Cultivating authentic spirituality is harder than it needs to be. There’s a lot of confusion about what it means. Find out what spirituality is all about and why authentic faith matters.
In the arena of spirituality, nothing is clear. Your spiritual beliefs are a reflection of your worldview or paradigm. So, what people think is genuine or authentic is colored by the filter of their beliefs. Unfortunately, most people do not have the freedom to choose their spiritual beliefs. They inherit their beliefs from their family and dominant culture.
Before we get to the questions, what is the test of authentic faith, and why does it matter? Let’s define what we are talking about. After we define our terms, we’ll lay out the signs of authenticity in spirituality. Then, you can take the short test at the end.
Cultivating Authentic Spirituality
To be authentic means to be fresh, new, original, and genuine. It is not a copy of something else. Copying something else is inauthentic and plagiarism.
If something is real, it exists, is tangible, and is based on fact.
To find out why authentic faith matters, we need to define it. Faith means to have confidence in something. However, religion has usurped it to mean belief in their doctrines. Faith can also be defined as your spiritual beliefs.
Spirituality means things that concern the spirit. In today’s vernacular, the spirit is our awareness and consciousness. So, spirituality means using tools to explore consciousness and awareness. The tools for exploring consciousness and awareness are “real and authentic.” These tools open the doors to high states of consciousness.
Religion uses the term spirituality to describe the belief in mythology and superstition. These doctrines are copies of ancient Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Persia cults. They also often include the Dying-God cults of the Medditraian region. None of these cults have anything to do with tools that explore consciousness. They are all about the belief in imaginary friends and enemies. These ideas are not authentic, nor are they real.
When you ask what the test of authentic faith is, you must know which type of faith you are discussing. Is faith related to confidence, or does it relate to religious mythology?
Freedom to Choose
Authenticity begins with the freedom to choose. If you don’t have a choice to decide about your spiritual beliefs, then you are a follower. Many people who follow a religion do not decide to do so after in-depth research. They did not make an informed decision but one based on bias.
When children are indoctrinated into religious beliefs, this is considered a form of child abuse. Adults turn to organized religion when they are in crisis. Often, the only help they receive is the fellowship of fellow believers who are also struggling.
If you have financial problems, religious organizations don’t offer financial help or loans. They want you to donate money and hope their imaginary friend will respond supernaturally. If you are sick, they want you to donate as a show of faith to prove you are worthy to receive healing.
Cultivating authentic spirituality within the confines of a religion is impossible. You must accept their beliefs, or you are rejected as a heretic.
Some societies limit freedom of choice. It is against the law in some countries to choose a spiritual path. (1) Today, more than 80 countries have some level of religious preference. Some countries in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia, have harsh penalties for non-believers. Those who reject Islam suffer punishment up to execution.
Once you fall into the mind trap of religion, it can be tough to get out, but it is possible. Religions make it hard to leave because their cash flow depends on your membership. If you leave, you are branded a heretic, and other members will cut off contact. It all comes back to the freedom to choose. So, one reason why authentic faith matters is that it is a sign of freedom.
Freedom to Explore and Use Other Tools
Cultivating authentic spirituality is the basis for a healthy, skeptical mindset. This is the mindset that provides the freedom to engage in practices that promote personal growth. Spiritual exploration is all about finding out what works for you.
By experimenting with practices, you deepen your understanding of yourself. Spiritual exploration allows you to use tools from a variety of sources. In this way, you can create a unique spiritual path. Developing your own path ensures your best learning outcomes. One of the primary signs of authentic faith is having the freedom to explore and experiment. A mind free of religious prejudice can adopt a more open-minded approach to spirituality.
Practice Meditation and Mindfulness Techniques
Take time to learn as many meditation tools as possible. Sitting quietly for a few minutes daily and focusing on your breath can calm your overactive mind. Better yet, meditate for a few minutes. Meditation helps to calm the mind, reduce stress, and connect with your inner self. It can also help you to tap into your intuition and gain insights into your spiritual journey.
Practice seated and walking mindfulness. Mindfulness helps you become fully present. It helps you to appreciate the beauty and wonder of life. It’s a practice that deepens your connection to the world around you. Practicing mindfulness produces gratitude and compassion, which give us a wide perspective.
Nurture Yourself in Nature
Immerse yourself in nature. Take time to connect with the natural world. It’s an easy way to cultivate authentic spirituality. Nature has a way of grounding us. It reminds us of our place in the universe and connects us to something greater than ourselves. Whether you walk in the woods, sit by the ocean, or spend time in your garden, nature can inspire and renew.
