In today’s fast-paced, secular world, many people doubt the benefits of spirituality. People prefer hard facts to matters of faith and find religions’ explanations for problems such as suffering and evil inadequate. Still, religions and spirituality remain popular. If you are exploring spirituality for the first time, your search will give you the following benefits.
A Sense of Community
One of the biggest benefits of developing your spirituality is that it brings you into contact with different communities. As you find a faith tradition that fits your worldview, you meet people who share your ideas and questions. As you worship, meditate and pray together, you grow closer and learn from each other. Some communities transcend the boundaries of physical contact. For example other religious organizations such as The Way International use the Internet to connect believers all across the globe.
The benefits of joining a religious community are not just spiritual. Most communities support people in need by running soup kitchens, organizing clothing drives and supporting local nonprofits. Additionally, religious groups usually have programs in place for struggling members such as meal deliveries for new parents and patients recovering from surgery. As you grow closer to your community members, you want to help each other through the difficult parts of your lives.
A Sense of Purpose
Religion and spirituality do not provide all the answers to the world’s most challenging questions, such as whether humans have a purpose in life. However, they do provide you with a sense of how to solve these problems. Some faith traditions have specific methods for confronting ethical dilemmas, such as the Jesuits’ concept of casuistry, in which people use their knowledge of similar situations to make decisions about previously unencountered issues. Others encourage members to find a specific purpose in life, services such as Wicca Academy encourage you to take what you have learnt out with you into the world and use it to connect with other likeminded people to make a positive chance. All provide a moral framework from which to approach life. Furthermore, the spiritual community in which you participate gives you guidance when you need to make difficult decisions and supports you through periods of transition as you search for your purpose in life.
A Sense of Peace
Most religions involve a belief in an existence beyond normal human experiences. For some faith traditions, this means the belief in life after death, while others focus on transcending the ordinary human condition through experiences such as nirvana. These beliefs in the transcendent power of spirituality help you to find peace in the face of life’s challenges. If you believe in something greater than what is happening to you right now, then you have an easier time accepting that some parts of life are hard. While people who are religious can still experience mental health issues, topics such as death and suffering are easier to confront with the peace that comes from a well-developed spiritual life.
If you have never been a spiritual person, it is not too late to begin exploring different faith traditions. Not only does the process give you a greater understanding of humanity, but it also helps you to make sense of your place in the world.
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