Are you open and comfortable to receiving spiritual communion / counsel from someone who practices a different religion than you? Why or why not?

Absolutely. I am open to wisdom from any source, from a fortune cookie to God’s own prophet. The important thing is what happens when I take it in.

As for spiritual communion, it seems to me that fellowship is the essence of it. Fellowship, not doctrine.

I’m a Christian and will pray with and for anyone regardless of religious belief. I’m comfortable with it because I’ve been taught from day one that I can pray anywhere in any fashion for anyone.

Yes. I would be open to that. Where I draw the line though, is if they would absolutely insist on their certainty. Lol, I take the view point that, nothing, including even, my own spiritual understanding, is of absolute certainty. The only thing that is certain is death, taxes, and change. 0.0

I don’t see why not! Different points of view should always be brought into play.

Just don’t let there be any new Crusades starting from a stupid argument. :/

Probably one of the most spiritual experiences of my life was when I, a Jewish atheist, visited the church that is the site of T.S. Eliot’s poem “Little Gidding” in preparation for teaching it last Spring. As we approached the tiny church in the middle of the fens, two women came out from the retreat house and asked if I wanted to participate in their noontime service. They said we would do it outside because it was such a lovely midwinter day. The three of us stood there outside Eliot’s inspiration, overlooking the snowdrops blooming in a glade and recited the Anglican prayers. Because Eliot’s poem is about the nature of transcendence and finding the confluence of the timeless and the individual moment, the experience was extremely powerful for me.

So my answer to the question is “Yes!”

Why would an atheist or agnostic need spiritual counseling anyways? I would have a problem with a religious person trying to spiritually counsel me because the basis of their spiritualness is their religion. I don’t see a problem with two people of different religious sects counseling each other though, both of their beliefs revolve around the same concept of god.

@janbb What’s a Jewish Atheist. I was pretty sure last time I checked that Jews were theists.

It might be a different perspective from yours and I think that’s the important part. I’d totally let someone else tell me their opinion. I just hope, that at that moment, I’m open minded enough to really take in what they have to say.

Yes, spiritual does not mean religious. We all have a spirit, even though I personally do not believe it is anything related to the supernatural, or God myth. It is the ‘human spirit’. There might be some better word to describe that ‘spirit’ but it is not a mythical soul.

@PacificToast I’m guessing it means born Jewish, chosen atheist…. maybe :)

@PacificToast Good question. Means I identify as a Jew by birth and culture and many of the rituals are therefore meaningful to me, but that I don’t believe in G-d.

Sure…..As long as they have GOD, however they choose Her. :)

Be eclectic and love.

@janbb Thank you.

absolutley, you never know how God talks to you, from anyone, anywhere

I’d say that it depends on just how far off-base they are. I wouldn’t ever find myself in a Unitarian church, for instance, neither do I get along well (theologically) with Unitarians – they’re nearly Agnostics. Buddhists aren’t even in the same book.
I’d happily pray for any of them.

Sure. I place no limits on God’s capacity to impart wisdom in any way, shape or form.
Including Jewish Atheists

Not sure how much wisdom one who relies on religion is capable of, but why not listen?

@zophu
Imagine more.

Sure why not. Only I may have difficulty with the people who hang out at bus stops, panhandling and handing out brochures. Some of them get a little stocker-ish. I have to at least know the person and trust they are not a loon.

“Spiritual” guidance and praying don’t do it for me anywhere, but things that promote physical/mental well-being like yoga or meditation or secular guidance from a wise religious of any faith or sharing study of religious texts, rituals or culture…I’m fine with that. I would, and have, attended various religious services and holidays, primarily out of respect to my host, social appropriateness, or curiosity.

No one religion has a monopoly on the truth or wisdom. I would be open to anyone of any religion who had something to say as long as it didn’t involve, you know, killing all the infidels or something bizarre. I’ve had some very enlightening conversations with the couple of Muslims who I’ve met, as well as Christians and Jews. I knew one Buddhist who seemed quite spiritually connected as well. And all kinds of witches…

I will pray with whomever unless they are praying for something I don’t believe in. I believe in spiritual respect. Personally I don’t think it matters how you get there so long as you have the right motive.

I will take in good advice as well no matter who it comes from. If it’s good then great. And if I’m going through a hard time and ask for prayers I don’t care what the religion is of the people praying for me.

