Codependency Treatment | Spirituality
Spirituality vs Religion - Religion
Religion consists of dogmas and rules and giving money and going to church to gain your way to Heaven. Many times it is taught of hell and brimstone if you don't follow it's rules. It can take the Bible out of context without regard to stages of child and normal development.
It is necessary a person develop with their human needs meant before they can focus on the spirit. Otherwise all their time goes to providing money for basic needs and going to church on a Sunday to make them good.
Some of the newer churches are more spirit filled and will tell you they are not a religion. They go more by a personal relationship and discern the Bible in a spirituality sound way. God is seen as the way out of evil not the one to pronounce doom on His people. It is more faith oriented and teaches of prosperity.
You must be sure the Bible is used as the text. There are also new churches that have new books and teach new age principles against the Bible saying they are the new way and the deception they use if they put Jesus name in them, which attracts people as being credible. The Bible itself says it is not fallible and nobody should add or take away from it's teachings or their name will be taken from the book of Life. It warns about false doctrines and turning away from people that say they are able to tell you the future.
Only God knows the future and the stars or a deck of cards can not do anything but be a false guess to get you hooked on what they want you to do for them. They take your money and run your soul. If you go to a church examine it closely including what classes they offer and texts they use.
Make sure it is Biblical. Nobody changes the Bible so don't let people tell you they have a new channeled book from Jesus, the Lord or God as the trinity is built in the Bible, which expresses it is the Alpha and the Omega, which means the beginning and the end.
Thought patterns that lead people into cults, away from God and their own spirituality are often formed in childhood. Some people have been sexually abused in their own family, which attends church and is successful in the public. Also, some prominent people or members of the churches molest children.
This is the most traumatic wound to a person's soul that can be done. Sex is the most private, sensitive area emotionally and spiritually a person has and overcoming the damage is very difficult. The book Broken Children, Grown up Pain tells the true story of a man in the ministry who had been molested as a child and the violence he acted out as an adult. It also goes into the healing ministry called Life Styles he began.
Other kinds of abuse such as emotional, neglect, physical beatings in the name of God or threats of a punishing God if you smoke or drink, also drive a person either to rebel or repeat the pattern. None of this is of God. Jesus Himself says a child is the way to the Kingdom and if you hurt one of them you would better drown yourself than meet Him at the judgment. Child abuse or neglect is not of God.
Children are spiritual at birth without shame and guilt until they learn it from their parents, teachers and churches. There is a section in Hopelinks called the Independent Child that is a model of bringing up a child true to his/her own spirituality.
The Bible does say that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, which is true and children as they grow will sin as all others but they can learn and will have a conscience to confess to God and ask for His help to overcome. Limiting the violence and sex they see on TV will help keep them on a spiritual path. Also having lots of positive hobbies both mental and physical will keep their energy focused on the positive.
It is not necessary to be best at everything so celebrate their work whether it is first of last because they put effort into it. The way roles are developed is when people are made to please others standards or conform against their will. (Hopelinks gives information on the roles people develop in dysfunctional families.)
