What does it mean to be spiritually dead?

[losthope]

This is the way I sometimes describe myself. I never had any type of spiritual experience, even during the two years that I spent as a born again Christian. Perhaps I am not spiritually dead, but spiritually deaf, spiritually blind and generally spiritually unaware. Is this why I have failed to experience God, why I have no awareness of God’s presence, of the oneness of creation, of God contacting me in any way?

Also, is there anything that I can do about the situation? I know that I am missing out on an important aspect of life. I have tried such things as silence, Bible reading, prayer and meditation, but I remain spiritually untouched.

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

 

[quatona]

Same here. What do you think of this solution:
You and I declare our ways of experiencing True Spirituality and everyone else spiritually dead?

 

[Sol Invictus]

Try reading anything by Eckhart Tolle

 

[Eudaimonist]

Honestly, I suspect (but can't prove) that this inability to have "spiritual experiences" is genetic. Maybe this will console you somewhat?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Emmy]

Dear losthope, you say that you were a born again Christian, also you tried to find out about Spirituality from Buddhism and new-age Spiritualism. I have never heard of anybody who was really searching the Holy Spirit, and not finding Him, perhaps you were not sure yourself what you really wanted to find. If I may point out, losthope, God told us to search, and we will find, ask Jesus, our Saviour, to help you become spiritually alive. If you ask sincerely, and then thank the Lord for helping you, it will be done. It may take some time for you to feel spirit-filled, but you will certainly not find it in Buddhism, or any new-world or other spiritualism. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Trinity, and only He can fill you spiritually. I say this kindly and humbly, losthope, and send greeings. Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[Beastt]

Since spirituality is nothing more than a concept held by many, for which there is no credible evidence, I would say that being spiritually dead means you're making decisions based on intellect rather than emotion, (AKA:"the Heart).

 

[deshadow]

yeah. society imprinited rules on your mind. ociety is every experience that umans interact and learn from each other in. we learn how to think by thinking witin interactions iwth oter humans

in the end we know whats write and wrong becaue of the interactions we have


have you been breaking the rules that your mind follows?

 

[imperfectchristian]

This is the way I sometimes describe myself. I never had any type of spiritual experience, even during the two years that I spent as a born again Christian. Perhaps I am not spiritually dead, but spiritually deaf, spiritually blind and generally spiritually unaware. Is this why I have failed to experience God, why I have no awareness of God’s presence, of the oneness of creation, of God contacting me in any way?

Also, is there anything that I can do about the situation? I know that I am missing out on an important aspect of life. I have tried such things as silence, Bible reading, prayer and meditation, but I remain spiritually untouched.

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

Here I have posted a passage of Scripture that I believe relates to what you are saying.

I hope you find this helpful.


Matthew 25:31

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

 

[imperfectchristian]

I will go ahead and add to my above post. The people in the Scripture above too did not realize they were, in a sense having or failing to have a supernatural experience when they acted or failed to act to those in need that crossed their paths.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Book of Hebrews

 

[quatona]

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Yeah man, oxymorons can sound so deep.

 

[imperfectchristian]

Yeah man, oxymorons can sound so deep.

Paul was just explaining and reinforcing the definition of faith in a way that we could better relate and understand it.

The passage from Matthew that I quoted in the above post relates well to this statement Paul made about faith.

You fail to see that Christians see faith, hope and love as parts of God himself that just like God are eternal.

From your perspective, obviously faith is something that only makes sense if it has an earthly end result or at least the hope of a desired earthly result.

We as Christians however have a hope beyond this world and beyond man's ability to comprehend.

Just as Abraham took his family out into the desert to search for a city who's maker is God and having died still searching but never losing faith.

To a Christian, our hope is as real as a substance and our belief in it's existence we count just as real, even more real than any evidence seen with human eyes. This is because we put our faith in God and trust His promises are true and superior to our own understanding and reason, but not contrary to reason.

So then call it contridictory if you wish, but make no mistake, that is your own perception, and not the way it is viewed by Christians.

To me their are two kinds of truth in the world:

1. Something that is true becuse you know from your own experiences, knowledge and senses that it is true.

2. Something that is true because an individual knows it in their heart to be true.

Perhaps no. 1 might be more obvious but seldom if ever does no. 1 have the compelling factor of no. 2.

What I believe, I am compelled to believe. What I believe, I know in my heart to be true.

 

[quatona]

Paul was just explaining and reinforcing the definition of faith in a way that we could better relate and understand it.

We?

You fail to see that Christians see faith, hope and love as parts of God himself that just like God are eternal.

No, I am aware of that concept.

From your perspective, obviously faith is something that only makes sense if it has an earthly end result or at least the hope of a desired earthly result.

No, faith can be towards anything. What, however, only makes sense in a physical context to me are the the concepts "substance" and "evidence".

We as Christians however have a hope beyond this world and beyond man's ability to comprehend.

I understand that. I don´t understand what the terms "substance" and evidence are doing in this concept.

To a Christian, our hope is as real as a substance

Please explain. What makes a substance "real", and how is hope in the same way "real"?

and our belief in it's existence we count just as real, even more real than any evidence seen with human eyes.

Unfortunately the word "evidence" refers to that which can be seen with human eyes (lat. videre=to see). Now, your belief is certainly real, but that doesn´t make its subject evidenced.

This is because we put our faith in God and trust His promises are true and superior to our own understanding and reason, but not contrary to reason.

Now it´s getting a bit too circular, for my taste.

