Spirituality and Religion

Once again this week in our course I was conforted with material that I had not previously given much attention to.  I had never really understood the difference between spirtuality and religion and often would use the words interchangeably.  The new working definitions I hold for these words are:

Spirituality: The connectedness and feelings one has towards a higher being, nature, and/or the world

Religion: beliefs, behaviors, feelings, and the connectedness one feels to a higher being, nature, and the world usually done through an institutionalized setting

It is interesting that most people are only thought of as religious if they express their beliefs by going to an institutionalized setting like a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple.  If someone were to have similar beliefs but did not practice them in an institutionalized setting, we'd be more likely to think of it as spirituality. 

I have been thinking a lot about my own beliefs about religion as I have identified as Christian for most of my life.  There are many things about the Christian religion that I do not particularly believe/adhere to, however.  As I develop my own beliefs and opinions on things like sexual orientation within the Christian religion I find myself disagreeing more often than agreeing. I also do not like the focus there is on the past that, in my opinion, is not currently relevant.      

 At this point, I think of myself as more spiritual person rather than religious.  And it seems that I am not alone http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/us/examining-the-growth-of-the-spiritual-but-not-religious.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A17%22%7D

This is a very interesting read examining how many people are now considering themselves "spiritual, but not religious."

Sexuality and Heterosexism

This week in our course we have been discussing the topics of Sexuality and Heterosexism.  Since our class discussion, I have been struggling to wrap my head around everything.  I learned things in class that I had never thought about.  Ex: how I had the privilege of never having to "come out" by sharing my sexual preference with others because I knew it would be accepted.  How can we change our attitudes as a society so that individuals that identify as LGBTQ don't need to "come out" to others?  How do we create a community that embraces ALL of its people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity?   

A very interesting article I read, titled "Should a Student Conceal Her Lesbian Identity in College Application Essays?"  discusses a young woman and her decision to disclose her lesbian identity and the uncertainty that brings with it.  If a woman decides to "come out" in her application essays will  admission councils be less likely to admit her? If they do not admit her because of her identity it is probably not a good fit for her, anyhow.  I think it is very brave and admiring that a young woman is so confident in her identity that she is willing to "come out" in her application essay.  Just the fact the people need to come out at all is still something I'm struggling with. 

The article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/booming/should-a-student-conceal-her-lesbian-identity-in-college-application-essays.html?smid=tw-share

Another article I read that discusses an individual disclosing their sexual identity to others, titled The Coming Out of Apple’s Tim Cook: ‘This Will Resonate’, discusses how a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Apple, came out publicly.  As the first publicly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company, this represents a big step for society.  Because Tim Cook is a somewhat influential and powerful individual, this may give courage to others to come out or voice their opinions on their sexuality for the first time.   

This article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/technology/apple-chief-tim-cooks-coming-out-this-will-resonate.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A13%22%7D

I really hope someday I can live in a society where people do not need to come out in the sense that everyone will be accepted for who they are regardless of their sexual orientation, ability, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.  As a future school counselor I will advocate for these traditionally underserved individuals in hope of that!