Dec 17, 2012
As we mature spiritually and are ready for deeper and more expansive experience, so much that religion focuses on--propositional statements of belief and messaging that leads us to believe "If we do this practice or that amount of good, we will be ‘saved’"--can begin to hinder our progress. Using the phrase attributed to Jesus that "the kingdom of God is within [us]" (Luke 17:21) as an entry point into a discussion of deeper forms of spirituality taught in and urged by the scriptures, as well as the inner call of our own spirits, this two-part episode focuses on the vitality of direct experience with the Spirit--our true, divine selves in the presence of God. What ideas and mis-identifications keep us from these experiences? What are the effects that follow in our lives from having them? How do we put ourselves in a position (techniques and attitudes) to have them? If you’re feeling unsatisfied, that something in your spiritual life is "missing," join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Phil McLemore and Nathan Kline on an exploration of ideas about our natures and the spiritual heart of religion and the kinds of practices that might nudge us toward something more fulfilling, that can move us from an identification with and desire to perfect the "natural man" to a realization of our true spiritual essence, from a life dominated by fear and a craving to be "in control" to one of centered in love and leading to a desire for oneness. Part 1 focuses on theory, Part 2 on practice (especially "centering prayer" and meditative disciplines).