Four Spiritual Pathways

With so many religions and the world getting smaller every day, intricacies of a religion can easily be lost and with the taboo of discussing religion and politics in public, often times, these religions only come up when they are under fire. This holds true for Islam more than any other. To the outsider, Muslim traditions can seem strange, such as the call to prayer, but to the billion practitioners worldwide, it’s an invitation to accept Allah as God and Muhammad as his messenger (Prayer). Other, mainly Eastern religions, lose some of their potency in translation to the West. Practices like yoga in the Western world are mainly seen as exercise and a way to unwind but to religious practitioners, yoga literally means “to yoke” life, divinity and reality. The contemplative nature of the practice is lost on the West (Philosophical Hinduism).

In this essay i will argue for the idea of the soul surviving death. The idea of surviving death has been floating around for years and has been debated by many. It is undeniable that the physical body cannot survive death, but the soul is a whole other matter. The soul itself, the containment of our thoughts, personality and experiences, survives the biological death of the body. The belief in the soul requires the belief in reincarnation based simply on science because of the laws of thermodynamics. Energy cannot be created or destroyed- it can only change its form. The soul it’s self can never be destroyed or die, thus must be reborn. Since the body is "recycled" by decay and decomposition after death, so does the soul, the soul is recycled by taking birth in a new form. To become something new while containing something old. We are all born with a full soul that has a personality, but as we grow, we grow into our personalities; we become more us as we age. The soul doesn’t require an actually body to live but without a body the soul can’t gain new knowledge or experiences. The soul takes the form of many different species to obtain the greatest experience of physical life. The two philosophical articles i will be using in this essay are Rosenberg’s “life after death” and Suits’s argument.

concerned about others rather than themselves. They are more students of the Word of God and

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

Vieten, C., Scammell, S., Pilato, R., Ammondson, I., Pargament, K. I., & Lukoff, D. (2013). Spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5(3), 129-144. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0032699

Unlike some religions, Judaism is a faith of action rather than one of knowledge. A Jew’s responsibility is to live out one’s faith day- to -day rather than be well- versed in religious scriptures, so their choice in lifestyle lends itself to being part of a community of like-minded believers who follow

In this world of today, we see a lot of blood shed in the name of God/Allah. For example, the bombing of world trade center in 1993, The 911 attack on the twin towers in New York city and the Pentagon in Washington D.C on September 11, 2001 where many people died, the killing of my own father by the so-called Muslim fighters in Somalia even though he himself was a Muslim scholar. All these terrifying inhuman and barbaric acts were done by people who identify themselves as Muslims (believers of merciful God). To explain this better, I will use two areas of knowledge and that is, Religion and Science. My ways of knowing are: Faith, reason and memory.

There are many perspectives to understanding personality and while this paper has focused on two perspectives—the psychoanalytic approach and the behaviorism approach—there are other approaches that can avail a better understanding of how the key aspects of who we are fit together and function. This field is necessary because it enables us to discern the many qualities that we have in common with others, as well as the differences among us that serve to provide us with a heightened awareness of the distinctive features of our mental lives. I would like to see the field of personality psychology move towards a new line of research—focusing on as-yet-unexplained phenomena (e.g., religious experience) that helps shape us into better individuals and moves us towards a better understanding of what it means to live with purpose and

Islam is a religion I have constantly heard about on the news throughout most of my life. I was six years old and in first grade on when the terrorist group al-Qaeda attacked the world trade center on September 11, 2001. This sickening event wrongfully gave muslims a horrible reputation in the United States. Growing up, even I had the notion that Islam was a radical religion that promoted hate and violence. In my teen and adult life, I have met many Muslims who have changed my beliefs entirely. They have helped me understand the tragic oppression Muslims face by being labeled “terrorists” from the actions of radical extremists who falsely labeled themselves as

I agree with these results according to the inventory. I do consider that one of my strengths is to have the ability to encourage others. For me, this is an important part of love in action. Motivating people toward action and making people feel that they are part of a church. I do also think my other two gifts are very important. Those with this gift are able to identify with others and to experience what others are going through. I am glad to be one of those people who have this gift. As Christian, I am called to evangelize and reach out to the lost with the Gospel.

Summary of Method –  I chose to research The Four Spiritual Laws the “Intellectual” method, this method is a way to help bring the Good News to the un-believers. Paul used this method when he spoke to the people in Athens, when he spoke he was telling them how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We can and should use the “Intellectual” method it can help you start a conversation. One way you can start a conversation with a non-believer is by asking have they heard about The Four Spiritual Laws. The Four Spiritual Laws is a book written in 1952 by William "Bill" Bright an American evangelist, he also founded Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951 as ministry for the university students.

In my given faith exposure to the Spiritual Disciplines was rather limited; there was fasting that we did during Lent, and prayer that was for a lack of a better term, scripted. Intercessory prayers were made mostly to the venerated saints instead of directly to Jesus Christ. In fact, two of the most common intercessory prayers I said to the saints were to St. Jude, the Patron Saint of Hopelessness and St. Michael, the Archangel, who is the Patron Saint and protector of those in public safety. For many years it was understood that if you needed something in prayer, you prayed to the appropriate saint in ritualistic prayer.

With the traumatic events that occurred on November 13th, 2015, many politicians and media hosts have responded by attacking the religion of Islam as well as the groups that perpetrated these events. Often referring to the beliefs held by groups—such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram—as a radical and medieval version of Islam, these individuals are not wrong in a sense, but rather they are failing to notice that no ancient religion is peaceful or nonviolent. It is true that the beliefs that are held by members of terrorist groups are archaic, but it isn’t because the culture and system of modern Islam is medieval in itself, but because the terrorists that are perpetrating these are attacks are modern fanatics of the olden days. If one were to look at another major religion’s history, such as Christianity, one would notice that there have been similar moments of religious fanaticism through acts such as the Crusades.

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I have walked the spiritual path for 30 years, and I have been studying various spiritual teachings. I have also been involved with several organizations and spiritual teachers. I have friends who have been involved with more teachers, and I've watched hundreds of people have been struggling with a spiritual path. Based on my experience and observation, I have come to one conclusion is clear. The difference between those who succeed on the spiritual path and those who continue to struggle with the frustration is how they view the concept of teachers.