I think there are lots of correlations and lots of things that don't correlate between the church and awakening or enlightenment or whatever you want to call it. I haven't been able to answer many thoughts, but my church beliefs that have caused me to act a certain way to be accepted, not ask certain questions, taboo's, restrictions and stuff like that - those are the thoughts that I re-evaluate. Are they true, do they lead me to peace or anxiety/stress? My biggest clue of a belief that might not fit with me is if it brings me stress. My new relationship with God leads me to a strong belief that God is kind and that everything that happens is divinely planned. Even the things that don't fit within the rules of our society or church. When I belief God is complete kindness and love, then I can rest more peacefully know that he won't allow anything to happen that isn't going to be ok. (That includes death, illness, things not going the way we think they should) And that is how I've been able to buck some of our societal norms and come to a place of beautiful happiness in my alter-cultural life. I look at my life before, when I was living according to the rules of the church and society and see lots of stress, unhappiness, striving and discontent vs. now when I live my life on what is true for me. Now I have a constant underlying joy, contentment, knowing, and happiness that exists always - even the times when I do feel anxiety, stress, worry - the joy is underlying. I have that deep, deep knowing that everything is ok that I never had before.
In church I don't think I had that deep knowing that everything was ok because I was preoccupied with sin and what it was doing in my life. Nothing could be ok when I still sinned. Now my focus isn't on sin it's on peace.
In church I don't think I had that deep knowing that everything was ok because I was preoccupied with sin and what it was doing in my life. Nothing could be ok when I still sinned. Now my focus isn't on sin it's on peace.
