5 Dangers of a “Do-it-Yourself Spirituality”
Recently, I have been having more conversations with those who identify as “spiritual” but not religious. These individuals do not align themselves with a particular religion, but they highly value the spiritual realm. As a Christian, I appreciate their openness to what is beyond the physical: there is more to reality than just what we can see, feel, or touch! But—as one who is persuaded that Christianity tells us the truth about God, reality, and spirituality—I also am convinced that the ‘do-it-yourself-spirituality’ is profoundly mistaken. I believe it leads us away from the actual God and into all kinds of dangers.
Here are 5 great dangers in a ‘do-it-yourself-spirituality’:
1 The Danger of Presumption. A do-it-yourself spirituality presumes that God can be approached in any way we like. But this falls into the error of presumption. We cannot merely approach any situation or person anyway we want anytime. For instance, if we barge into a lion’s cage and presume the lion will allow us to pet him, we find that we are sorely mistaken. If we presume to jump on stage while the US president is giving a speech, we will find ourselves arrested by secret service agents. If this is true in the world we can see, how much more true is it with God, the Creator of the universe! What if there is a right or wrong way to approach and worship God? What if there were consequences now and in the afterlife of refusing to give God the honor and respect that He deserves?
2 The Danger of Falsehood. How do we know if what we think about God and ultimate reality is true or false? In a ‘do-it-yourself-spirituality,’ our feelings and perceptions are ultimate. This can open us up to falsehood—we can, and often do, make mistakes.
3 The Danger of Abandoning REAL Guilt. My spiritual friends reject any idea of a final or ultimate justice before a personal God. All guilt is forgotten. But what if we are accountable to a real God who is just and punishes sin and evil? What if Christianity is right, and there will be a final reckoning at the end of history, where some go to eternal life and others to eternal death?
4 The Danger of an Embracing a FALSE Jesus. My spiritualist friends tend to view Jesus the way they view themselves and other humans: we’re all just a part of God, but don’t realize it. But what if this is leading us into a false view of not only ourselves, but of the real Jesus? What if the real Jesus is the eternal God the Son, distinct from the universe and ruling over it? What if the real Jesus is a king who deserves our allegiance and love? What if only the real Jesus can save us from our sins and estrangement from the real God who is there? What if the real Jesus is the only way into heaven (John 14:6)?
5 The Danger of Spiritual Darkness. My spiritualist friends are very open to the spiritual realm. I even have a friend who has a medium, who consults a spirit for him. But what is not every spirit is good? What if there were lying demonic spirits who lead us astray?
