Conference paper
VIOLENCE IN SPIRITUALITY
Milan Špehar
; Theology of Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
One does not have to wander if we speak about violence in spirituality. It would be more appropriate to speak about "violence towards spirituality", because in the category of spirituality does not belong anything linked to violence, i.e. violence and spirituality do not belong together. Just as it transcends gestures and precepts of a religion, transcending its own religion, spirituality transcends every violence, showing that in every ambient where violence exists, there can be spirituality as a antipode.
But, spirituality isn't above everything. It is confined by its own borders. Spirituality has its source. The basic source in all re-ligions is the Transcendent one, approached by three basic feelings: tremendum, fascinans, numinosum, expressed by the Bible, Qur'an and Veda. In terms of Christian spirituality, its source and finality are primarily the Bible and the Church's doctrine. That doesn't make the spirituality uniformed inside a certain system of belief. On the contrary, uniformity and spirituality do not go along. Spirituality of a faith is a richness of diversity.
The problem, and then the violence, happens when the diver-sity distances itself from the source, and proclaims itself as a god-given, as a dogma. In order avoid this, one needs the "discernment of sprits" described by Paul in 1 Cor 12. According to him, the dis¬cernment of spirits is not an impossible and difficult task. A basic criterion in the matter of the spiritual, gifts, charisma is the edifica¬tion of the community. Whatever does not serve this purpose is not necessary, i.e. belongs to a distorted spirituality.
Many have identified the specific with the different, and there-fore are violent towards spirituality insisting on their particular char-acteristics, or particularities of a certain group. In this case there is no service to the parish, as a core of Catholic Church, but, the de-mand to be servile to a particular group and its charisma.
There are many abuses in the Christian spirituality, starting from the theology of satisfaction, through which every kind of "op-eration" found its way into spirituality, in order to obtain something from God. When spirituality requests a scapegoat, it deviates into vi-olence and similar irregularities. Lately, particularly in our regions, we have the so-called therapy of healing in root. Here belong prayers for the ancestors, with a strong magical connotation, just like differ¬ent healing prayers and unauthorised exorcisms. The magical conno¬tation becomes violence when desired results do not occur. Usually the blame is on "non-aperture to", or rejection of the Spirit.
"Visions" have become very frequent, full of imagination and so far from Bible that merge into heresy. Prayers become magical acts. Saints are no longer people whose virtuous life is to be imi-tated, but those who are to be implored in a specific way, since they are great miracle makers.
The modern "spiritual experiences" mostly avoid the theme of the cross, suffering, illness, serving, bearing... Therefore, the spir-itual experiences are reduced to something magical, and to a search of a non-reality.
A Biblicist by education, and archbishop in peace of Milan, cardinal Martini, detects all these problems, and gives some sug-gestions: the service to the community and creation of communion above all, continual theological and catechetic formation, a spirit of unity and a spirit of restlessness and a "moderate enthusiasm of the spirit".
Keywords
spirituality; magic; serving; communion; discern-ment of spirits; prayer; sacrifice; parish
Hrčak ID:
78063
URI
Publication date:
12.1.2009.
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