Introduction
Religious or spiritual beliefs always have been vitally important for people since the inception of humanity on the planet. The everlasting need for everything to have explanations has driven the development of human world perception and thought contributing to the system of core ideas and attitudes. The modern world has achieved a significant level of advancement in multiple spheres of life including technology, science, sociology, politics, which empower people with all the data collected throughout the centuries.
However profound the achievements of humanity are, the religious experience has not lost its decisive influence on people’s worldview. With the emergence of diverse religions and theories of their refutation, thinkers have developed numerous approaches reviewing the stages of human conscience growth paying close attention to the role of spirituality and religion in life.
My Experience of the Stages of Spiral Dynamics and Their Role in the World Today
Human consciousness has evolved over the centuries from mythical worldview of the Stone Age to the modern stage that prioritizes personal achievements. Different historical periods emphasize different priorities in personal attitude to the environment and people around an individual depending on the diversity in people’s needs. One of the most profound theories explaining the tendencies in human behavior depending on the needs was developed by Maslow who singled out a limited number of stages in personal development (Beck, Larsen, Solonin, Viljoen, & Johns, 2018).
However, Graves deepened the investigation of the issue and claimed that there might be more levels of individual emergence and there is no final stage of human advancement (Beck et al., 2018). Thus, Grave developed a system of stages showing the tendencies of human development depending on their social, psychological, religious, and political background.
In my opinion, I mostly relate to the orange stage of personal development which is closely connected with the level of advancement of the world. The system of attitudes within the framework of “I’ve-got-to-be-me” belief is a driving force of life for me. According to the requirements of the world today where only personal achievements, knowledge, and ability to demonstrate your better side matter, it is vital to foster the best in yourself to succeed. Science, technology, progress, and striving for democracy are ruling the humanity today. Thus, a personality that is relevant to the expectations of his or her time has to correspond to the stage of world development.
The Stages of Consciousness
Similarly to the stages of spiral dynamics where every previous level presents a benchmark and a set of problems for the next one thus creating an infinite development process, stages of consciousness emerge. In my spiritual point of view, the progress in human self-perception and worldview has a strong relation to the tendencies in the surrounding environment. However, the world does not emerge as one solid unit because different countries succeed at a different pace (Toale, 2015). Thus, the stages of consciousness differ depending on the stage of a country’s development. The modern world presents a demand for a strive-driven achiever capable of overcoming difficulties, finding solutions that address crucial issues for humanity.
My View on the Stages of Religious Orientation
Religion as a system of people’s beliefs that have formed during a long time in history has its cultural, social, and psychological influence. The modern stage of the theological thought development leads to the assumption that there is no universal religion. The majority of the world’s churches or religious schools tend to prioritize their vision by diminishing the advantages of the others. However, it remains inevitable that the sacred power of God is capable of influencing people’s lives for their well-being. The stages of religious orientation are addressed by Fowler as the phases of human involvement in the spiritual life depend on the need within a particular time (Toale, 2015). There are six main stages of faith that embody the reasons why a person believes in anything including religion.
As for the stages that I relate to positively, firstly, I would name indoctrination. This stage concentrates on family values, country and nation traditions, and common beliefs (Toale, 2015). Also, I think the fourth stage “I’ve-got-to-be-me” is the most relevant one to the modern world where a person is thought to be a single unit in a complex system of cooperative relations. In my opinion, this stage is egotistical that shows its negative side. But it has a potential to be developed into the next “you-could-be-right-to” stage that addressed tolerance and mutual respect between people who view cooperation (but not an individual success) a priority.
God and the Religious Experience
Within the framework of my spiritual worldview, God and religious experience are vital for a person’s self-learning and development of a paradigm of values, judgments, the scope of knowledge, as well as the overall attitude to life and others around us. The never-ending discussions of the question of God’s existence last for centuries and remain relevant. This only means that it matters to humanity, we can feel the presence of some power or tend to believe so to make our lives easier. In my opinion, it is impossible to understand and fully uncover the meaning of God’s power, where it comes from, and whether it is real. The existence of God in any old religion is both doubted by atheists and theoretically approved by believers.
However, there is no ultimate answer concerning the issue of religious applicability to real life. As Toale (2015) states, the only way to address the problem of religious experience rationally is to utilize the agnosticism as a paradigm of spiritual intelligence. Such position enables a person to view God as a mysterious outer power that somehow regulates our attitudes to life without accurate validation of his existence (Toale, 2015).
The very fact that the contemporary level of human conscience and knowledge development did not eliminate the idea or religion serves as proof in favor of the significant value of spirituality. Moreover, the dichotomy presented by Christianity is simple and when applied to the formulation of worldview simplifies the process of making judgments and conclusions about the world around. Good and evil, “saints and sinners, final damnation or reward:” these are the most common oppositions within the Christian framework that give people tools to build their systems of attitudes (Toale, 2015, p. 126). Therefore, religious experience plays an essential role if people’s conscience development and their network of beliefs.
Conclusion
Concluding the discussion, the question of integral life where religious, political, social, and cultural dimensions would emerge as a unified system is difficult and multifaceted. However, the overview of the historical development and the scope of theories concerning the stages of consciousness and religious development allow stating that religion remains a significant constituent in personal worldview.
Different societies in the modern world are developed at different levels, but all of them refer to the common pattern addressed by Graves in his theory of spiral dynamics. The main idea introduced by the scientist is that there is no final stage of human development because every other stage sets forward a variety of issues and problems to be resolved at the next step. Thus, the integral human development within the framework of spiritual beliefs is an inevitable process.
References
Beck, D. E., Larsen, T. L., Solonin, S., Viljoen, R., & Johns, T. Q. (2018). Spiral dynamics in action: Humanity’s master code. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
Toale, V. (2015). One size can’t fit all: Integral religion in a fragmented world. Manchester, NH: Sophia Publishing Group.