RELG 402 - World's Living Religions
Notes on Reflection Papers
Some of the Essays for this Course give a choice between
- A Reflection Paper on the use of a spiritual aid used by a particular Religion, or
- A Report on a visit to a Faith Community associated with that Religion or Denomination.
At the time of preparing this course it is unclear what possibilities there will be for us to visit one another's Faith Communities - it may be safer for you to plan on staying away from community gatherings, and practicing a spiritual aid at home.
The Reflection Papers on Spiritual Aids ask you to choose some spiritual aid, practice it for at least three days, and then write about your experience.
A good Reflection Paper will show that you have thought about the spiritual aid, its place and significance in its original context (in the Religion with which it is associated), and how you might adapt it to your own spiritual life. Your reflections should show whether or not you found it a help to your present spiritual growth, and any insights you had with regard to its use by yourself or others.
An Essay which just presents the view that "It was really weird" will be liable to a Grade of "F"
This is an Upper-level course, for which there is a requirement that students demonstrate the ability to exercise critical thinking. When reading the material, or listening to a presentation, ask yourself
- What is the author saying?
- What is the author NOT saying?
- What is the probable agenda of the author?
- How reliable is the material?
- Does the author make a good case for his/her position?
Go here for links to online helps for Critical Thinking and other resources for writing Papers and Essays.
Please bear in mind that the purpose of spiritual aids is to help people open themselves to God. They should not be undertaken just for an "experience", but as a genuine way of growing spiritually. Some of them may feel strange and unfamiliar at first - that is why I ask you to try each of them for a period of time, and to reflect upon your experience.
Remember that we are all different - some people respond more easily to visual helps (pictures, images, icons), others to auditory (music, chant), others to kinesthetic (dance, liturgy), and others to mental helps (written texts)
At various stages in our spiritual growth some forms may be more helpful than others - a child's prayers are often different to an adult's. As you look back upon your own life you will probably see that your spirituality changed as you grew from a three-year-old, to a five-year-old, to a twelve-year-old, to a sixteen-year-old, to a twenty-two-year-old, and it is to be hoped that you will continue to grow and mature throughout your life. These Reflection Papers are intended to help you explore avenues which you may not have considered previously.
NOTE on using spiritual aids which are associated with religions other than your own :
Some spiritual aids, eg. prayer, are almost universal in all religions, although different religions may stress different aspects or methods of prayer.
Other aids, eg. dietary regulations, yoga, icons, the rosary, are intimately associated with particular religious traditions. When using such aids you should not just copy them blindly, but think about their meaning within their original context, and then adapt them to your own religious tradition. For example, the Hindu practice of quieting the mind by repeating the syllable "Om" as an aid to meditation, can be adapted to a Christian use by using a word such as "Jesus", while clearing the mind of day-to-day clutter.
Spiritual aids associated with particular religions :
Judaism :
- "Blessings" for use throughout the day. See the links for beracha (singular) and berachoth (plural)
- "Kosher" ("clean") food - not just no pork, but no meat mixed with dairy products (why?), no shrimp, no owls, no bats, but "clean" animals killed humanely and drained of blood.
- The Sabbath - not just as a time of no work, but no work in order to give the time to study and prayer and being close to God. What rituals are used?
If you choose to investigate this option, it would be incorrect to keep a Sabbath for three days, but it should be kept from Friday nightfall to Saturday nightfall
Christianity :
- A daily "Quiet Time" set aside for regular Bible study, prayer, meditation. If this is not a part of your present spiritual discipline, please try it for a week.
- Bible study. Although most religions have sacred writings, most of them do not lay stress upon everyone having access to the Scriptures and to spending some time each day in reading them and letting one's attitudes and actions be guided by them. If this is not a part of your present spiritual discipline, please try it for a week.