Find Healthy Community and Teachers
Connect with a spiritual community, mentor, or teacher. Being part of a healthy spiritual community gives you a support system. They are partners to guide and inspire your spiritual journey. There are many options for community connections. A weekly meditation group, yoga class, or a spiritual mentor all help you stay true to your path. Look for teachers who provide tools and techniques, not those looking to make followers.
Engage in Regular Self-Care
Self-care is an essential tool for maintaining our health. Protecting your well-being is essential for cultivating authentic spirituality. Make time for activities that nourish your soul, such as reading, journaling, or engaging in creative pursuits. Learn to practice self-compassion by treating yourself with kindness, patience, and understanding. The power of self-forgiveness will transform your attitude.
Signs of Authentic Faith Without Religion
Living an authentic life produces obvious positive behaviors. Sectarian religious beliefs are at odds with many of the signs of authenticity. Authenticity is inherently inclusive. In comparison, sectarian ideologies are inherently prejudicial. Religions exclude those who are not followers while giving members preferential treatment.
Kindness and Compassion
To live authentic spirituality is to share kindness and compassion without prejudice. Kindness often manifests in volunteering. When you help those less fortunate, you get an immediate return. Selfless behavior reflects a healthy sense of self. They demonstrate positive values rather than external religious teachings. One of the signs of authentic faith is empathy for the suffering of others.
Moral and Ethical Behavior
Another sign of authenticity is a strong sense of morality and ethics. When you have a clear understanding of right and wrong, you will strive to make the right choices. You will stand up for justice and equality, even when it is difficult. This sense of integrity reflects a healthy moral compass. Inclusion, equity, and equality are their banner.
Authentic people demonstrate resilience and perseverance. They draw strength from a healthy, skeptical mindset. It’s a mindset that gives them courage and determination to overcome challenges and obstacles. They reject superficial forms of religious spirituality, preferring genuine and heartfelt connections.
Sense of Purpose
Those who are authentic have a strong sense of purpose. A strong sense of inner purpose is the basis of inner peace. Our purpose is a goal, and it is the reason behind what we do. Persistence is another one of the primary signs of authentic faith. Persistence reflects a deep sense of trust and belief in a positive goal.
Champion Critical Thinking
Another sign of an authentic person is their willingness to question and think critically about their beliefs. Authentic people tend to be open-minded and open to new ideas and perspectives. This willingness to question and grow reflects a deeply rooted faith in the search for truth and meaning.
Respect for Nature
Those who are authentic are also aware and awake. To be aware is to have reverence and awe for the natural world. When you feel a deep connection to nature, you find solace and inspiration in the beauty and wonder of the world. A sense of wonder leads to gratitude and humility towards the earth and all its creatures. Protecting and preserving the environment for future generations is a positive legacy.
Summary of the signs of authentic faith
These signs can be seen in many aspects of a person’s character and behavior. Authenticity encourages us to show love and compassion with a strong sense of morality and ethics. It’s a mindset that gives us a deep sense of peace and contentment. This internal compass is a powerful force that guides their decisions and actions. These signs are the result of cultivating spiritual authenticity.
Cultivating Authentic Spirituality in Religion?
Spirituality is on a continuum from irrational belief in mythology to rational thinking. So, not all religions or “faiths” are inauthentic.
Some religions encourage spiritual freedom. For example, Buddhism, Taoism, and Paganism encourage the exploration of other ideas and systems. So, you have a greater ability to choose to associate with a group or leave. Many people choose not to belong to any religious affiliation. They seek the freedom to use the tools to explore their spirituality.
Spiritual exploration predates organized religion. The exploration of consciousness was the focus of indigenous cultures. Of course, this was before organized religion came to power. These early pioneers are the first explorers of consciousness.
The most popular organized religions are those of the Abrahamic tree. These are the belief systems of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity (2). They use a system of continual indoctrination that installs beliefs in mythology. These systems aren’t new. The Abrahamic faiths are the rebranding of the ancient mystery religions. These cults existed in the Mediterranean region, dating from 6000 BC. What is the test of authentic faith in these systems? It is following what the sect leader says they need to believe.
Contradictory and Illogical Dogma
Many people don’t regard the Abrahamic mythologies as being authentic or genuine spiritual paths. They are well-known for their contradictory doctrines. They cherry-pick their sacred texts to justify religious bias, discrimination, and violence. Moreover, these religions are absent from real processes for consciousness exploration. So, the best definition of authentic faith in the Abrahamic religions is adherence to doctrine. If you do, you gain God’s favor. If you don’t, you suffer his eternal punishment.
The Primary Concern — Cashflow
Western theology’s foremost concern is to create a cost-effective income generation pipeline. All Christianity did was rebrand what was already in place. This rebranding focused on cash flow rather than spiritual development. It used the mythologies that were already in place. Using the myth to siphon funds reduced the cost of keeping an army in place.
