Spirituality as Righteousness and Compassion: The Spiritual Ideals Embodied in the Declaration of Independence as well as the Spirituality of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and others.
Roots of Spirituality in Righteousness
A personal observation is that some people tend to favor a fairly narrow understanding of spirituality by focusing excessively on "transcendental" spirituality frequently as it spiritual-psychic experiences (which some refer to as ‘supernatural”) or miracles. However, spirituality in the scriptures is intimately connected to righteousness and compassion. The ancient Hebrews made an interesting connection between “spirit” and knowledge, with one passage directly referencing spirit as conveying an understanding of good and bad. In Exodus 31:3 there is a clear connection between spirit and knowledge: “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, with the ability to distinguish between the good and the bad, and with the ability to discern the processes of construction, and with an intimate ability to perform the tasks, and in all manner of workmanship.” In the doing of justice and righteousness, Josiah is said to have known God (Jer 22:15-16 ). Furthermore, in Judaism, from the beginning, particularly in the story of Abraham there is a connection between Righteousness and spirituality (God).
Abraham, formerly Abram, according to legend and tradition, is the father of the Jewish people, who in forging a covenant with YHWH gave birth to Judaism and so, in Jewish tradition, became the founding Patriarch of Judaism. and the founding father of Judaism. He made a covenant with God, who promised Abraham would be the father of a great nation. The Biblical passage about Abraham’s relationship with YHWH is one of the most enigmatic and controversial passages in the Bible. In Genesis 15:5 YHWH promises Abraham, who had bewailed his fate as a man without a child, that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Genesis 15:6 goes on to state “Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” I puzzled over the passage and it isn’t crystal clear who is crediting what to whom. The question which makes the passage something of an enigma is in the statement "it was credited to him." I puzzled over exactly what the "it" referred to, and I must confess I am still puzzled by the dangling "it" which in any absolute sense appears to have no definite reference. Most theologians appear to argue that the act of believing (apparently "it"), or the act of faith, resulted in and produced righteousness - which equates faith with righteousness. Yet saying faith equals righteousness doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. Possibly, it could be argued that because of his faith and his belief Abraham was transformed into a righteous man because of his faith.
In any case, the connection between Faith, God, and righteousness is definitely made. Art Katz observes about the passage: “Rather, righteousness in the OT is the fulfillment of the demands of a relationship, whether that relationship be with men or with God…Each of these relationships brings with it specific demands, the fulfillment of which constitutes righteousness…” (1) Tzedakah is the ancient Hebrew word used in Genesis 15:6 – which means fairness, justice, or righteousness, though it also frequently has the context of charity in the usage of the word. “In Judaism, tzedakah refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just, which Judaism emphasizes is an important part of living a spiritual life.” (2) Of course, solidifying the “relationship” with a covenant was accomplished in Genesis 15:18 “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram….” (3) So, in my mind there would appear to be definitive link between righteousness and covenant. The most salient point about righteousness is that in Judaism, righteousness is understood to be an firm religious obligation and duty which is integral to "living a spiritual life." This is also very true in the New Testament and in Christian beliefs - Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
The Spirit of Compassion and Love
Christ’s commandment for compassion and love is an
unequivocal forceful statement which is crystal clear. A Pharisee, questioned Jesus
Christ, hoping to trip him up in Matt. 22:36 "Teacher, which is the
greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it:
`Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these
two commandments." There are some prior foundations for Christ’s bold
statement: Lev. 19:17 "`Do not hate
your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share
in his guilt. 18"`Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your
people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. In the New
Testament, in Galatians 5:22-23, it states: “But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
It should be noted that in Judaism, the ancient Hebrew word Christ used for love, “ahab”, does have some emotional context which would infer a spiritual aspect. It should be mentioned that in the Old Testament there was a wide usage in terms of ‘Love for God or YHWH, which would infer a context a bit different than modern English usage. Also, scholars have found the word ‘ahab” used in treaties between rulers and states which would convey a context or meaning of loyalty or bond, which the English language currently doesn’t convey. Lastly the word “ahab is also used in the context of “righteousness which is conspicuously absent today. (4)
Buddha also taught that compassion is pivotal in Buddhism and religious beliefs. “The Buddha taught that to realize enlightenment, a person must develop two qualities: wisdom and compassion……. The Sanskrit word usually translated as "wisdom" is prajna, which can also be translated as "consciousness," "discernment," or "insight."” (5) Prajna does not refer to ordinary consciousness or thinking and has the distinct characteristic of being a “higher” or “purer” form of consciousness, and so would seem to have the definite characteristic of being a spiritual meaning.
