finding my spiritual home: part 2

In part 1, I discussed my former spiritual home, and in this part I hope to explain my current spiritual beliefs, values, and needs, and propose some possible “places” I might find a new spiritual home that fits them.

I currently identify as “spiritual but not religious.”  My personal dissatisfaction with religion stems from my experience in it, as well as a more objective observation of how it functions in the lives of other people.  I am not, however, anti-religion.  I find that religions provide a meaningful structure for the spirituality of many people, as well as a sense of belonging and community.  Because religion is heavily cultural, it is hard at times to separate a religion from the culture it relates to, thus making religion an integral part of the daily lives and cultural identity of its adherents.

Critics of religion cite the many religious conflicts (past and present) as evidence of religion’s harmful nature, but I find that argument misguided.  I would go a level deeper and say that difference of any kind has the potential to cause the same animosity that religion causes.  My own criticisms relate more directly to the idea that religion just does not work for me, at least right now.  My feeling is that if the church or religion you belong to is meaningful, helps you become who you want to be, and is overall helpful for you and not hurtful to yourself or others, then by all means, stay in it.  I also see that people sometimes hold onto their church or religion in unhealthy ways, particularly when the person and the religion are incompatible.  I have seen far too often individuals who cannot seem to let go of their religion, but who are also miserable or at best bewildered by being different and not feeling fully accepted by the general religious community.  Still, above everything I value self-determination and do my best not to judge people who either stay in or leave a religion, and I ask the same for others when they examine my personal experience.

In some ways, psychology has become my religion.  I am ambivalent about this idea, because while it is true that the ideas I have learned in my studies have helped me deconstruct many unhealthy attitudes and paradigms, I am also uncomfortable with being labeled as another “godless psychologist” who was led away from the doctrines of God by the philosophies of men.   Still, psychology is often the lens through which I view the world, and it helps me maintain a balanced, inclusive perspective of all aspects of life, including my spirituality.  Psychological principles provide the primary means through which I understand my experience of the world, which is also one of the main functions of religion, so on that ground you could say that psychology is my religion.  Because of this, I value reason, empirical evidence, and existential concerns as important parts of my spirituality.

Even from a young age, I have been a spiritually sensitive person.  I have had many significant spiritual, even sacred experiences, which I continue to cherish, though the way I frame them and explain them has changed over the years.  I believe in dreams, the metaphysical/supernatural, and an afterlife.  I have felt and continue to feel guidance from a higher power, and I still pray and meditate fairly regularly.  The most important part of my spiritual self is what I perceive to be a “center” or “core” with which I strive to remain in harmony.  I know when I am at peace and when I am not, and I try to make choices that are consistent with that place that I feel inside me that indicates when I am living in harmony with who I am.  Indeed, harmony is one of the key elements of my current belief system.  I strive to live in harmony not only with myself, but also with nature, other people, and with God.

Another important part of my spirituality is conscious, deliberate living.  I often seek to live with the five senses, to be fully present in the world I inhabit and sink my toes deep into the substance of life.  I feel like too many people (including myself for many years) do not go through life fully aware of what it means to be alive and to fully enjoy living.  They tend to go through the motions, not really thinking about what they do or believe.  I aspire to be as conscious as possible of what I believe, consume, feel, see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and say, as well as what others believe, consume, feel, see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and say.  The idea of deliberate living came to me from my reading of Thoreau’s Walden, which I consider one of my personal books of scripture.  Reading that book changed so many things about the way I see myself and the world, and his advocacy of deliberate and simple living touched my soul more than any book I have read.  The paradigm he paints in his writings serves as an ideal to which I aspire and try to implement.

