Spirituality And Religion : The Sacred Within

Silence is an important factor in life and can be encountered in different ways, silence can be seen as peace, harmony and can also be viewed as a negative effect such as depression, sadness or even as evil. Silence also gives time to reflect on life and society and when silence there is time to reflect on faith and religion, this would allow to decide on or question religion. When silence is demonstrated it implicates the importance of peace and the chance for revival.

The city of Jerusalem has been recognized as the holy city throughout the history of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. During the time of Judaism, Biblical writers presented Jerusalem as the most sacred space, the center of the world, and the city of the Lord. A leading interpreter of religious texts, Mircea Eliade, in his book The Sacred and The Profane, defined several religious experiences with specific terminologies, such as hierophany, which means the sign of sacredness, and axis mundi, which is the center of the world. These terminologies will help us in interpreting how the biblical writers promote Jerusalem as the holy city. In the Hebrew Bible Genesis 1-3, 22, 2 Samuel 6-8, 1 King 6-8, the writers reveal Jerusalem

Spirituality has a unique definition for every individual. As for myself, my spirituality is the path to my eternal life through my savior Jesus Christ. As a follower of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, the church has taught me the way of life and how to constantly mend myself toward the right path while serving others. To begin with, the country I grew up in, Ethiopia is truly a combination of the two worlds because it is the first country to accept Christianity and Islam before even the Europeans did. What differs the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the replica of the Ark of the Covenant we have in every church. The ark of the covenant, or as called by us Ethiopians Tabot, is where the stones in which the Ten Commandments are written

I find that after spending time in solitude, I am able to serve others better. The inner solidarity borne out of a heart of solitude lessens my frustrations and enables me to accept others where they are.

Bonhoeffer makes a good point when he talks about the importance of being alone, and being immersed within community. He summarizes the idealistic situations in which people are interacted with certain groups- whether that be living in a small home within a larger family, and also finding time of quiet to regroup and provide clarity to freshen your ways. Although being in solitude can be beneficial, Bonhoeffer also reveals that it is not healthy to always be alone. In this chapter Bonhoeffer mentions three important purposes for which the Christian needs a definite time when he can be alone throughout the day: Prayer, Scripture meditation, and intercession. Together, these practices all have their place throughout the day of meditation.

In (Matthew 6:6 NIV), Jesus explains the merits of praying to the lord God and the reward of inner peace, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret: and your father who sees in secret will reward you.” It is through this conversation with God that Christians pursue peace in their lives. Prayer can either be private or communal, spontaneous prayer is one way that charismatic communities can come closer to God. The act of prayer allows believers to have a personal conversation with God; it alleviates stress attributed to the monotony of everyday life. Besides prayer, meditation is another way of attaining inner peace, it is an ancient practice within the Christian tradition, which has undertaken a recent revival, a global group that reaffirms the concept of praying and meditating for inner peace is Taizé. Not as popular as prayer and meditation, Lectio Divina, generally known as bible studies is a way for Christians to feel connected to God and to finally attain inner peace. The studying of the sacred scriptures on a day to day basis and reflecting on prayers also maintain a continual connection with God. It is vital to maintain equilibrium between prayer and service, whereby an individual fathoms the notion ‘ora et labora’, in order to equally partake in both prayer, and the concept of action whereby ora develops inner peace, which is mirrored through the

The belief of a sacred space has been a highly contested concept since the beginning of mankind. Each individual may have a different perception or opinion on whether a particular place is truly sacred. However, many of these places have a close and personal connection to certain individuals, due in large part to having experienced a supernatural occurrence or witnessed a miracle of life. Often times, these places become associated with a divine presence, and are ultimately labeled as sacred for a particular religion. In The Sacred and the Profane, Mircea Eliade describes the key elements that define a space as sacred rather than profane. He stresses his belief that not all space is homogenous, and that there are certain places that hold

Spirituality does not have one definite definition, it varies depending on who is searching for the meaning. The meaning of spirituality can change within one person, the more they search for answers and find their beliefs. To this writer, spirituality reaches beyond ourselves, it is the connection between ourselves and something greater.

Spirituality is defined by the Merriam-Webster (2015) dictionary as “the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters.” That is the simple definition of it from a dictionary. In depth, spirituality is defined as a person’s beliefs, attitudes, values and connection

Depending on whom you ask spirituality can have many different meanings. The definition of spirituality can be as simple as a picture on a wall that holds a significant meaning to an individual, or as complex as one’s values, religion, beliefs, or theories that one obtains from his/her life experience. In simple terms, spirituality can be found in almost anything or anyone.

“Sit quietly by yourself and know that as God's child your wisdom is unlimited. … Do you feel that you are out of harmony with any person or situation? … jealousy, or envy … fearful or worried about something? If any of these are disturbing you, you need but turn your attention to the fact that God can only be Peace and Harmony. Let go … forget … rest … Be still, still in every way, and accept that Peace of God, … Think Peace, feel Peace. Know that you are Peace, …”
The Basic Ideas of Science of Mind, pg. 39

What is spirituality? Everyone has it however not all understand what it is exactly. Individuals can experience and express spiritually differently. It can be confused with religion or ghosts (Lepherd, 2015). For many years, there have been many definitions and descriptions of spirituality; it is described as the search of the meaning of life, alleviation of suffering, or creating inner peace in an individual. Which explains how spirituality is made useful for meditation and practicing yoga. Each person’s spirituality is different from others because according to his article, ‘Spirituality: Everyone has it, but what is it,’ Laurence Lepherd (2015) explains, “People have [different levels] of depth or intensity of spirituality, from [person to person].”

The journey through life is certainly not an easy one. As Madonna brilliantly sang, “Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone;” I believe we all must experience on our own. Although our family and loved ones may of tried to shelter some of us as children, facing our own obstacles was inevitable. I believe silence provides us with the tranquility we need to adhere to our beliefs; the world is filled with distractions, by eliminating the diversions in our lives, we are able to concentrate more on our spirituality. I feel people's surroundings play a big role on their perception of life, being around people is healthy, we are designed to socialize. Although, being one with nature allows us to divide ourselves from mingling with others, and appreciate the blessings God has offered us, such as the sense of sight and all of its wonders. I believe imagination and faith go hand in hand; Since God can not be physically viewed, we must imagine the Lord's presence. Through the combination of solitude, silence, imagination and nature, we are able to develop a sense of respect for our spirituality, and truly find the sacred within ourselves.

What is spirituality? And is it only related to religion? It is hard to answer these questions as there are a lot of definitions of spirituality and what is it related to. For some people, spirituality has no meaning outside the circle of the religion. On the other hand, some people say that spirituality can exist inside the religion and also outside the religion. People should stop relating spirituality to only religion. Instead, people should know the true meaning of spirituality outside the circle of the religion as it will open doors for knowledge and have a butter understanding and better life. In the United States, religion is frequently equated with spirituality or a personal relationship with God

Within each church, spirituality is expressed in different traditions and is practiced in various ways. In identifying these traditions Richard Foster placed in six categories namely, contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical and incarnation. Although these traditions are found to be central to our Christian faith each church has demonstrated a tendency to prefer the practice of one over another.