Leadership and Spirituality
Throughout human history, people who have been inspired and motivated by spiritual experiences have had a dramatic impact on human affairs, historically, socially, politically, and religiously. Besides the religious leaders involved in the major religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, as well as other religions such as Jainism andZoroastrianism, there have been recent leaders such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Lev Tolstoy, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Tutu, and many others.It was Gandhi’s spirituality that led him to approach the problem of liberation of the Indian people from British rule with a rock solid commitment to nonviolent protest – which was eventually successful. The same could be said of Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to nonviolent protest, in the, at times violent, battle for civil rights in America in the 1960’s. Both of them found some inspiration in Lev Tolstoy’s commitment to nonviolence. Tolstoy, was, in fact a radical Christian who had gone through a very severe spiritual crisis after reaching a pinnacle in his writing career with the publication of the epic novel, War and Peace. Then, of course, there was Nelson Mandela and Anglican Bishop Tutu, who also held a steadfast commitment to nonviolent protest in the fight for civil rights by blacks in South Africa.
The Exquisite Spirituality in the American Declaration of Independence
Aside from Jesus Christ’s meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well with Christ’s expression of understanding in God - and Life in the World, as it were - in the context of “Spirit and Truth” (the Gospel of John 4: 23-24) - personally, I view the ideals and principles expressed in the American Declaration of Independence as an exquisite expression of spirituality. The American Declaration of Independence states unequivocally, and boldly: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The American Declaration of Independence is a profound statement and expression of very spiritual ideals - the ideals that life is endowed with the "unalienable" rights of equality and freedom. That is, The founding fathers of America embraced values, based on an understanding of right and wrong, that transcend ordinary scientific analysis and could only be termed "spiritual." “We are created equal” embraces a spiritual understanding of creation and an innate nature of a human being that embraces the idea that each and every human being has the same rights as any other human being. Of course, when one looks at the world, one realizes with the existent inequalities the spiritual and righteous understanding of rights contradicts the socially and politically scientifically flawed principle of "equality." The founders of our country embraced the principles of equality and individual rights, and that was done on the assumption of spiritual values. That entire statement in the Declaration of Independence was a hardcore "spiritual statement" if there ever was one.
Spirituality as a Bond or Connection with Others
In language usage by Americans, the word “spirit” is one of the top words used in the English language. When I asked people who had had "transcendent" spiritual or spiritual-psychic experiences to describe or define their grasp of "spirit," not one said a single word about the "transcendent" or "supernatural" characteristic of spiritual or psychic experiences - not a single hint or the slightest whisper about the "supernatural." Angel, a good friend and a person who always made sense and gave good advice eloquently expressed what "spirit" is all about: " Spirit, to me, is literally everything. It is the universe beyond our very small, limited existence as human in a physical world. This encompasses the view of Spirit being a creative force! It is THE creative force since it is everything! So, when we, as humans, create or connect or dream or heal...we tap into Spirit!
Other people who I talked to, who had also had spiritual or psychic experiences, had very similar approaches. They talked about "guidance," "judgment," "discernment," and "hopes and dreams!" I have had a few precognitive spiritual-psychic experiences. And I must say that, personally, my understanding of spirit is that, in my life, it has been a powerful driving force which includes perception as well as judgment. Lastly, for me it has also been a 'unifying' force in helping me to integrate all the myriad thoughts, ideas, and possibilities into some kind of coherent understanding. the immortal philosopher expressed some of this aspect when he says, “A human being is spirit. But what is spirit? Spirit is the self.… A human being is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and eternal, of freedom and necessity, in short, a synthesis.” (p. 351 Essential Kierkegaard)
So, both theologically and from a pragmatic psychological sense in how people view spirit and spirituality, spirit has as much to do with right-and-wrong and righteousness seeing that spirit "guides" them and appears to be pivotal in judgment. Al;so, in that spirit is a powerful 'creative' and productive force, it would only stand to reason that love, compassion as well as prophecy and spiritual gifts as in Corinthians would be inextricably intertwined with Being and Consciousness!
Footnotes
(1) http://artkatzministries.org/articles/righteousness-in-the-old-testament/
(2)Wikipedia - Tzedakah: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedakah
(3)Note about the origins of the ancient Hebrew word “covenant”: Ancient Hebrew is based on letters that act as “word pictures” or perhap more accurately letter-word-pictures. The Hebrew word “berit (covenant) is comprised of four letter-pictures: bet, reysh, yood, and tav. The letter-picture for “bet” symbolizes “house” though it can also mean the temple. The letter-picture for “reysh” refers to “head” though sometimes in the context of a person or “highest.” . It can also mean a person or the highest. The letter picture for “yood” symbolizes “hand” though it can also mean work or deed. The letter-word picture for “tav” symbolizes sign though it also refers to the idea of seal or cross. Several philosophers have argued tht meaning is closely ties to language and the words of a language, so in reading the Old Testament especially one has to keep in mind some of the context is missing which really can only be guessed at.