- Fasting - see the note on Fasting below
- Prayer, which takes many forms, and may entail either kneeling, standing, sitting, sometimes with eyes closed, hands folded :
- Silent (mental) Prayer, by speaking silently in the mind to God, usually in one's own words
- Vocal (speaking out loud) Prayer, either in one's own words or using prayers which have already been written. See the InterNet links for some traditional Prayers
- The Jesus Prayer - used particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Churches. See the InterNet links for this Prayer and how to incorporate it into one's life
- The Rosary - used particularly in the Roman Catholic Church, as an aid to meditation on the life of Christ. See the InterNet links for this Prayer and its use
Islam :
- Five regular times for Prayer throughout the day, kneeling facing the direction of Mecca.
A non-Muslim could adapt this aid by deciding on five particular times a day for a short period of prayer, not necessarily in any particular direction. If it is difficult to find a quiet place for prayer, there is always a stall in the restroom - Fasting. A Muslim keeps Ramadan by fasting for an extended period, but the fast is relaxed at nightfall each day. One does not eat while it is daylight, but takes nourishment after sunset.
See the note on Fasting below.
See also the BBC Link for a young Muslim man's description of how he keeps Ramadan - Dietary restrictions, similar to, but less strict, than those of Judaism
Buddhism :
- Meditation, particularly by sitting still, clearing the mind, and using a mandala or a mantra such as "Om".
A non-Buddhist could adapt this by using some other word as the mantra.
See the InterNet links and Course notes for methods and teachings about Buddhist and Zen Buddhist meditation - Vegetarian diet
- Simplified life-style
Native American Spirituality :
- A reverence for the creation, a sense of brotherhood with animals, thanking them for letting us kill them for food
Note on Fasting :
Fasting is an aid to spiritual growth which is used in many religions, and also in the secular world, as a means of bringing the body under the control of the spirit, the mind or the will. It helps to strengthen will-power, to clear the body of toxins, to reinforce a sense of proportion in our desires, to give extra time for meditation and study, and when undertaken with a religious or spiritual dimension it can reinforce our sense of dependence on God and deepen our relationship with Him.
There are various types of fast, usually involving giving up food and water. Giving up other imagined "wants", such as chocolate or dessert for a period of time is sometimes referred to as a fast, but is more properly "self-denial" or "abstinence". Food and water are essential for life, and by controlling our desires for them we come to a deeper feeling of our createdness or creatureliness.
- The most frequently used method of fasting is to go without solid food for a period of several days, but to allow as much water (or juice) as the body wants. Such a fast can be held for several days to a week by a body in good health. When coming off such a fast, one should start by eating small amounts of soft food only (eg. yoghurt, oatmeal), until the digestive system gets working again.
- A fast from solid food and liquid for less than 24 hours, such as Moslems do for each day during Ramadan, is another variation. In this case a light meal of food and plenty of liquid is taken once the day has ended and night has fallen.
- An extreme fast, which denies the body any liquids as well as solid food, is very dangerous. Dehydration can lead to death in a few days. Denial of liquid is not for amateurs - leave such fasting to the Eastern Orthodox desert hermits and the Hindu Sadhus.
Before starting a fast - there are three things that one should have firmly in mind :
- The reason for the fast.
Is this going to be a period of withdrawal from the pressures of bodily "wants"?, A time for increased openness to God? Is it time to get serious with God? A time of prayer for some specific occasion or person? - The length of the fast.
When will the fast end? Is this a safe period? Are there likely to be circumstances which would be adversely affected if your body were weakened or your reflexes slower (eg. long automobile drive, heavy lifting)?
Once you have decided on a day and time to end the fast - keep to it.
During a fast there may come a time when there is a temptation to "go one extra day" - this is probably an attack of spiritual pride, when the reason for fasting would shift from the original spiritual reason to one of egotism.
Quit at the time you had originally decided.
On the other hand, if there are unforeseen complications, or if physical/medical conditions arise - come off the fast ahead of time, and give thanks for the amount of time you did manage to have on it. - Not to make a big thing of fasting
If a fast is to be used as a spiritual discipline, its main purpose will be to draw one closer to God. Anything that tends to detract from that purpose is to be avoided. There may be a temptation to tell others that one is fasting, or to refer to it afterwards - this can be a temptation to spiritual pride and egotism, drawing attention away from God and towards oneself. It's best not to say anything about it. Yes, if people ask, one may simply tell them "I'm fasting" rather than lie and tell them one's not.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
