Self Help vs. Spiritual Awaking?

[Sunstone]

In another thread, Doppleganger pointed out that religiosity in America has been moving away from an emphasis on spiritual awakening and towards an emphasis on self help or wellness.

For instance: You can see this development in the "Prosperity Gospel" that asserts "Jesus wants you to be rich", or in the way Buddhism has come in the West to be more about self help than about enlightenment and nirvana. This sea change from spiritual awakening to self help or wellness, if true, seems to me to be one of the most notable religious developments of our time.

What do you make of this development?

Is religion legitimately about self help? Are such things as the Gospel of Wealth or Prosperity ("Jesus wants you to be rich") the real point and purpose of religion? Or is this movement towards religion as self help and wellness somehow missing the point of religion?

Does the movement towards self help and wellness make religion more accessible to more people? If so, is there a price paid for making religion more accessible in that way?

Is there still a role for spiritual awakening in this movement towards self help and wellness? If so, how?

What are the main religious or spiritual advantages, if any, of this movement towards self help or wellness?

Will Buddhism survive the sea change from a religion about enlightenment to a religion about wellness?

Is this movement towards self help and wellness a fad or something more longer lasting?

 

[MaddLlama]

Bumping this....I have nothing to say on the subject, but I find the concept interesting and would like to hear what others have to say =)

 

[Ozzie]

In another thread, Doppleganger pointed out that religiosity in America has been moving away from an emphasis on spiritual awakening and towards an emphasis on self help or wellness.

For instance: You can see this development in the "Prosperity Gospel" that asserts "Jesus wants you to be rich", or in the way Buddhism has come in the West to be more about self help than about enlightenment and nirvana. This sea change from spiritual awakening to self help or wellness, if true, seems to me to be one of the most notable religious developments of our time.

What do you make of this development?

Is religion legitimately about self help? Are such things as the Gospel of Wealth or Prosperity ("Jesus wants you to be rich") the real point and purpose of religion? Or is this movement towards religion as self help and wellness somehow missing the point of religion?

Does the movement towards self help and wellness make religion more accessible to more people? If so, is there a price paid for making religion more accessible in that way?

Is there still a role for spiritual awakening in this movement towards self help and wellness? If so, how?

What are the main religious or spiritual advantages, if any, of this movement towards self help or wellness?

Will Buddhism survive the sea change from a religion about enlightenment to a religion about wellness?

Is this movement towards self help and wellness a fad or something more longer lasting?

Wellness is a non-sectarian concept. Spiritual awakening is likely to be construed as a promise of a particular religious tradition. That you can pursue wellness without subscribing/committing to a religious tradition is attractive.

But the two examples you use are vastly different. I'm not sure the Gospel of Wealth is preached as a "benefit" that can be obtained without committing to the religious beliefs of the evangelists wholeheartedly. Buddhism has a practice in meditation which can be taught in a non-sectarian way, Hindus have yoga. Following both these practises achieves mental and physical wellness in a measurable way without having to identify as Buddhist or Hindu. Is there any measurable evidence of a correlation between the Gospel of Wealth and money in the wallet? Or does the Gospel of Wealth attract wealthy converts?

Anyone practising meditation or yoga might find for themselves deeper spiritual awakening as a result of the practise also. With experience, it may be found that following certain moral precepts might aid in the practise for instance.

IMO there is not really any price to pay in terms of sacrificing spiritual awakening by practising meditation or yoga to achieve wellness. Both are a preparation for achieving spiritual awakening, and the wellness is achieved as a step along the way but for a serious Buddhist or Hindu may not be the goal in itself of pursuing the practise in the first place whereas it can be for someone just curious about the health benefits.

OZ

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Is religion legitimately about self help? Are such things as the Gospel of Wealth or Prosperity ("Jesus wants you to be rich") the real point and purpose of religion? Or is this movement towards religion as self help and wellness somehow missing the point of religion?

Self help and awareness are important, certainly, and have historically had their place in religion, but I think the real purpose behind religion is finding meaning beyond the habits of living.

Does the movement towards self help and wellness make religion more accessible to more people? If so, is there a price paid for making religion more accessible in that way?

I think it does here in the US, where self help and wellness are becoming more and more commercialized. People want to feel good, do it themselves, and do it fast! By emphasizing these qualities in a religion or philosophy, it becomes a selling point and bam! the religion or philosophy is in the mainstream.

This is good in some ways. While people are researching the self help and wellness part, they are exposing themselves to a new culture and new way of thinking. Yea, diversity! The downside is, while seeking the quick fix, people may completely miss the idea or skip through important points, and end up finding the utilitarian aspects useless to them and abandon it.

Is there still a role for spiritual awakening in this movement towards self help and wellness? If so, how?