I would also likely leave say a prayer or ceremony if they started admonishing others in the name of their religion/spirituality.

@SeventhSense
Very wise words.

Yes. In the end we’re both doing the same thing. The difference comes in the details and specific practices we undertake. In the long run the idea is still to better one self through spirituality, both for themselves and in the eyes of god, and I see nothing wrong with that. What bothers me is when someone says “your way wrong, my way is right” and that is unacceptable.

So long as we can do it respecting that we have different views, I don’t see why any problems need arise.

@zophu
‹(•¿•)›

that is so clever, this is what i can do :) ;) etc etc

“I’m a Christian and will pray with and for anyone regardless of religious belief. I’m comfortable with it because I’ve been taught from day one that I can pray anywhere in any fashion for anyone.” – @PacificToast sums my feelings up nicely.

I will pray with a Mormon or a Muslim for the better unity of the world. Now, I would not partake in communion or what have you with any religion besides my own. Its just my faith.
But yes, I would seek counsel from the wise.

Atheist here. As such, I see most reputable religions as springing from the same universal source – the human mind and the search for truth, and the struggle for hope and morality in a harsh world. (Sometimes these ends are perverted for gain, but let’s leave that alone for now.)

These things come from a good place. I might not agree with how they get there, but it’s still an end worth seeking. If they are wise, and not super-pious in that “I’m better than you” preachy/shallow kind of way, they are worth listening to, no matter what version of the universal goodness they subscribe to. Same center, many paths.

I have learned things from other faith’s, and I would not have a problem with general prayers with those of other faiths. I have spent nearly 50 years studying my own faith, and recognize when there are differences, but I hope that when meeting others I can focus more on what we have in common than what we have different.

Some things are just too sacred to share. For me, religion is that one thing that I hardly ever share. I can worship in someone’s church (if it is allowed) and can talk freely and openly as long as they want. But I rarely open up about my religion. It’s too close to the bone.

@phillis And yet, I wonder if ‘sacred’ is really ‘secret’ as you seem to be saying?

@YARNLADY It’s a secret shared by billions, but I practice alone. I don’t need humans mucking it up (I can do that just fine all by myself).

@phillis
Enlightenment is found on the mountain top but practiced in the marketplace.

@SeventhSense Some people found their calling, and I found mine. For them, the marketplace is perfect. For me, the marketplace finds me tipping over money changing tables and calling people hypocrites. I am not cut out for that particular job. I share everything I’ve got, but thankfully, religion is mine alone.

I believe that spiritual experiences are a universal thing. It’s built into us. The problem, however, is that we all talk about it differently. Each religion, in my opinion, is another language for talking about spirituality. It can be very difficult to translate from one language to another, particularly if we are trying to have an atheist talk to a Southern Baptist.

I’m open, in theory, to sharing spirituality with someone from a religion, but I fear it would be extremely difficult for us to understand each other. In fact, I think it would take years to understand each other. So, as a practical matter, it is hardly worth trying to share spirituality unless we are committed to spending years doing it.

@wundayatta Shoot, I was a Southern Baptist! But I left that church at the age of 18, and never returned. They are the ones I was talking about! Anybody who knows me can say without reservation that all Southern Baptists are not the same. Church ain’t no dog and pony show, or a gathering of back patting, influencial pillars of the community. Church is baring your soul, sacrificing yourself willingly to a power that brings you to your knees if you’re doing it right. I don’t need anybody messing with that.

I am a Christian, and when I was in China, I visited several temples. I had no problem praying to my Lord there.
However, I would not share communion in any church that was not my own.

Yes, I am comfortable being in relationship with, and taking counsel from, those with different beliefs. This is because I don’t think one set of perspectives can own the totality of wisdom, truth, and discernment. My process of living in an awakened way is dependent upon ever widening my net to information, experiences, and the perspectives of others. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that my easiest intimacy comes with those who share certain core perceptions with me and I often feel best understood by those same people.

@liminal That’s fair.

