The human being is not totally healthy if any part of him or her is not healthy. We generally try to care for our bodies, and sometimes for our minds, but possibly not as much for our spiritual component.
As the world celebrates Christmas and indeed the coming of a New Year for which all pray for good things, we here consider our spiritual health. A writer can however leave readers things to think about rather than actually effect any change in spiritual health.
I look around at people and I here begin with askology. Is a psychiatrist 100% sane 100% of the time? Is a doctor 100% healthy 100% of the time? Is a professor 100% knowledgeable 100% of the time? Is a lawyer 100% lawful 100% of the time? Is a pastor 100% holy 100% of the time?
Now, Jeremiah is not my favourite book of the Bible but recently this prophet gave me something to think about as I read: “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17: 5, NAB).
Surely we must trust a psychiatrist, a doctor, a professor, a lawyer, a pastor, etc. but this counsel puts us in the perspective of the universal limitation and imperfection of humanity. Even a person who is presumably a perfect professional cannot be presumed a perfect human being or a perfect spiritual being. Seemingly we all have good and evil or are influenced by good and evil.
The world of religion is an obvious battle ground of good and evil using human and other agencies. Humans are apparently at the centre of this battle. Only God knows where we are heading and if each man or woman is on the side of good or on the side of evil.
Religion has a great propensity to benefit all. How people give their time, energy, efforts, money, resources, knowledge, etc., for the good of others because of their faith in God. The religions we practice themselves have been passed down to us through the love, sacrifices, and dedication of people before us. Much of the world’s development and human progress has come from religion. Religion led by the spirit of God is a channel of God’s goodness towards humanity. It is humans reaching out to God and being used by God.
Religion also has a great propensity to cause trouble. How we can be stiff and strong in falsehood, error, and fabrications. How we can be stiff and strong in wrong doing, injustice, and hurts to others. How we can be stiff and strong in missions of evil consequence. Religion played out by human nature may be just an expression of what lies in the dark side of humanity: egotism, rivalry, greed, selfishness, avarice, envy, jealousy, stupidity, malice, injustice, prejudice, bias, ignorance, anger, fanaticism, falsehood, etc.
What are we calling religion? What are we practicing as religion? What are we doing with religion? What is the result of our religion?
Zeal has to be examined. Holy zeal is a carriage of the human spirit by God’s spirit to enable one to accomplish holy tasks. It is not a mental state (such as excitement, obsession, addiction, fanaticism, craze, anxiety, or paranoia) which we sometimes encounter in religion.
Religious leadership has to be examined. People can be damaged in body, mind, or spirit to a point of no return because of improper religious leadership. Religions are establishments and enterprises and always have something at stake: money, property, memberships, doctrines, traditions, causes, etc. They also always have things to propagate, to conquer, to live for, to fight for, to kill for, and to die for. Thus leaderships in religion can be pressured into unhealthy mental or unhealthy spiritual states.
Religions stand for God rightly or wrongly. This is a source of audacity, license, perceived prerogatives, and blindness that can result in blatant disrespect, hurt, persecution, and injustice towards people who don’t tally. Frankly, our works of hatred, our works of envy, our works of ignorance, our works of arrogance, our works of enmity, our works of stupidity – that we sometimes call God’s work are works of human weaknesses.
What has religion turned us into? Is our religion a true encounter with God? Is our religion an agent of sanity and sanctity? Is our religion an agent of physical well-being and fitness for our presence, place, and role in society? Does religion need to change? Our spiritual health can improve with a dose of grace and mercy. Humanity is always in need of mercy and grace otherwise life would just be a long, long night with no light at the end of it. Hopefully for many, religion is a source of joy, peace, and glory this Christmas and in everyday life.
Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635
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