New Correlation Department Survey

[oliver_denom]

I don't know how many of you were privileged to get one of these, but I received a Correlation Department survey sent out by the church's statistical division. The questions all centered around two ideas and how respondents view their relationship to one another: religion and spirituality. They wanted to know how I self identify religiously, what my religion was growing up, and some basic questions about my belief in god and life after death.

But the real meat of the survey involved the parsing of religion and spirituality. They provided a sliding scale as to how much I identify with each idea, the importance of authority in relation to spirituality, and many others to determine if I consider the concepts to be separable. In my survey, my answers basically reflected the belief the that religion is associated with institutions, rule making, and authority. Spirituality is associated with feelings of oneness, awe, wonder, meditation, and prayer. I considered the former a slightly net negative, and the former a positive. I also indicated that I was religious and less spiritual in youth to 20's, but more spiritual and far less religious in my 30's and 40's.

The reason I filled out the survey at all, is that I'm just tired of pretending to believe in things that I don't believe. I made a promise to myself to be honest if people ask what I really think. It just so happens that this survey is the first opportunity I've had to actually use that honesty. No one else seems to care. It's the same feeling I tried to express in the Denver Snuffer thread. I have no problem with the idea of religion, I want spirituality and community, I just don't want to have to pretend in order to join in and get along. It's hard, really hard, to find a religious community that isn't typified by this kind of border keeping which requires to you pretend in order to attend. Yes, you could show up and not pretend, but don't expect a warm reception. I'm just not interested in any religion where I'll have to put on an act, so in the meantime, it's just spirituality for me with a very small side of religion.

[deacon blues]

Good for you. When I want to feel religious I go to church. When I want to feel spiritual, I go to Nature, places like Zion, Bryce, Moab, Mt. Timpanogos....

[RubinHighlander]

Good for you. When I want to feel religious I go to church. When I want to feel spiritual, I go to Nature, places like Zion, Bryce, Moab, Mt. Timpanogos....

I guess that puts me all on the spiritual side! I have no desire for any form of religion anymore.

[Rob4Hope]

Good for you. When I want to feel religious I go to church. When I want to feel spiritual, I go to Nature, places like Zion, Bryce, Moab, Mt. Timpanogos....

I guess that puts me all on the spiritual side! I have no desire for any form of religion anymore.

Me neither

[FoundMyOwnWay]

I received the same survey. I posted about it in the Support board. I also wanted to give my honest opinion to the church about how things are, but then I found most of the questions weren't about the LDS church just religion in general.