For a couple years now, I have felt like a spiritual wanderer, packing around my beliefs and experience wherever I go, but never feeling like I found a place where I could put down spiritual roots and feel the same security and assurance I felt when I was younger.  I believe that when I do finally “come home” I will know it, but I do not know where that home is yet.  As I see it, there are several possibilities of potential spiritual homes:

My spiritual home might be within another religious community.  I have not ruled out this possibility, even though I do not consider myself religious.  Even when I was an active Latter-Day Saint, I enjoyed and drew significant spiritual satisfaction from visiting other religious communities, and I have sampled from many of the major Christian denominations, as well as a few other non-Christian religions (Buddhism and Hare Krishna).  As I said, I have had meaningful experiences in many of them, and I now sporadically visit some of the churches in Fort Collins.  While I might not believe everything that is sung or discussed in the services (as I do not consider myself a Christian), I do appreciate the structured time to think about my spirituality and to connect with a community of believers.  Indeed, the sense of community is the most attractive aspect of joining another religious congregation.  I feel that if I do so, it will have to be a congregation that is pretty “hands off” in reference to a person’s beliefs.  For this reason, I really enjoyed the Unitarian Universalist church I sometimes attended in Salt Lake City—you can be Christian, atheist, agnostic, or anything else and still participate in a church community that values social justice and activism.  Incidentally, I have started attending the Foothills Unitarian Church here in Fort Collins.

My spiritual home might be found in nature.  There is something inherently spiritual to me about nature, and I enjoy going on a walk in the woods or in a park to clear my thoughts and to meditate.  I will try to connect to nature through all of the five senses, trying to be fully present and part of the world around me.  This connectedness to the earth is increasingly important for me, as I view myself as simply a part of a whole that is the universe.  It is in nature that I can begin to feel something similar to what Thoreau must have felt, and like him I look to nature to learn important lessons about what it means to exist.  However, I’m not sure nature would be sufficient in meeting all of my spiritual needs, since I have become a “people person” and I place a lot of value on sharing and connecting with others.

For that reason, my spiritual home might be found in relationships with other beings.  I believe that humans are inherently relational beings, and there are some human qualities that can only be experienced by interacting with other people.  Love, service, generosity, sacrifice—these require us to interact with other beings in order to experience them fully.  I say “beings” because I mean to be inclusive of people, animals, and other spiritual entities (God, angels, spirits, etc.).  There is also something about sharing and connecting with others that is meaningful to me.  Lately my spiritual needs have been met simply by having a good discussion with another person about things that matter to us.  Connecting with another person is spiritual to me, and that connection can be emotional, intellectual, sexual, or physical.  It can be in the context of a romantic relationship, a friendship, a family relationship, or simply a person one meets in passing. 

My spiritual home might be found in myself.  Wherever I do find a place to settle and make spiritual roots again, I feel that this part will always ring true.  Ultimately, all one has in this life is oneself.  People, churches, and “spiritual states” come and go, and change is inevitable.  The one constant is “me.”  Upon leaving my previous spiritual home, I focused on what I believed, felt, needed, and sought, and that has been a central piece in my spiritual progression.  Such spiritual self-sufficience has proven useful to me because I have learned important lessons about myself.  Whether I find another spiritual home and wherever it is, I feel confident that I will continue to value many of the same things, and as long as I remain in harmony with myself and the world around me, I think any and all of the abovementioned ideas could help me develop spiritually and reach out of myself in order to make the world a better place.

finding my spiritual home: part 1

The concept of a “spiritual home” became personally meaningful to me last week while sitting and meditating in a church meeting a couple weeks ago.  While pondering my current spiritual standing, some questions came to mind:

Where is my spiritual home? 

What do I do there?

Is it inside me or outside of me?

This is especially significant because lately I have felt a longing to have a place I can call my spiritual home, since I left the religion of my birth and have since been defining and restructuring my beliefs for the last few years.  Perhaps it would be helpful to examine my past spiritual home to see what did and did not work for me, and then to describe my ideal spiritual home, in order to gain a better idea of what to look for. 

The spiritual home I was born into was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church.  My family is descended from the original members of the church, and Joseph Smith, the founder, is my great-great-great-uncle.  I grew up in Utah, the heart of Mormonism, and had what I think is the typical Mormon upbringing.  I was blessed at birth, baptized and confirmed (given the Gift of the Holy Ghost) at age 8, ordained a deacon at 12, a teacher at 14, a priest at 16, and an elder at 18.  I went through the temple and received the ordinances there, and went on a 2-year mission to Montreal, Canada, at 19. 

