Discernment Practices in Islam and Christianity - Essay Example

? Assignment Religion and Theology Introduction Spiritual discernment is a practice which is followed by people to acclaim spirituality and peace of mind in their lives. It is also known as the calling from the God himself with regard to the different aspects of the human life. Discernment is the true calling from God when the individual thinks that the right time has come to shape the life as per his needs and desires. The calling could be related to anything, be marriage, a new job, kids etc. Discernment also means the discernment of spirits. It is the evolved concept of understanding the truth from the distribution of energy around oneself. In the space of human individuality, there is a massive intake and outflow of energy and the most important concept is to understand this energy and act or react accordingly. It is the spiritual feeling of the inner conscience through which we see the world as we perceive it. The religious input is derived from the fact that religion has played a vital role in shaping the spiritual consciousness of its followers. Discernment can be made in two different ways. The first is self-enlightenment, where the individual attains knowledge of his/her impulses, through this process is able to manage them and take the negativity out of them. Along with this aspect, he also reaches up to the higher level of thinking and living through understanding the flow of energy centred around his/her impulses. The second method is to do theology study and to gain knowledge with respect to religion and its influence on the human mind and desires. This method covers the aspect of reading the holy bible as well as other religious texts so as to affirm one’s position with regard to the flow of impulse in the soul. Within the scope of this paper, various concepts will be discussed, compared and contrasted on the basis of a number of aspects. The first is detachment or non attachment towards a religion or a spiritual entity where the subject matter of Ignatian spirituality has been provided focus upon. Similarities between Islam and Christianity on Discernment Practices This paper shall be discussing the similarities and differences in discernment practices between Christianity and Islam. Saint Ignatius of Loyola is extremely influential in the practice of spiritual discernment. According to him, to achieve spiritual peace within oneself, the individual has to confess and open up before a spiritual director He is not allowed to go on his own and do it alone. St. Ignatius had laid down strict guidelines with reference to spiritual attainment of the soul. He had explicitly said that those who are looking for divine intervention with respect to spirituality in their lives must adhere to the rules lay down under Christianity and there shall be no let off from that aspect. The religion preaches that the Spiritual Director shall guide the individual to ultimate spirituality regardless of how his past life has been. He shall help him go through all the different mechanisms and work out the situation in a better way for him. The purpose of the director is to help the individual and take him away from all the negativity and put the positive picture around his heart and soul. The spiritual director takes us away from the bad spirits. He is extremely influential in the way he makes his decisions, and all his decisions are for the betterment of the individual who has approached him with love. The director also tries to make the individual understand that the bad and negative spirits can propel us to make quick and fast decisions without thinking much for them which might lead us into troublesome situations. With this regard, the spiritual director brings us to the focus of the good and positive spirits by taking care of each and every emotion of the individual. He listens to the individual with utmost care and tries to analyse objectively his feelings and reflections on the society and his life, with measures to make it a better life worth living. Looking at Islam now, the religion was brought into the world by the Great Prophet Mohammed. He preached that God is one and that he is the messenger of the God himself. He said that people should follow the five pillars of Islam, which are Shahada, Salat, Haj, Sawm and Zakat. For the understanding of the discernment practices of Islam, it is enough to know the idea propounded with regard to Shahada, Haj and Zakat. Islam says that every man and woman should try to reach God and spirituality on his own. The basic and core idea is the same with regard to Christianity, but this is where the similarities end between the two religions. The difference in discernment lies in the way such practices are carried out in these religions. While Christianity says that every man should have a Spiritual Director who shall carry out the duties of discernment and spiritual practices for him, and without whom the practice stands to be void, under Islam however, no such provision is required. A Muslim can simply pray to God in his private sphere and attains spirituality, as the holy book of Islam Koran speaks about. The will of Islam lies in the submission before God. This is the most fundamental practice and belief the religion has. Infact, the meaning of the name Islam is “submission”, which defines the spiritual aspect of this religion. The follower has to submit his will before God, and only after he has done so do the people will be able to understand the calling of the God. Once the will has been submitted, the calling of the God will come and that shall enlighten the follower spiritually. Islam believes that every person is born with a good and an evil. It says that the choice lies with the person with respect to what he wants to do with his life. Nobody is there to guide him but his own mind and the God. And God can only guide him once he spiritually submits himself before the will of the God. It says that people should care for others and do good for them. These are the discernment practices which define this religion, although similar in idea to Christianity, they are different in practice. Discernment With Others: The idea of discernment is Islam has one more difference, and that is discernment not only in private quantity but also in public quantity. The religion speaks about discernment practices where every man looks up to the universe and tries to make the best out of what he has been given by God, as well as submitting his will to the God with the same respect. Man lives according to the universe and should reflect on his true spirits from the eyes of the universe. And the universe resides in the mind of the man, and the mind is a tool to control ones fate and destiny. So, in order to attain discernment the man has to tie up all the loopholes in his spiritual existence as well as look from the spirit inside him. The man is his own man at all the times. This is different to Christianity where the religion says that the man is not only his own man, but also the man of Jesus and God, and therefore he needs help and understanding from someone who is at a higher spiritual pedestal than him, and therefore it is pertinent that he undergoes spiritual therapy under a spiritual director. Therefore, in conclusion, discernment practices are common to almost every religion that is present. Every religion has a certain calling and helps its people or followers to instil within themselves a certain sense of faith with respect to an idea of God. Discernment practices are thus followed in various kinds of religions as spoken about within the scope of this paper. The religions of Islam and Christianity have been discussed to a great extent as a comparison and contrast of their discernment practices has been provided. Furthermore, other religions have their own such practices and beliefs as well and are different from both Islam and Christianity on various levels; the only difference being the outlook of a man towards the universe and towards the idea of what God is and where it lies. Many people believe that God lies within themselves and thus the idea of understanding and practicing these discernment tactics becomes an act to attain spiritual identity and oneness with the supreme powers of the universe. References Rules for Discernment. Ignatian Sprituality. Retrieved August 29, 2011, from http://ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-spirits/rules-for-discernment/ Rules for Discernment. St Ignatius. Retrieved August 29, 2011, from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/prs/stign/ignatian_spirit.html Bill, B. (2008). Sacred Compass. Brewster, Massachusetts: Paraclete Press. Challies, T. The Discipline of Spiritual Discnerment. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books. Read More