10.30.07
Putting Religion into Two Camps by Margaret Johnston (blog author)
One concept I feel our society needs more awareness of is the distinction between two different levels of religion. In very general terms religion can be split into two categories. For simplicity, let’s just call them Stage Two and Stage Four.
Before I learned about this distinction I remember being very confused. I saw some people for whom religion seemed to be a limiting factor - something that kept them back from exploring any other possible explanations. They were very sure that they had the only really right answers and everyone else was wrong. These people were very satisfied and certain that their beliefs were correct. They categorically accepted everything their particular church had to offer and doing so made them feel better about themselves. Their God was totally external to their own being. This God had a lot of rules, and was apt to punish when the rules were broken. Ken Wilber would call the religion these people held mythic and dogmatic. M. Scott Peck would have called them Stage Twos.
But on rare occasion, I would encounter a person who, though they had beliefs of their own, would openly ask someone of an obviously different belief system to explain their religion. Hearing about beliefs totally different from their own was not the least bit threatening to them. They were always open to new possible truths and would incorporate any that made sense into their own belief system. In most cases, people in this category did not fit into any pre-set religious mold. Their beliefs were fluid and open to alteration as new information came along. I could not understand this at the time, but I now know also that most likely these people were what we can call Stage Fours. Most likely their god was a being that was part of themselves, instead of being exterior. They were not in religion because of a need for “salvation” but rather as a way of exploring and honoring the mysteries of their existence.
Before I understood this distinction, all I wanted to do was run from any type of religion or spirituality. I could see that the Stage Two type did not work for me, and I totally did not understand the Stage Four type. How could I? No one was talking about it!
The recent popularity of the best selling “atheist manifestos” by Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins is most likely due to the inability of many people in our society to relate to Stage Two religion….and their unawareness of the Stage Four type. I feel these books are mainly a reaction against Stage Two religion. They completely ignore the possibility of Stage Four religion because like their readers, the authors are probably totally unaware of the distinction.
If these authors - and most of the readers who are making them popular - who we can presume to be mostly Stage Threes (see my article “Religious Development….for Dummies,”) could only be exposed to the Stage Four concept, I am pretty sure they would soften the vehemence of their atheist stance.
If the general public could only be made aware that there is a distinction between Stage Two religion and Stage Four religion, I am very sure it could bring a peace of mind to those who so far remain confused and possibly threatened by all the religious divisiveness they see and hear going on in the world today. It might also serve as an inspiration to further growth for those who can glimpse the possibility of spirituality on a level higher than the one they currently hold.
Judy Beckman said,
November 16, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I agree that there is an important distinction in the difference in these two stages. I am irritated by stage two people who forget that there is freedom of religion in this country and insist on trying to shove their own “brand” of doctrine down other people’s throats. I don’t think we will ever all agree on one set of denominational doctrines. What is most important to me is that people be comfortable in their spirituality and that we live in love and harmony with each other.