@phillis
You don’t get it. You can’t stay on that mountaintop or it sours. There is nothing more damaging than Spiritual Materialism. Imagining that one’s experience is superior to another’s is the antithesis of spirituality and true religion

@Are you gettin’ your assuming on? I’m not on any mountaintop. I toil, day in and day out, in very human soils. I am under no illusions as to my faults, or even how far they go. What I said was that I can talk as openly and freely with anyone about their religion without resevervation or judgement.—But my worship time is my own. It’s very private because it’s very sacred. I don’t share that. In fact, it’s the only thing I DON’T share. How come we’re missing each other here?

@phillis
Seems like a specialness. There is no sacred nor profane. The base and the holy are inseparable.

@SeventhSense Oh, I see where you’re coming from now. Yes, you are right about that. It’s a different perspective than the one I was answering from.

@phillis
I don’t mean to be a nudge….but I do I do need a spatula…maybe you could hook me up?

@SeventhSense Why, sure! Where would you like it? Hehehe :)

I perfectly comprehend Jewish atheist. I am a Buddhist atheist, subspecies Protestant.

I would not trust the intelligence and depth of the advice from any person who has a religion with an agenda to convert me.

I would trust the spiritual advice of a Buddhist or Hindu, perhaps.

In a christian type church, I would break bread. Problem is, half the christian type churches would have an issue with an “unsaved” person participating in communion. I will pray, long as I agree with the prayer. In a Jewish temple, I’ll sing or dance along with them. Same goes for Hindu temple.

And I’ll definitely eat their food and drink their coffee

@Kraigmo That conversion stuff drives me batty, too. It’s so disrespectful!

@phillis Your mini imbroglio with @SeventhSense is an example of the kind of different language miscommunication that I mean. Imagine an atheist trying to make sense of a Southern Baptist. It sounds like gibberish.

As to you—do you still consider yourself a Southern Baptist? Or are you now more of a translator, if not an apologist? In any case, another example, I’m not at all sure that I understood what you were talking about. I don’t know what you mean by “soul,” nor what baring it consists of. It’s very hard for me to imagine a power that might bring you to your knees. The spiritual powers I know lift me up. They connect me to others. They give me, for a moment, the feeling I am not alone, and that therefore, it is worth going on living.

It is that sense of connection that keeps me alive. Without that, I am worthless and pointless. I lose that sense from time to time—and fall into depression that seems to have no end. Even then, rituals of connection can reach me—for a moment or two. A love powerful enough to motivate someone to merge with me can reach me. That sometimes has the power to keep me alive for a day—maybe two—when I’m that far down. It goes much further when I am normal.

It’s all about connection, but it is not magic. I have found that the language people often use tends to give us huge difficulties in talking about this. We may even have a shared experience, but our interpretation of it, and the language we use to talk about it are so different, that it becomes nearly impossible to see we could be talking about the same thing. It is that uncertainty that makes it very difficult to receive spiritual communion (whatever that means) from someone who is of a different faith, and who seems to be talking about something very different.

A lot of people have mentioned Buddhism. There seems to be more of an affinity with that religion than others—at least in terms of being an easy to interpret kin of other religions. I, too, have tried to understand Buddhism, because it does seem like it offers something similar to my experience. Indeed, I understand their practices as different means to achieve the states of consciousness that I need. They are not practices that appeal to me—at least—not most of them. But, from what I can tell, they can bring about a similar awareness. It’s advantage seems to be that they can hold onto that awareness longer than I can. They have more success in bending that awareness to their own aid.

Well, I need a concluding paragraph here, but I don’t feel like there is a conclusion. When you use different languages, it is much more difficult to know if you are talking about the same thing. It’s a bit unsettling. Unfinished business. Like a glimpse of Valhalla, but an inability to find the path there.

I believe in interfaith prayer.

I am aso with @filmfan. I could not take communion in a church that had a different definition of what it meant than me.
I would hane no problem breaking bread with those of other faiths however.

One might go so far as to say that you cannot have spiritual communion when the lot of you do not share the same God.

@wundayatta To be clear, I was not upset. I was confused, but more than willing to work through the misunderstanding. No, I am not a Southern Baptist, not even in spirit. I don’t translate much, with the exception of clarifying Southern Baptist beliefs, should someone wonder. In other words, I am not thier champion. I don’t defend undefendable actions when religion was employed as the reason for them. All these things are simply my own views. They aren’t intended to represent anyone else.

