Not Just Another Blog Challenge #6 - How are Your Current Spiritual Views Different from How You Were Raised ??

 

Hmmm... when I came up with this question, I actually thought it would be a fairly easy one for me, but it's a little more intricate than I realized.

So, when it comes to big stuff, core beliefs and what-not, well... my beliefs aren't different at all from how I was raised. They are different from some of the churches that I attended thru the years, but not from the spiritual teachings of my parents.

There is some little stuff that is different, but the complexity arises when I realize that regarding these fragments,  my parents have altered their thoughts as well, as their relationship with the Lord grew.

An example? Sure.

When I was little, as a girl, I was not permitted to wear pants. Girls / women were only to wear skirts or culottes* no shorter than knee-length. Boys / Men were permitted to wear only full-length pants.


* as it was difficult to find true culottes in most stores, we usually settled for the baggiest walking shorts we could find, often bought in a size bigger than needed, than tailored in at the waist by our mothers

Not sure what exactly changed my parents' view on that. By 2nd or 3rd grade I was permitted to wear sweatpants during the winter, and only for gym class or out in the snow. I got my first pair of jeans when I was 13 years old. That... was a big occasion.

Since the church we went to maintained that dress code for all of its youth events, I still dressed like that quite frequently, even after my parents permitted a more modern method of dress. So I wore culottes into my first year or so in college (until they wore out). To me it was no big deal, just another thing to wear, you know?

So that's a little thing, and example of something small that my parents changed their thoughts on as their spiritual relationship grew.

Now I think probably the biggest difference is one that I'm still figuring out myself. I grew up being taught that the spiritual gifts are no longer given to believers, no longer evident in today's world. My husband grew up believing that they are still manifested. And so began the discussion.

Honestly, when you read the scriptures regarding the gifts of the Spirit, I can see both interpretations. As I've delved deeper into the Word and prayed for insight, I'm actually leaning more toward that the gifts are manifested today, but that many believers who use these gifts use them incorrectly (per the instructions given in the Bible). I'm still figuring it out, so don't get upset with me either way, but the more I read & learn the more I am thinking that the incorrect use of the gifts, by believers ignoring the instructions of the Scriptures when it comes to using the gifts given to them, probably leads to quite a bit of confusion within the church, and may have led to this split in pedagogy.

So... like I said, when it comes to big spiritual beliefs, no change from how I was raised. When it comes to smaller issues, there are a thousand snippets of teachings that both my parents & I have grown to interpret in different ways. These are just a couple of examples. Thanks for checking in!