Through all that time I was a 100%, true blue, orthodox Latter-Day Saint.  I believed what I was taught by my parents, church leaders, prophets, apostles, and bishops, and from a very young age I sought to conform completely to all of the standards and commandments of the Church, which I believed to come from God through his ancient and modern prophets.  I thoroughly internalized the doctrines and beliefs of the church, and sought to be “the perfect Mormon boy.”  I pulled it off, at least from an outsider’s view.  I was often praised for being such a good, obedient, upstanding young man in the church.  That felt good for sure, but there was another side to it, a darker side that tainted my blissful Saintly existence. 

What I call my “first gay memory” occurred when I was about three or four years old.  From that time I have many memories of feeling different, of being attracted or interested in the boys and men around me, and the development of my sexual orientation was a parallel process that I saw as directly at odds with my spiritual development in the Church.  The LDS Church is not gay-affirming, as its recent political moves have so clearly shown.  However, there has been much improvement.  I remember reading the book Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McKonkie, in which he describes homosexuality as a sin next to murder.  There were other church materials I read that were equally homophobic and misinformed, which only caused me to heap on the denial and repression of my sexual feelings even more.  While I appeared to be the “perfect Mormon boy” on the outside, on the inside I felt like a disgusting, evil sinner who could only hope that my good works would somehow balance things out such that I would be worthy for one of the lower heavens (there are multiple levels of heaven in Mormon theology).

I suppose the culmination of my Mormon experience was attending Brigham Young University when I returned from my mission.  BYU is the gem of the Church, and the policies of the institution serve to make it the epitome of what Latter-Day Saints represent, good and bad.  It was during my first semester there that my wall of denial and repression was broken down, and I began the long hard road of self-acceptance and understanding.  My coming out process was gradual, as I first attended the reparative-oriented Evergreen support groups, and it eventually led to me finally accepting my sexuality as part of who I am, and pursuing relationships with men.  

In terms of my original spiritual home, you could say that I chose to leave it, that I willingly disobeyed the house rules and thus put myself at odds with its mission and purpose.  While that may be true in some ways, I believe I did my best for a long time to fit in, to conform and obey, and ultimately it did not work.  For me at least.  I think that the LDS Church is a valid, helpful, and even beautiful spiritual home for many people, and if they are happy there I would never wish for them to leave.  At the same time, I believe that it is better to leave if you find it oppressive, and to search among the other existing spiritual homes, or even strike out on your own and build your own (whether it be a shack or a mansion).  That is the point I am at, and in "part 2" I will attempt to describe my ideal spiritual home and posit some ways I might be able to find it.

"out" of the garden: why mother eve and i are not so different

While visitng in Utah for Thanksgiving, I saw the BYU production of Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz. I admit, I was surprised that BYU actually put the production on, because of some of the themes it contains. However, I really enjoyed it, since it furnishes a new way to look at some of the stories from the Book of Genesis. One of the more meaningful aspects of the story for me was how it portrayed Eve and Cain. In this version of the story, they both share a thirst for knowledge, not being content with the status quo. When she was tempted to eat the fruit, Eve expressed desire to know what lay beyond the bounds of Eden, and she wanted to have Father’s knowledge. Similarly, Cain was not content to stay in the wilderness with his parents and brother, Abel, waiting for Father to return and let them go back to Eden. He eventually learns that they will never be able to return, and actually forsakes his family’s pious, innocent existence in order to find out what lies “beyond the waterfall.” It’s certainly a much more sympathetic treatment of the traditionally evil, cursed character Cain is made out to be.

A few days later, while walking with a friend who had attended the musical with me, we discussed the story of leaving the innocence of the garden for a life of knowledge, which is both beautiful and painful. He shared a completely new application of the story of Eve’s choice, based on what we had seen in the musical the week before. Based on what he shared, this is how I conceived it for myself:

I grew up in the safe, innocent, even idealistic atmosphere of gospel doctrine and Mormon culture. The Church was my life—it formed the foundation of my views on everything, and I took everything it gave me without question, seeking only to do what was right and please my parents, church leaders, and ultimately God. The Church was my Eden. And just as Adam and Eve were given certain limits to what they could do (in being forbidden to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil), I was given similar instructions to avoid certain substances, behaviors, and ideas. The part of those instructions I internalized most revolved around sexuality. I was then unaware of my own sexual orientation, though it began to manifest itself in some ways from an early age. But because of what I was taught, I sought for my entire adolescence to not only avoid anything sexual, but to actually annihilate my own sexuality, because I thought it was evil and wrong. I was not only trying to avoid the forbidden fruit, but actually believed I needed to chop the tree down.