If anything, those folks are the ultimate hypocrites, far and above people without religious tenets could ever be. Christians have a very clear set of directives. Nowhere do those tenets say that it is perfectly fine to treat people like shit. Someone with a different religious viewpoint has not earned a bashing. I think people think that the wrath of God (which I don’t believe exists the way most people believe it does) somehow translates into wielding God’s sword, themselves. It does not.

Spirtuality does lift you up. Let’s look at it through this lens: how successful is an apology from person who has woefully, painfully hurt someone else, if they aren’t thoroughly repentant? If they don’t take full responsibility? If they apologize, but keep doing the same thing over and over again? It doesn’t even require religion to offer an apology or take responsibility. But if the effort was half-assed, an agregious, or oft repeated act, never gets cleanly relegated to the past where it rightfully belongs. The pained party grudgingly moves on, but the pain still remains, right?

Now, imagine acting that way with a powerful deity. What deity is going to accept a half-hearted attempt? For most monotheists, it is necessary to cleanse one’s soul. For the seriously commited, keeping one’s soul clean is the goal. Sometimes we make it, sometimes we don’t. That’s what confessing is for. We’re not expected to be perfect (actually, that has been put on us by humankind, not God. God would never be silly enough to expect such nonsense); we’re expected to work toward it. So, why penalize someone for at least trying to do the right thing? That’s pretty self-defeating. Imagine billions of people WITHOUT this motivation. What are the ramifications of that?

Showing utter humility, and renewing our commitment to the tenets handed to us, is the only way to keep a clean soul. When you do that, it does lift you up, just like what you were referring to. The cleaner your soul, the easier it is to forgive others. You can easily make the argument that you can do all these things completely without religion, and you would be right. I guess you could say that adding religion into the mix gives your life one hell of a boost.

For me, you don’t use religion as the basis (read: excuse) for actions which are the exact opposite. And, yes, motives DO count, even though another human being may misinterpret your intentions, or even deny that you had no ill intent. The deity knows it. Defending one’s self is fine, however. One could use the argument of turning the other cheek, but if your actions are always REactions, then you aren’t penalized harshly. God gave us a brain. I have to assume he expects us to use it.

@phillis
Cheeky

@Nullo – perhaps all religious folks do share the same God, though, they (or their cultures or their ancestors) just personalize it differently in order to be able to relate? That’s where I’m coming from with this. Like families that get so big that you lose track of all the cousins and before you know it, people don’t think they’re related anymore.

@SeventhSense I didn’t mean it to sound that way. I attempted partly to explain why I answer why I don’t share my religion, and partly to answer Wundayatta’s questions. I apologize if it came off as anything other than that.

@phillis
Oh please don’t sweat it. You’re human?

@SeventhSense Nuh-uh! According to a jelly from last night, I’m perfect! Hehehe!

Seriously….thank you. That is a kind thing to say. I thought about what you wrote, by the way.

I’m like a cold shower. Bracing but healthy.

@laureth
They quite simply cannot. There are too many differences between, say, YHWH and Apollo for both parties to be talking about the same one. You may have a room full of guys named Joe, but they’re not all the same Joe.

That said, I do believe that we’re all looking at the same spiritual scenario, and that some vistas are more muddled (or even outright distorted) than others.

@Nullo – How can monotheistic believers not share the same God? To me this is a contradiction.

@mattbrowne They can within the same system. But not outside of it.

@Nullo I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say. Are you suggesting that a system of belief can contain the Holy?

Two different systems for the one God which is then not the same !? Can you give an example when, say Allah and God might be different?

@liminal
Yes but only if it’s a very small God. ;)

@Nullo – Imagine this. A tribe, somewhere long ago, has the first realization that life is something more than hunting and gathering. They look up and see stars and think about death or birth for the first time and wonder what happens. Maybe they personify Deity as a fertile mom-type Goddess, carve a Willendorf, and pass down a legend about all the world being born from her womb, because that’s the only way they can imagine it coming into existence.

Time passes. Tribe gets big, splits up. Split and split again. Millenia pass. Some move to cold places and put a parka on their deity. Some move to the desert, realize what paternity is, and picture YHVH. Some move to Egypt and picture the Sacred as the overflowing Nile. Some cross a land bridge to the North American continent, and personify the sacred as a white buffalo calf woman because that’s what their tribe knows. People all over the world, all over time, take that very first spark with them and then change the name, the rules, the dress, even her gender, all because the culture and language and environment changes and they need to see Deity in a new way for it to stay relevant.

