"Excuse me, sir, may I sit here," a priest asked, and the man woke up from his meditation, and seeing the priest point to the vacant spot next to him on the park bench nodded. The man then continued with his meditation, which involved him crossing his fingers and lowering his head, similar to a prayer-like position. The priest seeing this took much curiosity in the man and continued to ask him questions.
"If I may ask, what are you praying for sir? I can pray with you if you would like" he asked. The man again stopped his meditation and responded smiling "I am just thanking the Divine for all of the blessings that he has given me today. Not only is the weather perfect, but I got a job offer yesterday". "Then congratulations! However, I must say that if you want to thank God, why not do it in a church? It is Sunday after all" the priest said. "Thanks, but I'm not Christian" the man replied.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding, are you Jewish then?" the priest asked. "No sir" the man replied. "Then are you Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or worship another religion?" the priest asked again, inquiring further into the man's beliefs. "No, I don't follow any organized religion" the man responded. "Then how can you pray if you are atheist" the priest then questioned the man. The man turned towards the priest and said: "I'm not an atheist either, I am simply spiritual".
"That's silly! How can you be spiritual if you do not follow an organized religion!" the priest said in shock. "Because being spiritual is all about finding a connection that goes outside of yourself, and really not only contemplating the meaning of life but also acknowledging that you have the power to control your life" the man explained.
"While that does sound nice and all, in due respect, how can you even worship the divine without even using any religious practices or already-set prayers?" the priest asked the man. "Well, that really all depends on the person. For example, with me, I am able to find meaning and connection to the Divine when I am in nature, which explains why I am in this park. However, others simply find their connections and meanings to the Divine in other ways" the man responded.
"Well, then how would you know the difference between right and wrong? Religion is what teaches you that" the priest told the man. "I, as a spiritualist, think of right and wrong more as, how should I live? If I want to live a good life and believe that others should live good lives as well, then I will not do things to hurt those people; in fact, I would help those people instead" the man explained.
"And I do have one more last thing to say before I go," the man told the priest, as he was mad not only at the priest for interrupting his meditation but also for questioning him on his beliefs. "Spiritual people and religious people have more in common than you believe. We both have beliefs, reflect on our actions, share common ethics, come to philosophical/religious realizations, and aim to find comfort, and can be in awe in what we discover about the world or in ourselves. Therefore, you lack knowledge about spirituality is disappoint Father, and I recommend you learn more about it before questioning, or lecturing people about what to do".
The man then walked peacefully away, and the priest sat on the bench alone and in shock. And after giving deep thought into it, finally understood and regretted the way he treated the man. He then got up, exited the park, and was waiting at an intersection when he saw a runner who was about to unknowingly walk into a path of cars.
Instinctively, the priest grabbed the arm of the runner just as they were about to walk into the road. And as the priest did this, a bus narrowly missed the runner and continued to drive down the road. And in shock of what he just did, the priest left quickly, not giving the runner a chance to see the person who saved him.
The priest shortly arrived back at his church, and in the pews, began to pray, asking God what was the meaning of what just happened, what did it mean. And receiving his answer shortly after, he found himself going to the park again the next Sunday, and sitting on the same bench, prayed and vented to God freely.
For Further Reading
Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'?
On Beating the Taboo of Spirituality and Creating a Better Life
