I was raised in a Roman Catholic family and Church was an every Sunday thing and don't forget those extended sessions when Sunday school occurred. I enjoyed the sense of community and continued my churchgoing practice into college where I actually directed the campus church choir for four years. Out on my own, out of college, and out to myself and some friends, church dropped off. Yes, there were Easter and Christmas masses with the family, but those as well have become nonexistent in the past few years as my family realizes there's no connection with me and Roman Catholicism, except for the singing.
I moved to Florida about 3 years ago and moved into a church going household. My roommates go to a gay church or all accepting church, but I have not been tempted to go to any "meetings" with them. I don't think I'm ready to welcome God back in, the idea of a god back in, or any type of spirituality back into my life. Am I missing out? Is it time to revisit my spirituality?
Recently, huffingtonpost.com a piece entitled "Why Spirituality Is The Hottest Trend With LGBTQs" I know it's not a trend in my life, but apparently, he's seen first hand an increase in spirituality in the rainbow community.
Many LGBTQs had the experience of feeling like they had to divorce the God they grew up with in order to live an authentic life. A lot of pulpits condemned homosexuality and this hurtful rhetoric translated into feelings of shame and resentment for LGBTQ youth. I grew up in the church and loved it but came to an inevitable fork in the road in which I had to choose between being a good Christian and being true to myself. I left the church when I was fourteen and came out when I was sixteen. Like a lot of gay kids, drama club became my sanctuary. This experience isn’t as common today thanks to the willingness of many churches to evolve with society. But it still happens.
Seven years ago I came up with the idea to host a weekly spiritual service in gay bars on the WeHo strip. The original intention was to offer a different experience for bar goers. The location was crucial because ever since there was a gay community bars have served as a safe-space (mostly) where we could connect with one another. I also thought young LGBTQs would appreciate a sober environment that focused on cultivating a rich inner-life and didn’t judge you solely on your exterior.
We met on Sunday mornings. Late mornings. In the beginning only a small group of folks would show up. There were weeks that we had two people at services but it didn’t phase us too much, we knew that if we continued to show up the idea would catch on. We were right. Slowly but surely the crowds got larger, we formed a membership base, outgrew the bars all together and now have our own center in West Hollywood, which we are currently out-growing. It’s really catching on.
We experienced our first growth spurt in 2013 and again in 2015. These are significant years in LGBTQ history. In October of 2013 Prop 8 was lifted in California and in June 2015 the Supreme Court guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage. I’ve often contemplated why marriage equality and our growing community parallel one another and I find the conclusion inspiring.
To learn more about the Inspire Spiritual Community and organizations like his, head over to huffingtonpost.com where
I just remembered I did a blog about this subject last year July entitled If the Church had accepted me from the beginning, would I be Religious today? and I think that is where I am still at. But then again, we need to remember that there are many options in this realm, there's God, god, gods, Religion, and spirituality. Some are capable of separating spirituality and religion and are better off for it.
Have you seen your spirituality fluctuate in your life?
Have you seen it come back into your life a little as you have aged, as things have become better for the LGBT community, or as you have become more comfortable and accepting of yourself?
Or is your spirituality gone for good?
Or do you define spirituality for yourself without involving the idea of god?
h/t: huffingtonpost.com
I absolutely think that
I absolutely think that spirituality is booming among the LGBT+ community! It is very honorable, respectful and inspiring. Religion, no. But spirituality, yes. Absolutely! Emotionally intelligent people tend toward spiritual beliefs and practices. And the other way around; spiritually-minded people are found to have much more emotional intelligence. Either way, it is awesome! It promotes healthiness, kindness and respect among each other, and within one's self. Truly, I am so excited for this upswing of spirituality in our LGBT+ community, and in the world.
You will still see people who troll around (falsely thinking they are clever or cute) trying to be mean and say judgmental bitchy things to psychics, spiritualists, Pagans and Wiccans… But if you haven't experienced it yourself, then you simply cannot judge. There is so much beauty and giftedness among these open-minded people of spirit. Beautiful! 🙂
Spirituality, to me, is of
Spirituality, to me, is of the self, my personal spirit, something I define as that unique element that makes up my consciousness and subconscious. It guides my logic, my feelings, my reactions. Religion, to me, is of the community, a shared belief set to rules in an attempt to guide the consciousness of the spirit of others. So while you can't have religion without spirit, you could certainly have spirit without religion. Which is a good thing because, as a gay person, the two were usually at odds.