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When following your spiritual path, you may wish to join a religious/spiritual organisation. Most organisations are legitimate and have a lot to offer their followers. Some, though, are best avoided.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about what to look out for...
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When searching for a religious/spiritual organisation to join there is a lot to consider. First of all, it needs to be in line with your current beliefs, or offer something that you wish to explore. Secondly, but just as importantly, it needs to be a legitimate organisation.
Most religious organisations are legitimate and have a lot of good to offer their members. Unfortunately, there are questionable organisations out there, from scams to full-on cults.
Cults are groups that aim to obtain – and maintain – an excessive level of control over their members. They cultivate a high level of devotion to the cult/its leader(s), and they can be difficult to escape from.
It is, then, important to do some research on an organisation before getting too involved. Below are some questions to keep in mind.
The Cost of Joining
When you want to join a new religious organisation, they may expect you to make some changes. For example, you may be asked to make some changes to your appearance – a haircut, a removal of piercings, or a new style of dress. It is up to you to decide whether or not you are comfortable with this. Nobody should force you to alter your appearance, but you may decide that it is worth it to take this next step in your spiritual journey.
There may be a financial cost. Some organisations just pass a collection plate; others may ask you to donate a share of your income either to the organisation, or to charity. Whilst this may be asked of you, it should be a voluntary contribution, and if you are on a low income it cannot be expected of you and your family to go without in order to support the organisation.
If any organisation pressures you to give more than you are willing or able to give, it is worth considering if this is the right organisation for you. If an organisation goes a step further and wants you to surrender control over your finances that is a great, big warning sign that you should not ignore.
Likewise, you may be encouraged to volunteer your time and skills. This can be a wonderful opportunity to do good and make friends along the way. My grandmother was a member of her church choir. My great-uncle was a choir director at his church. Both found this to be a fulfilling experience. Again, though, voluntary work should, indeed, be voluntary. If an organisation pressures you into unpaid work it is time to reflect on if you are in the right place.
There are organisations that, upon joining them, expect you to either convert or cut off contact with anyone who is not a member of that organisation. That includes your closest friends, and even your family. If any organisation issues such demands that should give you pause. It is always a warning sign when anyone attempts to isolate you from your support network. This, as well as someone taking control of your finances, places you in a highly vulnerable position – it is not a good idea. If a religion is true and right it does not need to fear outside influences or questions. It will stand up to scrutiny.
The Cost of Leaving
If you do decide you are not in the right place there may be a cost, too. It is likely that you’ll be less close to the community after you leave. This is natural – you see less of the other and are no longer involved in the same events. There should be no higher cost than this, though.
Unfortunately, there are organisations that, when a member leaves them, require that remaining members break off all contact. This means that if one member of a family leaves the faith, he or she can find themselves ostracised by their own mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister. That is not a healthy situation, so before joining a faith it is worth checking the cost of leaving it.
Who’s in Charge?
In most religious organisations the one in charge is, ultimately, a higher power. The human beings at the top of the organisation are there to serve, and guide, and inspire; they do not claim to have any special powers of their own. The religion isn’t about them.
One classic sign of a cult is the so-called 'charismatic leader'. They may claim to have special powers, or some special connection to a higher power beyond anyone else. This means that rather than being devoted to the higher power, a lot of members become devoted to the leader, and that gives this leader a great amount of influence and control. There are plenty of historic examples of how this can lead to bad outcomes. When doing your research, then, it is recommended to check how an organisation is run, and who by.
Pay to Play?
I mentioned before that there are organisations that ask for financial contributions. Some of these are legitimate organisations; others are not.
Legitimate organisations spend the money raised on the upkeep of the building, community projects, assistance of the poor and the vulnerable, and other good causes. Regardless of how much you donate, you have the same access to spiritual knowledge as everyone else.
Questionable organisations are a lot less transparent about how the money is spent. Also, there are faiths that are ‘pay to play’ – knowledge is locked behind increasingly high payment levels, with the highest level being an exclusive club regular members can hardly dare to dream of accessing. I don’t know about you, but I personally do not believe that salvation ought to depend on one’s wealth, so I recommend staying clear of such schemes.
Fear the World
The world that we live in can be quite scary. This is true. We are facing many problems, and that can feel overwhelming. I am not immune to this. There are times when I feel helpless, as everything seems hopeless – a brighter future looks to be infinitely out of reach.
When I feel that way I think of all the good out there. Life is cruel, yes, but it is also very beautiful. People can be awful, certainly, but we are also capable of great deeds. In times of struggle good, kind people band together to help the other out. Every single day is filled not just with tragedy, but with wonder.
It is necessary for our mental, spiritual, and even physical well-being to remind ourselves of the positives of our existence. Without these reminders fear and despair eat away at our bodies and minds – it’s a destructive force that oughtn’t be nourished.
Unfortunately, some religious organisations use this fear and despair to create a dependency in their members. The members are told that it is a big, bad world out there. Often, they’re warned that some terrible event is on the horizon. That the only people they can trust are those within the organisation – and especially the leadership. That it’s them against society. Possibly even them against their own family.
Nothing good can come out of that. Yes, it is important to be realistic. There are bad people doing bad, and we do face many problems. The answer rests in working together to solve these problems, rather than in isolating ourselves in fear. Again, isolation can leave one vulnerable. We’re stronger when we stand united.
Question!
A lot of the above comes down to feeling free to question. Question before joining an organisation, and keep on questioning. A genuine organisation will welcome questions. Questions, after all, are how you learn, and if the answers stand up to scrutiny they will deepen your faith.
Don’t be made to feel bad for having questions. Keep on being curious, keep on searching, keep on learning. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? We learn and grow throughout our lifetime. If anyone wants to stand in the way of that, the question is why.
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I hope that I haven’t scared you off joining a religious organisation. Most are fine. It is good to be aware, though. Better safe than sorry.
I wish you a wonderful week,
Kit
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Spiritual: August 28, 2024 Issue [#12710]
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