So then call it contridictory if you wish, but make no mistake, that is your own perception, and not the way it is viewed by Christians.

Sure it is my view. Did you expect me to hold your view?

To me their are two kinds of truth in the world:

1. Something that is true becuse you know from your own experiences, knowledge and senses that it is true.

2. Something that is true because an individual knows it in their heart to be true.

Perhaps no. 1 might be more obvious but seldom if ever does no. 1 have the compelling factor of no. 2.

Be that as it may - the concepts of substance and evidence, however, are exactly there to distinguish the first concept from the latter.

What I believe, I am compelled to believe. What I believe, I know in my heart to be true.

That´s fine, but has not much to do with my criticism of the your use of "evidence" and "substance".

 

[deshadow]

we understand thart you hope that god will clam you as his own after you die, its not that hard for us heathens to decipher

 

[elman]

This is the way I sometimes describe myself. I never had any type of spiritual experience, even during the two years that I spent as a born again Christian. Perhaps I am not spiritually dead, but spiritually deaf, spiritually blind and generally spiritually unaware. Is this why I have failed to experience God, why I have no awareness of God’s presence, of the oneness of creation, of God contacting me in any way?

Also, is there anything that I can do about the situation? I know that I am missing out on an important aspect of life. I have tried such things as silence, Bible reading, prayer and meditation, but I remain spiritually untouched.

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

You will find your spirituality in helping others in need.

 

[Eudaimonist]

You will find your spirituality in helping others in need.

Or looking at the night sky.

Or walking through a forest.

Or climbing Mount Everest.

Or watching a space shuttle launch.

There are many possible sources, perhaps only a few of which will resonate with you, assuming spirituality is open to you.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[elman]

Or looking at the night sky.

Or walking through a forest.

Or climbing Mount Everest.

Or watching a space shuttle launch.

There are many possible sources, perhaps only a few of which will resonate with you, assuming spirituality is open to you.

eudaimonia,

Mark

I think we all will find spirituallity in helping others or we will not find it. I don't believe going off to a moutain top and staying by yourself will allow you to achieve true spirituallity. I am not against meditation and mountain tops but i don't think they take the place of love your neighbor. And we are all capable of finding spiritually. Every last one of us.

 

[Eudaimonist]

I don't believe going off to a moutain top and staying by yourself will allow you to achieve true spirituallity.

I wasn't talking about "true" spirituality, whatever that may be, but about what people describe as spiritual experiences.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[plmarquette]

Spiritually dead like the Pharisees and Saducees - hypocrites
.. like having a buzz on from booze .. " numb , out of it " or guilty of one or more of the errors / sins mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6.9 ...

or hurt , withdrawn , ineffective ;

or burt out from "religious folks -James chap 1 & 2 " who speak a good message , but do not walk it out "

... go back to 2 chronicles 7.14 , romans 10.8-9 ; re-enlist ... ask God for some one to speak to , advise , listen ... or be as thomas ... " show me , please " ,
rejoice , that God can and will answer .. Psalm 118.5 ; 1 John 5.14-18 ..amen ?

 

[imperfectchristian]

We?

No, I am aware of that concept.

OK.

No, faith can be towards anything. What, however, only makes sense in a physical context to me are the the concepts "substance" and "evidence".

I understand that it does not make sense to you. I was not trying to somehow make it make sense to you...only trying to explain, rather ineffectively, of why Christians (IMO) see those terms from a different point of view.

I understand that. I don´t understand what the terms "substance" and evidence are doing in this concept.



Please explain. What makes a substance "real", and how is hope in the same way "real"?

The best way I know to explain this is that the reason we call a substance real as humans, and the reason a Christian calls hope a substance are not the same thing...in other words they are based on two very different sets of critera and or points of view.

We as Christians do not actually believe that "hope" is a substance and that evidence is something that cannot be seen. The Scripture refered to is used to describe something unseen and intangible by using metaphors of things that are tangible, in order to offer an explanation to the reader of, not the make up of the intangible thing itself, but how the intangible thing functions.

Unfortunately the word "evidence" refers to that which can be seen with human eyes (lat. videre=to see). Now, your belief is certainly real, but that doesn´t make its subject evidenced.
[/QUOTE}

That is certainly true in a physical sense, but no less true to a Christian in a spiritual sense.

Now it´s getting a bit too circular, for my taste.

Sure it is my view. Did you expect me to hold your view?

Not at all, I just wanted to make it plain that just because a paticular Scripture sounds contradictive
from one point of view, does not mean that it is contradictive in every point of view.

Be that as it may - the concepts of substance and evidence, however, are exactly there to distinguish the first concept from the latter.

That´s fine, but has not much to do with my criticism of the your use of "evidence" and "substance".

And I am simply saying that that is from your point of view and that there is another point of view where it makes sense and applies to the OP's original subject.

 

[Zoot]

This is the way I sometimes describe myself. I never had any type of spiritual experience, even during the two years that I spent as a born again Christian. Perhaps I am not spiritually dead, but spiritually deaf, spiritually blind and generally spiritually unaware. Is this why I have failed to experience God, why I have no awareness of God’s presence, of the oneness of creation, of God contacting me in any way?

Also, is there anything that I can do about the situation? I know that I am missing out on an important aspect of life. I have tried such things as silence, Bible reading, prayer and meditation, but I remain spiritually untouched.

It is not just Christians who despair of me. For example followers of Buddhism and of new age spirituality, and people who feel at one with creation, have also noted my spiritual emptiness.

Pss. No spirituality in Buddhism. Just common sense. It's all psychology.