’t literalize most things then why do we do it in the bible? Why domination and control trash our planet and how eventually we human beings will eventually become extinct as opposed to our earth. That our earth indeed will no longer find any useful purpose for us destructive humans. That the earth has an innate ability to heal it self and to pull the plug when it becomes toxic.

Michael Reinbold, a continuing web reporter, freelances as a writer and banquet caterer. A passionate believer in SJA's mission of social justice and collaborative ministry, Michael is an SJA Choir member, mass reader, Team Oz AIDS rider and Grace House volunteer cook. With an extensive background in theater, photography and fundraising, he relishes all aspects of the arts, staying fit and inspiring and working with people.

Why our culture says that the heart is inferior. Why we must understand that we are inferior, that compassion is our guiding light. That we should let God be divine and let us figure out what it means to be human. That here at St. Joan’s, we follow a low Christology of thinking and equality between our brother Jesus and us humans; where our savior is not ahead or behind, but rather, is right along beside us in our journey of discovery and most importantly one of growth.

Dan Masica was a member of the Reclaiming Spirituality book discussion group.