Enhancing Character and Well-Being Through Spiritual Disciplines

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University of Maryland *

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100

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Philosophy

Date

Jun 10, 2024

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docx

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2

Uploaded by ElderElement12350

In Christianity, spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible study, meditation, and communal worship are essential for personal growth and character development. These practices facilitate a deeper connection with God, offering guidance and understanding of the faith. The study of the Bible provides moral teachings, contributing to the development of wisdom. Christian disciplines focus on virtues like love, humility, and compassion, shaping individuals into a Christ-like character. Practices such as confession and self-examination foster humility and self-awareness. Community engagement and participation in worship services enhance communal support and accountability. Through fasting, believers learn self-control and discipline, while putting faith into action through acts of love and justice contributes to individual and collective growth. Overall, these spiritual disciplines provide a framework for Christians to grow spiritually, cultivate virtues, and strengthen their relationship with God. Chapters 12 and 13 highlight the positive impact of spirituality and religious practices on well-being, health, and coping mechanisms. “Spiritual journeys are dynamic and fluid as opposed to fixed and frozen in time; they involve a process of discovering, maintaining, and transforming one’s relationship to the sacred. The search begins with the discovery of the sacred through revelation, intuition, or socialization. Once discovered, the search continues as people try to maintain and sustain their relationship with the sacred. However, when personal or environmental changes push individuals beyond their ability to preserve and protect their understanding of the sacred, a transformation may occur” (Lynn, et al., 2015). The research indicates various benefits, such as greater well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction, lower rates of depression and substance abuse, and improved overall health. Spiritual disciplines provide a framework for individuals to cope with challenging situations, with studies showing positive religious coping leading to increased optimism, happiness, and better adjustment to stress. The intrinsic motivation behind one's religiousness, chosen and valued spirituality, and the tendency to sanctify aspects of life are associated with lower anxiety, depression, and higher self-esteem. Individuals who view various aspects of life, such as employment, marriage, and parenting, through a sacred lens experience greater satisfaction and positive
outcomes in those areas. Overall, the findings underscore the potential benefits of spirituality and religious practices in promoting mental health, resilience, and a positive outlook on life. The text advocates for openness and sensitivity, encouraging providers to acknowledge the spiritual dimension in both their lives and the lives of their clients. Additionally, it stresses the need for providers to gain basic knowledge about various spiritual beliefs and religions, particularly those relevant to their practice's location, to effectively address the spiritual aspect of clients' lives. Incorporating spiritual practices into healthcare requires providers to be aware, respectful, and knowledgeable.Scientific studies have identified positive connections between spirituality and well-being, leading to guidelines for incorporating spirituality into healthcare assessment and treatment. Establishing spiritual disciplines in one’s life will balance out the effect on each trait in question. Spirituality will grow into becoming a way of life where an individual is more in tune with ethical decisions. By gaining this spiritual insight, the wisdom will grow and creative channels can even be heightened. Wisdom is “use of one’s skills and knowledge, as mediated by positive ethical values, toward the achievement of a common good through a balance among intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests, over the short and long terms” (Lynn et al., 2015). Therefore, as one gains more discipline in their spirituality, they recognize the importance of clear decision making. This plays into making a diligent effort at better choice making and leads to building their character. If we choose to look at life through a sacred lens (I call them God Goggles), we begin to make ethical decisions aligned with the spiritual beliefs. This ultimately leads to a more ethical and upright character. "Individual and group happiness depends far more on the acquisition of wisdom than on the accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge can destroy the world, as the sophistication of terrorist bombs and attacks has shown us; wisdom can only make it better. And ethical behavior is the sine qua non for the execution of wise ideas" (Lynn, et al., 2015).
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