As we know, Eve eventually spoke to the serpent, who convinced her that by eating the forbidden fruit, she would be wise like God, knowing all things. He conveniently did not mention that such knowledge would result in both joy and pain, and that knowledge, when misused, is dangerous. Even more, Eve would gain the knowledge of her own death and the death of her loved ones. Instead, the serpent played up the positive aspects of eating the fruit: gaining wisdom and becoming like God.

In my case, I would say that the serpents who told me the half-truths about being gay were our greater culture as well as the gay culture itself. From the popular, Western/American culture, I heard messages about the danger of being gay, that I would contract HIV and die a lonely and miserable reprobate. From the gay popular culture, I heard idealized messages about beautiful men, out-of-this-world sex and Broadway musicals. I even heard about the possibility of having a long-term relationship with a man.

Yes, these messages were seductive, and like Eve, I partook of the forbidden fruit. In the Genesis account, this was a single event, but for me it was a process that took a few years. I didn’t bite down all at once, but I took my time, tentatively tasting what I had for so long feared and avoided. I do remember the sweetness of my first kiss, which was just as innocent and earth-shattering as when Eve’s teeth pierced the skin of the fruit. That was the first time I had tasted affection from a man, and it changed my world forever. I felt fulfilled in ways that I had never felt before, and I finally understood why people cared about “love” and “sex” and “dating”—concepts I hadn’t ever really understood. Finally, I felt in touch with the deepest part of my humanity, and the prospect of finding fulfillment through the expression of my sexuality and pursuing relationships was delicious to me, and very desirable.

Some would say that was my Fall. Once I gained a clear and more perfect understanding of who I was, what I felt, and where that could lead, I found it increasingly difficult to stay in my Eden. God himself told Adam and Eve that they needed to leave, but in my case it was a combination of God, the Church, and my own volition. In the church, I felt increasingly uncomfortable as I realized that I would never be fully accepted or seen as worthy unless I denied the precious part of myself that I had so recently discovered. My whole goal as I evaluated my beliefs and tried to make important choices was to stay close to God, and let him guide me where I needed to go. I have indeed felt that guidance, and even to this day I can say that I feel that I am where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing. I ultimately came to the conclusion to effectively leave Mormonism, and venture into the “lone and dreary world,” full of hard work, grief, suffering as well as joy, love, fulfillment, and beauty.

There are some days that I do still yearn for the simplicity of Eden. That was a time when I had all of the answers, when I felt sure of my destiny and secure in my beliefs. I now live in a world that does not have easy answers, and I don’t know what tomorrow, let alone eternity, will bring for me. But I am content with my decision to be in this place, and knowing what I know now, I could never go back to Eden. I now see that in Eden I was incomplete, and that now because I have experienced both deep sorrow and profound joy, I feel fully alive. Similarly to what Adam and Eve expressed years after leaving the Garden, I can also say that “were it not for [my] transgression [I] should never have [known what it is to love and be loved in return,]…and because of my transgression, my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy” (Moses 5:10-11).

a new look at old issues

Denver, CO—The state legislature held a special conference Monday to address current adolescent issues.  Mental health professionals, school administrators, and parents convened to discuss the factors that most influence teens’ personal and academic development.  Also among those present were many groups of adolescents who were there to express their views and share their experiences.  Of most concern to all were the treatment of reproductive and racial minorities in schools, and the programs designed to help under-achieving students who are often from affluent backgrounds.

Addressing the conference attendees, Marc Jasperson, member of the Denver Board of Education, said: “The time has come to address the great disparities that exist in our schools.  Some of our teens are growing up in a hostile educational and social environment, and we need to understand the factors involved in order to make changes and address needs.” 