Looking at specific details about two deities like YHVH and Apollo and seeing them be too different is to look only at surface trappings, names, and cultural artifacts. That’s all human-added as time went by. They’re still their various cultures’ spark of the divine that they took with them to explain life and the universe. I choose to start a little earlier when looking at relations between deities I guess. You, Nullo, are still my distant cousin, even if we have different looks and beliefs and don’t remember our last common ancestor. ;)

@mattbrowne Even the so-called monotheistic people seem to believe in a God who said “Have no other Gods before me” implying that he isn’t the only one.

@laureth
@YARNLADY
Good Points.

@liminal I’m saying that the phonebook has thousands of listings for God, but only one number connects to His phone.

@mattbrowne See here for a breakdown of the differences between Yaweh and Allah.

@laureth You and I have different approaches to the genesis of religion.
Take a computer. Over time, swap out all of the pieces, one by one. Is it the same computer?

@YARNLADY Those are lower-case gods. “God” is, among other things, a title, or perhaps a classification.

@YARNLADY – No, this is implying the exact opposite. Have no other Gods means give up your previous beliefs in those non-existent gods like the sun god or the rain god.

@Nullo – Articles like the one you linked to are one of the sad reasons why there’s so much religious conflict in our world. Those Christian authors are arrogant when trying to promote an “the only way” approach instead of a “our way / your way approach”.

We have to differentiate between our interpretation of God’s will and his existence as such. His existence as such means that God and Allah refer to the same entity. Our interpretations are different because Christians believe Jesus is God’s son (to me this does not have a biological meaning but a symbolic one) while Muslims believe in Muhammed as God’s most important prophet (Jesus is a prophet too).

Human can never know God’s will or nature for certain. Our human intellect does have limitations. Pretending to know everything about God is just human hubris. We should be more modest. And as good Christians we should certainly never belittle Alah based on a somewhat different interpretation of God’s will and God’s way. Likewise should good Muslims not belittle the Christian faith. What we need in the 21st century is interfaith dialog, mutual understanding and appreciation.

@Nullo – People have been debating the Ship of Theseus paradox for ages. The fact that it’s a debate and not a dogma implies that both of us have a valid point. ;)

@Nullo I think I understand better. Yet, I don’t understand how humanity is capable of finding, let alone, assigning the the right number. I hesitate at the thought of a human as all knowing, okay, I balk at it. Can’t God can have more than one line?

@mattbrowne
Yes that’s true. The biblical command refers to “gods/idols of clay and wood”.

@liminal Revelation, missions, etc. You’re overextending the metaphor. :\

@mattbrowne You’re sidetracking. I threw that up there because it pointed out the differences between God and Allah.
You’re driving from Point A to Point B. You come to a fork in the road. The map that your friend (who lives at Point B) made says to go right. Google Maps says to go left.
Is it arrogance to go on what your friend wrote?

@laureth Honestly, I do not recall the specific reason why I threw that in, other than that it looked better in the wee hours of the morning. I still think it fits the argument, but I do not have the connector.

@Nullo
I’m saying that the phonebook has thousands of listings for God, but only one number connects to His phone.
And this of course points straight back to man and away from God. This makes finding God subject to the will of man and assigns man’s ego as the supreme arbiter of salvation. Dot all your i’s and cross your t’s and you’re in. Slip up and you’re toast. God is extremely limited in this scenario.

That is exactly what I have come to accept is not the case, @SeventhSense. I alluded to it when I said that God’s wrath does not exist in the way people think it does. The “slip up and you’re toast” is entirely the message sent to people! But a benevolent God (he’s either benevolent and loving, or he’s vengeful, spiteful and full of wrath. Make up your mind, folks) who created us in his own image (arguably interpreted to mean we are spiritual beings interconnected together and thus, connected to Him as well) and who freely admits His creations are imperfect, cannot possibly be that heavy-handed.

That expectation would have no place in the world of humankind. It defies common sense. Those are humanity’s interpretations of the (supposed) word of God, not God’s word. Only humans are small-minded enough to send such a destructive, damning message. That would not come from any deity who supposedly created us in His own image.