Religion is self-policing using peer pressure to maintain the cash flow. Here, the focus was on selling the afterlife, a commodity with no unsatisfied customers. It provides massive streams of wealth, making organized religion war-proof. It’s an intentional misrepresentation of mythology as fact.
The Abrahamic religions are about faith in an imaginary friend called God. Each sect has its own particular version. The Islamic faith is based on the belief that Muhammad is a divinely inspired prophet. The Christians rally around Jesus as part of the triune aspect of the dying God. Judaism is about belief in God, too, but as a monotheistic entity.
Ignoring the Advice of Their Avatars
The interesting thing about the religions of Abrahamic is they ignore the advice of their chosen sages. What is the test of authentic faith in these paradigms? It is cherry-picking of doctrine to support their particular sect. However, the great Sages say cultivating authentic spirituality is walking your “own path.”
For example, Jesus was raised as a Jew and trained as a rabbinical scholar. He rejected the trap of organized religion. He taught that you could not find authenticity by memorizing philosophies, doctrine, and dogma. The same is true of the prophet Mohammad. But, instead of leading people out of organized religion, their followers created more religions. Is genuine faith possible in our modern world?
“Truth is not to be found outside. No teacher, no scripture can give it to you. It is inside you and if you wish to attain it, seek your own company. Be with yourself.” ― Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Osho
Freethinkers Versus Religious Sectarianism
Someone with a unique spiritual path doesn’t fit the cultural norm, and they don’t follow the crowd. They are freethinkers who reject the programming of the commercialized religion.
The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, we should base it on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description.” — Albert Einstein
So, having authentic faith is taking personal responsibility for the inner quest. You must avoid becoming a follower. When you take this road, you learn to value tools and processes, not beliefs and religions. It’s an approach Joseph Campbell calls “the Hero’s Journey (3).” Many people hear the call for this inward quest. To follow it requires courage and common sense.
Buddhism is one such path that requires you to use your intellect and spirit. The goal is to become a better person today than you were yesterday. You do this by doing what is best for everyone and everything. Other paths outside of organized religion achieve these goals. So, you don’t need to be a dedicated Buddhist to follow this philosophy.
We are social animals, so many people shy away from leaving organized religion. But, although you may walk your path alone, you don’t need to be alone. You’ll soon find other like-minded freethinkers to walk with you. You will share your knowledge and gain knowledge from others.
What is the Test of Authentic Faith?
After reading the signs exhibited by those who are authentic, you’ll find the test is simple.
1. Do you have the freedom to choose the spiritual direction of your life?
2. Are your spiritual beliefs non-sectarian?
3. Do you have the freedom to engage in spiritual exploration?
4. If you have the freedom, do you engage in spiritual exploration?
5. How do you treat others who don’t share your religious beliefs?
The short answers to this test are below. For more details, see the discussion above.
1. Either you have the freedom to choose to change your beliefs, or you do not. If you don’t have the freedom to choose, ask yourself why. If you do have a choice, did you choose to follow an organized religion? If so, why?
2. If you follow a branch of Western religion, your beliefs are sectarian.
3. You either have the freedom to explore other belief systems, or you do not. If you have the freedom, what are you doing about it? If you don’t have the freedom to explore, ask yourself why.
4. Just because you don’t follow a religion doesn’t mean you take advantage of the freedom to walk your own path.
5. How you treat others who don’t share the same religious beliefs will tell you if your moral compass is broken. If you give preferential treatment to some because they hold your religious beliefs, your moral compass is broken. If you discriminate against others because of their race or gender, your moral compass is broken.
Conclusion — Why Authentic Faith Matters
Our faith is our spiritual beliefs. So, our beliefs matter because they are the blueprint of our values, which drive behavior. When we are true to positive beliefs like inclusion, equality, and equity, we attract like-minded people who share these values. This sense of community and connection can provide support and encouragement when we need it most. It creates a sense of belonging and acceptance that is vital for our overall well-being.
Authentic and genuine spirituality and faith are not about following a set of religious rules. The signs of authentic faith do not resemble the fruit of Western organized religion. We can see the effects of sectarian faith in the prejudice, bias, and violence it promotes. The only authenticity they have is in their determination to keep their cash flow machinery in place.
When we are genuine and authentic, we are able to face and overcome obstacles to our growth. As we face struggles, having a unique personal practice helps us stay positive and resilient. It gives us strength and courage to keep going, even when things seem bleak. Living with authenticity gives us a healthy, skeptical mindset. It’s a mindset that provides purpose, comfort, and community. These reasons are why authentic faith matters.
References
(1) Limits of Religious Freedom. Pew Research Center
(2) Abrahamic Religions. Wikipedia
(3) The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell. Wikipedia