One important issue addressed at the conference was the treatment of reproductive minorities.  Those who are attracted to the opposite sex are often put at odds with the dominant gay and lesbian culture, and those individuals find few resources in addressing the needs that come with their heterosexual orientation.  One male student said, “It’s hard feeling so different for something you have no control over.  I have been attracted to girls my whole life, and nothing I do can change that.  And the only thing they really tell us we can do after we get our education is make babies.  I don’t just want to make babies, I want a career.”  Indeed, there has even been controversy over the term “reproductive minorities” because the term seems to stereotype people with a heterosexual orientation as only wanting to reproduce between themselves. 

Carrol Harnsworth, director of State Reproductive Services, begs to differ.  “These kids want special treatment just because they feel they need to reproduce with the opposite sex.  Our services are specifically designed so that no one should need to have intercourse to reproduce.  Our egg and sperm donation programs and our surrogate network are proving to be very effective in serving the needs of the community.  It’s difficult to understand why some people choose not to participate.”

One student who has firsthand experience with this issue is Janelle Goatson.  At 15 years old, she has fallen into a peculiar predicament, since she is pregnant due to heterosexual intercourse.  As a girl from a wealthy family, she already lacked the social status she so desired in school.  “Since my parents pay for everything, I don’t know what I will do or where I will go when they find out.  Kids make fun of me, calling me a “breeder,” and I don’t know if I can finish school in this kind of environment.”

Janelle’s experience is not uncommon for heterosexual teens.  They often experience emotional and psychological difficulties as the result of teasing and discrimination.  Though research has shown some links of a heterosexual orientation to genetics, there is still much debate as to why the orientation still persists in society. 

Dr. Paula Fortin, a Denver area psychologist, pointed out some measures that can be taken to better support underprivileged students: “Teens need a healthy support structure.  This structure involves home and school, parents and teachers.  Students of a higher socioeconomic status, in an ethnic or racial minority, or who have a heterosexual orientation need all the more support because of the severe psychological as well as social difficulties they face.  As educators and parents we can go back to the things that have always worked: open communication, building trust, emphasizing love and not judgment, and promoting programs that help our students succeed.”

it's been a while

and I keep thinking I need to write some grand and glorious post about something terribly, terribly important.  But that isn't the point.  I have to remind myself of the beauty of simple, perhaps banal thoughts that I might want to share, since I so often enjoy the simple, sometimes banal thoughts of others.  I also hate update posts, but this might become one.

I feel like I'm in a whirlwind of experiences.  There are so many things to think about and so many things going on...it begins to seem daunting.  Let me be more specific:  I have been living in Colorado for two months now, and so much has already happened.  The simple answer to "How is Colorado?" is that I love my classmates, my classes (except statistics, but even that's going better), my roommates, my house, Fort Collins, the weather here, and Colorado State University. I have been impressed by the people I'm meeting, and the experiences I'm having.  I'm just starting the first step of a long road....but I still feel it is the right road, and I will stay on it.

In summer 2008, I had a couple experiences where I felt very strongly that I needed to pursue a PhD in Counseling Psychology.  I attribute those experience to divine guidance, and so I applied to programs, waited for responses, and ultimately ended up here, at CSU.  Now that I have been here for a couple months, I have begun evaluating again, to see if I am indeed where I still need to be.  And last week I had another confirming experience, perhaps less spiritual, but reassuring nonetheless.  I feel like this is a good program, and that Fort Collins is a place where I will be able to put down some roots, at least for the next few years.  This past weekend, I had a conversation where I began to convey my passion for psychology and my excitement at being on the path to my dream career, and it felt so so good.  I wouldn't want to do anything else, and I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to advance in my education and professional development.

Recent experiences have caused me to reflect on some themes or unresolved issues that I want to explore, some of which I may do on here, or perhaps in personal therapy.  But it helps to know and really feel that I am right where I need to be in my life, and that I am still going in the right direction. 

The Great Divorce-Westy Style

I have been in Colorado two days and I already have Colorado plates on my car.

Abrupt, you might say.  Sudden.  Rash.  But it's all part of my plan to become a Colorado resident (mostly for tuition purposes).  I met with the Financial Services office today and they laid out all the hoops I have to jump through to be recognized as a resident, which involves forming ties to Colorado and severing ties with my ex-state.  Sorry Utah, you were good to me for so many years, but I must move on.

