Home
>
Spirituality
>
The Dark Side of Spirituality

The Dark Side of Spirituality

On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In Search of the Spiritual," I became increasingly annoyed at the realization that many people keep making the erroneous split between religion and spirituality, when they are one and the same. For example, in the Time Canada piece, Rabbi Leigh Lerner, who leads the Temple Emanu-El?Beth Sholom, a Reform congregation in Montreal, states, "Religiosity may not be increasing, but spirituality is," confirming the notion that 'spirituality is separate and preferable to religion.'

I would have to disagree with this notion. Why do people keep insisting that the ritual and setting of worship is religion? It clearly is not. Religion comes from the Latin root re-ligare which means to re-connect. Re-connect with what? To re-connect with the inner Hero, the Divine, the Sacred. It is the ultimate Grail Quest, the hero's journey, the spiritual journey, that we are all on: the Quest for Truth. Ask any Christian with a true understanding of the teachings of Christ about 'going to church' and they will tell you that the church, the physical church where people go to sing hymns and listen to sermons, is NOT the real Church. The real Church is the spiritual body of Christ where people fellowship in love. And where ritual is concerned, it clearly states in the Bible, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love" (Galatians 5:4, NASB).

Religion is a window unto the unseen and is based on the years of spiritual experience of great teachers, prophets, and seers. It's not some ancient relic, like an old fashion or fad, to be thrown away under the guise of a new word like spirituality. It is a metaphor for life based on eternal principles.

Along a similar vein, I completely disagree with Cato's last statement in her article that "In a skeptical age, religion can't be taken on faith." I would argue the exact opposite: religion can ONLY be taken on faith. Faith is the cornerstone, the foundation, of all religion and spirituality. Faith is the ability to see the unseen; a complete and total surrendering to the majesty of truth. It has nothing to do with believing or not believing, and everything to do with knowing and experiencing for oneself. One can question and seek all they want, and along the way some of their questions will be answered, but ultimately one must take the great leap of faith in order to experience transformation, because there will always be more questions than answers.

I feel the confusion between religion and spirituality is causing a backlash against both the new agey mumbo jumbo of pop spirituality or 'spirituality lite' and the rules, rituals, and restrictions found within traditional institutions that claim to house religion and a move towards a more authentic, plain, honest, and sometimes blunt way of communicating religion and spirituality. I recently took a screen writing course with the legendary Robert Mckee who was talking about searching for the truth by exploring both the light and the darkness, the dual nature in all things (what I call the psychology of the hero and the psychology of the villain in my book). He was talking about what seems pretty also usually has an ugly side and mentioned that the lovely bird songs we hear are about some bird staking out its territory and letting all the other birds in the vicinity know not to dare invade his 'turf.' And all the other birds are just waiting to hear his song weaken and falter with age so they can "peck the mother fucker to death." To me, that was a spiritual statement, because it was the truth.

There is going to be a move away from the crystals, s?ances, incarnations, mantras, affirmations, and also a move away from church hymns and sermons towards a quest for truth that involves a very authentic, plain, and direct way of communicating which will not tolerate any bullshit. We can see this already with the popularity, especially among youth, of Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," and "Farenheit 911" the 'religion' of today's generation.

A blunt and darker expression of truth is underway as people learn not to shun the shit behind the sunshine. Enter a new era: a journey into the heart of darkness.

___________________________________________________

Sharif Khan is a professional speaker and author of "Psychology of the Hero Soul," an inspirational book on awakening the Hero within and developing people's leadership potential. You can reach him at sharif@herosoul.com or by visiting sharif@herosoul.com

Sharif provides inspirational keynotes and leadership development workshops that entertain, educate, and empower. To book Sharif as a speaker for your next event call:(416) 417-1259.

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.