(4)Anyway, ahb doesn’t appear only in the Hebrew Bible but also in some other texts of the Jewish culture and it has connections with a few Semitic dialects (Wallis 1977: 101). The term has been identified by some biblical scholars as being part of juridical vocabulary present in Ancient Near East international treaties, long before being used in Israel (Moran 1963: 77-78 quoted in L’Hour 1966: 33). In the Bible, ahab appears approximately 200 times as a verb (Sakenfeld 1992: 376) and almost 50 times as a noun (Wallis 1977: 102).”
The Main Hebrew Words for Love: Ahab and Hesed Cezar-Paul Hârlăoanu
(5) https://www.thoughtco.com/buddhism-and-compassion-449719
Content Copyrighted Copyright ©
References and Footnotes
John Bargh, PhD: http://bargh.socialpsychology.org/
https://www.rogerdooley.com/john-bargh-priming
http://www.psych.nyu.edu/bargh/index.html
Rupert Sheldrake: https://www.sheldrake.org/
Viktor Frankl: http://www.viktor-frankl.com/
Viktor Frankl: http://www.viktorfrankl.org/
Dr. Harold Koenig: https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/index.php/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Dr. Harold Koenig: https://medicine.duke.edu/faculty/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Roy Baumeister: http://www.roybaumeister.com/
Roy Baumeister: https://psy.fsu.edu/faculty/baumeisterr/baumeister.dp.php
Dr. Paul Wong: http://www.drpaulwong.com/
Dr. Paul Wong: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/paul-wong-biography/
Clifford Geertz: https://www.biography.com/people/clifford-geertz-9308224
Carl Jung: https://www.biography.com/people/carl-jung-9359134
Carl Jung: https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/carl-jung-analytical-psychology
12 common Archetypes: http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html
Emile Durkheim: http://durkheim.uchicago.edu/
Emile Durkheim: http://faculty.rsu.edu/users/f/felwell/www/Theorists/Durkheim/index2.htm
William James: https://www.biography.com/people/william-james-9352726
William James: https://study.com/academy/lesson/william-james-psychology-theories-lesson-quiz.html
Tania Singer references: http://cultureofempathy.com/References/Experts/Tania-Singer.htm
https://charterforcompassion.org/discovering-empathy/dr-tania-singer-and-the-neuroscience-of-empathy
Dr Amit Sood Mindfulness: https://www.mindfulleader.org/amit-sood
Dr. Harold Koenig Director, Center for Spirituality,
Theology and Health: https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/index.php/harold-g-koenig-m-d
Dr. Koenig on what spirituality can do for you: https://www.beliefnet.com/wellness/health/2006/05/what-religion-can-do-for-your-health.aspx
Keith Karren – Body, Mind, Spirit:
http://pgrpdf.abhappybooks.com/mind-body-health-keith-j-karren-ph-d-pdf-5716009.pdf
E O Wilson Biodiversity: https://eowilsonfoundation.org/
E O Wilson - PBS on Ants: http://www.pbs.org/program/eo-wilson/
Anthropologist Malinowski: http://anthrotheory.wikia.com/wiki/Bronislaw_
MalinowskiSocial Anthropology - Malinowski: http://scihi.org/bronislaw-malinowski-social-anthropology/
St. Augustine (Catholic source): https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=418
St. Augustine: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine
Konrad Lorenz: https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/scientist/konrad_lorenz.html
Konrad Lorenz: http://www.famouspsychologists.org/konrad-lorenz/
St. Gregory of Nyssa (Franciscan): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-gregory-of-nyssa/
St. Gregory of Nyssa (wikiorg): https://orthodoxwiki.org/Gregory_of_Nyssa
Neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene: https://www.edge.org/memberbio/stanislas_dehaene
Imants Barušs, psychologist and parapsychologist: http://www.baruss.ca/
Julia Mossbridge, psychologist and parapsychologist: https://noetic.org/profile/julia-mossbridge
https://sharingthesearch.com/tag/j-mossbridge/
https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/julia-mossbridge/profile
Friedrich Nietzsche: http://nietzschecircle.com/
Nietzsche biography: https://www.biography.com/people/friedrich-nietzsche-9423452
Abraham Joshua Heschel: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/abraham-joshua-heschel-a-prophets-prophet/
Iroquois:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/1d.asp
Greek Mythology: Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi
https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Apollo/apollo.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/apollo-greek-god-sun-music-prophecy-111902
http://greek-gods.info/greek-gods/apollo/
https://www.coastal.edu/intranet/ashes2art/delphi2/misc-essays/oracle_of_delphi.html
https://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/7_p1.html
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/pythia-oracle-delphi-001641
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/pythia-oracle-delphi-001641