Stone One

Assert: I assert that I am responsible for my own spiritual path.
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For years I rested in the religion of my birth, content with the doctrines and guidelines I had been taught. That religion worked for me, and I felt no compunction to step outside of the religious circle had formed around me. I thought that the circle was one of protection. Now I believe it was simply a circle of familiarity, comfort, and convenience. When questions arose they were answered in the framework of my belief system that claimed to have an answer for everything. I didn’t know that my circle would one day be broken, and all the safety I thought was mine would vanish.

I am grateful for the crisis in my life that punctured my circle and led me to search for answers from the world outside. Up until then, I had given over my spiritual path to religious leaders with a very limited world view. Only after the circle no longer protected me did I take responsibility for my own spiritual journey.

Those how did not have a background similar to my religious-circle experience might not understand my crisis of faith. They might have grown up in a more open-minded religious culture that encouraged their followers to question their path and make sure it was the one that worked best for them. For many of us, however, Stone One is a wakeup call to take responsibility for what we believe and why we believe it. “Because the religious organization said so” is not a good enough answer. After all, they could be wrong.