So far, I love Fort Collins.  It's a beautiful city.  There are bicyclists everywhere, along with sprawling parks, trees every few feet, quaint neighborhoods, and the Rocky Mountains hovering in the distance.  I visited CSU's campus today and was quite impressed.  Being used to BYU, I thought I would be disappointed in another university, but so far I have been nothing but amazed and delighted.  It actually does remind me somewhat of BYU's layout, except there is about twice as much green space.  Everyone who helped me today was not only courteous but friendly and helpful.  That goes for CSU employees as well as the people at the sheriff's office, the county court offices, and the DMV.  

This is by far the calmest evening I've had since my arrival.  The first evening I went to a PFLAG ice cream social that a friend invited me to.  It was a wonderful experience because the focus was on finding ways to help the local Fort Collins religious community become more understanding and welcoming to its GLBT members.  Fourteen churches were represented, and each shared its intra-congregational struggles and brainstormed ways to move forward.  Mostly, it was touching to see parents who say with teary eyes, "I love my children--straight or gay."  

Last night I went out with my roommates (two really beautiful girls, one from Denver and one from Portland).  We ate at a lovely sushi restaurant, then strolled around Old Town, the city center with all the bars, boutiques, and restaurants.  After that--well, let's just say we got some champagne and it all went to our heads.  

I did, however, have a moment of feeling lonely today.  I had called and texted some friends, but with no response, and was feeling a bit daunted by the mass of paperwork I need to compile.  So what did I do?  I called my mommy.  She empathized and encouraged as she does best, and I felt better.  Of course it's normal to have moments like that during a significant transition, and so I just sit with my feelings and experience them as worthy expressions of the love for what I left behind.  There are certainly people here who will become some of my dearest friends, and I look forward to putting down roots here in Fort Collins.  My mom compared me today to a plant that has been transplanted, and I'm still feeling the shock but will eventually feel just as secure and grounded as I did in Utah.  These things simply take time.

As a friend told me yesterday, "Utah's loss is Colorado's gain."  I will always think of Utah as my home, but it does feel liberating and refreshing to break away from what I have known to settle in a new place.  So far I feel this new place welcoming me and inspiring me to continue with my personal and professional goals.  As long as I stay true to what is inside me, I don't believe it really matters where I call my home.  

"No More Goodbyes" - a response

Today I finished reading Carol Lynn Pearson's book, "No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones." Reading it was a beautiful experience that reminded me that at the end of the day, we just need to love people. Just love people. Just love people.

We may not agree with others' choices, beliefs, or clothing style, but in spite of our differences we can love them. It is inevitable that we will encounter people with vastly different experiences from us, experiences that are no less valid than our own. Ultimately, I believe all we have to go on is our experience and what we can learn from others. Whether through prayer, study, listening to promptings, or reasoning, each of us must feel out, as best we can, the best path for us, and I believe we know when we are on the right path because it is then that we love life most and begin to understand who we really are.

My own experience as a gay man has taught me many beautiful truths about what it means to live and love, and how to be compassionate to other people, whatever their circumstances. I have learned that you can assume nothing about anyone. I have learned patience. I have sat down with difficult choices and tremendous consequences, weighed them carefully, and moved forward in ways that have blessed my life.

It was during my first semester at BYU that I finally realized/accepted/became aware that I am gay. A lifetime of confusion, self-hatred, repression, and denial melted away into an intense depression as I found myself in a group that even I had spoken ill of. It took a year or two to work through many issues, especially my religious beliefs and expectations for the future. I attended Evergreen, firesides, and other gatherings where I met other Mormon men who experience homosexual attraction. It was only about two years ago when I could finally say that I loved and cared about myself. Those beautiful feelings coincided with a general acceptance of who I am, and since then I have thought deeply about my purpose here on earth and my life's meaning.

In conclusion, I want to say that being gay has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. And reading Sister Pearson's book has reaffirmed that feeling and enhanced it. I recommend it to all, because it reminds us to be more aware and understanding of others' trials and conditions, whatever they may be. And most of all, it reminds us that we just need to love people. Whatever the situation, we must do our best to love others. I pray that my life can become a model of that kind of selfless, unconditional love, and that whatever I may face in the future that I can face it with strength and with self-assurance. May God help and bless us all.