I have come to believe that most people have, what I call, a spiritual haven–a go to place of refuge and comfort that works for them. It is where they find connection with something greater than themselves. I have identified nine unique havens that I believe are convenient little pigeon holes in which we may sort the most common experiences.
| Haven | Example |
| A-Spiritual | I don’t believe in anything greater than myself |
| Life as Magic | I’m a Baptist and believe in the inspiration of the Bible and believe the stories within it are literally true. |
| Knowledge | I’m a Baptist and believe in the inspiration of the Bible and believe the stories within it are literally true because great thinkers and scholars have shown me the wisdom of what is contained within. |
| Mystical | I’m a Baptist, and I believe in the inspiration of the Bible and literally interpret its stories–but also believe there are greater understandings to be had as I spend time in meditation and reflection. |
| Dialogic | I’m a Baptist and I’m familiar with our way of understanding scripture–but I welcome the views and opinions of others. Discussion is a good thing. |
| Socially Constructed | I’m was raised as a Baptist and consider them as my home base. This tradition has its roots as a separatist movement–formed in reaction to the Church of England back in the 1600’s. Many of the things we believe are unique interpretations and reactions to these early beginnings. Much of who we are today is the result of give and take within the larger American and worldwide membership. |
| Deconstructive | Though I am a Baptist, many of the views we hold today were to provide solutions to problems that would have split our church otherwise. Some views were adopted to clearly distinguish us from other faith traditions. Others were adopted because most of us wanted it that way. Our views of LGBTQ are largely rooted in traditional views of scripture that keep us from admitting them as a functioning part of our fellowship and exerting legitimate power within. |
| Larger Mythic | I come from a Baptist tradition–which is one of many Christian traditions. Its teachings about life and spirit are similar to many other spiritual paths and practices around the world–many of which are not Christian. I find meaning in life from knowing more about how peoples in ancient times until now make sense of the world and find meaning in it. I find a unity of truth as I study these world stories that strangely make me appreciate my own background even more. |
| Transcendent Abiding | I am grateful for my Baptist background in that it helped point me to the transcendent view of God I now enjoy. Nowadays I understand Baptist teachings in a totally different way from the ordinary person. Though there aren’t too many people from my background that have arrived at my point of view–I realize that I’m only talking about my other individuations that have yet to awaken. I hang around not because I need these teachings to awaken me further but because I want to help others come to their awakenings as well. |