Spirituality is important for many people. Just feeling healthy and wealthy will leave many also feeling empty. As our society becomes more technologically focused, faster, and based more and more on quantity over quality, individuals are going to need meaningful reprieve from the stresses of life, and video games, movies, and the internet will not be enough. People are going to need to find meaning in a habitual, speed-of-light existence and may turn to religion. Incidentally, I believe this is one of the reasons for the rise in fundamentalism across religions; technology simply does not offer us the qualitative meaning we think we need.

What are the main religious or spiritual advantages, if any, of this movement towards self help or wellness?

It is easier to focus on spirituality when one is healthy. Some would argue that sound body equals sound mind and spirit.

Is this movement towards self help and wellness a fad or something more longer lasting?

I think it's something that will always be there. People want to be well, and they want to be able to help themselves.

 

[Ozzie]

Good points GC. Actually it is true that yoga and perhaps meditation could be corrupted in the pursuit of wellness by the need for speed you refer to. I'm not sure it is healthy to practice yoga in a room heated to 40degrees and although I have never heard of speed mediation, I am sure visualising dollar symbols could be used as a mantra for concentrating the mind.

 

[porkchop]

For instance: You can see this development in the "Prosperity Gospel" that asserts "Jesus wants you to be rich", or in the way Buddhism has come in the West to be more about self help than about enlightenment and nirvana. This sea change from spiritual awakening to self help or wellness, if true, seems to me to be one of the most notable religious developments of our time.

What do you make of this development?

I once attended a church (not for long) that was well into the 'name it claim it' business and prosperity teaching. I dispise this type of teaching as this is not what Jesus is about. He taught not to store up treasure on this earth that can rot away, but to store treasure up in heaven. These people just wanna be rich and use Jesus as a way of justifying all the money and posessions they have. I do think some are deluded and dont read the Bible properly and really think thats how it should be.What must God think when He sees them??????

Is religion legitimately about self help? Are such things as the Gospel of Wealth or Prosperity ("Jesus wants you to be rich") the real point and purpose of religion? Or is this movement towards religion as self help and wellness somehow missing the point of religion?

A belief/faith in Jesus is not about self help at all. You see, what happened is the church let psychology in the door and created a monster. And yes, they are totally missing the point of anything Jesus said.

Does the movement towards self help and wellness make religion more accessible to more people? If so, is there a price paid for making religion more accessible in that way?

Yes, im sure it does, as all these churches that preach this message are packed full every sunday. But they have helped to produce many false conversions, that is the price to be paid and they shall be held accountable.

Is there still a role for spiritual awakening in this movement towards self help and wellness? If so, how?

Spiritual awakening sounds like a very new age term to me, could you explain what you mean by it? All i know is that church need to go back to the Bible.

What are the main religious or spiritual advantages, if any, of this movement towards self help or wellness?

There are none.

Will Buddhism survive the sea change from a religion about enlightenment to a religion about wellness?

N/A to me.

Is this movement towards self help and wellness a fad or something more longer lasting?

[/QUOTE]
Its here to stay and i believe its gonna get a lot worse.

Cool thread, sunstone.: hamster : : hamster :

 

[Halcyon]

If Jesus or the Buddha want me to be rich, then Barney the Dinosaur wants me to start fires.

There's no need to use religion as a self-help plan, we have perfectly fine secular self-help plans.
I think meditation is valuable to everybody regardless of religion as it relaxes body and mind, but there is more to Buddhism than meditation and i don't think that Buddhism should be linked with meditation used only for increasing well-being for entirely secular reasons.

 

[Random]

The movement away from spiritual awakening is not surprising: the New Age movement has proven the catalyst for it.

I think most never really understood Enlightenment anyway: it is a concept still largely alien to the western mind, and its defined so diversely in the East that few could agree who is enlightened and who isn't.

Dissatisfaction with the Self encourages a culture in which everyone wants to change themselves: self-help offers practical but mostly ineffective ways to do this yet creates commercial opportunities for exploitation. It's about profit.

 

[doppelganger]

I have a lot to say about this, but I've been to busy to really put anything together yet. My big brief will be filed with the court on Thursday, so I hope to spend some time this weekend organizing my thoughts and a few key excerpts from some interesting sources into an at least semi-coherent post or two.

 

[Sunstone]

I have a lot to say about this, but I've been to busy to really put anything together yet. My big brief will be filed with the court on Thursday, so I hope to spend some time this weekend organizing my thoughts and a few key excerpts from some interesting sources into an at least semi-coherent post or two.

I'm looking forward to your post!

 

[sojourner]

I've thought a lot about this topic -- and it's a hot one around the country right now, as well. While thinking about being well and healthy is certainly compelling, and while it might be exciting to think that "Jesus wants us to be rich," I think we would do well to realize that most people who are spiritually awake are not rich,and are relatively unconcerned with money. Money is a worldly thing and a worldly goal -- not a spiritual goal.

I think that, when we attempt to "pull religion into the mainstream" of the wealth/fitness craze, we devalue the religion, making its dynamic one of personal gain, instead of personal sacrifice. I think we'd be far better off letting the salt be the salt -- and we all know what happens when there's too much salt in the food!