Spirit Collective as "Post-Christian"​

​​

You don't have to be American to know about the influence of Christianity on American life. It is vast and deeply rooted. If you're reading this, you are likely aware that large numbers of people have rejected this array of influence. Many were Christians but no longer identify as such (or are headed in that direction.) This has happened for so many people at such a high frequency that it has a name: deconstruction. 

 

Deconstructing your faith, in a nutshell, is the process of questioning what you've been taught to believe and of coming to conclude that you no longer believe in it. Typically, deconstruction occurs tenet by tenet until you look in the mirror one day and realize you're not a Christian anymore -- at least, not according to any widely accepted definition.

 

If you've gone through it, or if you're going through it, you understand how difficult it is. Christianity is often instilled in us by fear, with threats of hell waiting in the afterlife for those who fall away into apostasy, or of being ostracized by one's family and friends. Deconstructing your faith means facing those fears and walking through them. It has this in common with virtually every other channel of personal growth.

At some point during the deconstruction process, reconstruction begins. It is a two-part question that we ask ourselves: "Do I believe this? No. Then what do I believe?" For the purpose of clarity, we can name "post-Christian"  everything -- people, organizations, ideas, theologies, etc. -- that was once Christian but has evolved into a reconstructed form.

Spirit Collective, then, is a post-Christian group. The influence of Christianity upon it is undeniable, as with everything in America. But rather than succumbing to that influence, we are deconstructing it and reframing our spirituality according to what we consider to be higher ideals and greater values -- values that Christianity may perhaps have held, once upon a time. For example:

​

Building without establishing: We demonstrate the desire NOT to control or compel belief. Instead, the aim is empowering people to walk their own paths.

​

Politics without power: Our politics are not predicated on the goal of consolidating power. Instead, the aim is to evolve beyond the tactics of empire.

​

Economy without exploitation: We exemplify economic systems not designed to amass wealth. Instead, the aim is equity.

​

Law without death: We embody order built neither upon violence nor the power to kill with impunity. Instead, the aim is interconnectedness.​​

​

Because of the pervasive influence of Christianity in America, the processes of deconstruction and reconstruction affect healing, liberation, and transformation in us. We intend to continue in them for as long as Spirit Collective exists.

​

Keep reading: Our Spirituality