398: Your Faith Crisis Means You're Ready for More

Series Title: The Two Functions of Formal Religion  [Part I of III] 

In this three part Latter Day Struggles 2.0 Transcend + Include series, Val and explore the two distinct functions of religion: the “horizontal” path that offers meaning, comfort, and stability, and the “vertical” path that invites deep transformation and of Self, even with the loss of community support and validation.  

They begin an exploration of why early "self validating" horizontal religion is not only normal but often necessary—especially in seasons of early spiritual development—while also naming how it is generally dogmatic, compliance-oriented, and has no capacity to truly transform. 

While horizontal (translative) religion is a necessary step in our faith expansion journey, most of us moved into crisis because we felt that it was not truly helping us meet our deepest spiritual potential.  Stay tuned for more understanding on why you chose the harder but more authentic and rewarding journey that you are on. 

Books referenced: "One Taste" by Ken Wilbur

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Series Overview

01:15 The Book "One Taste" and Initial Reactions

03:33 First Function: Creating and Maintaining a Separate Self

06:10 The Limits of the First Function

09:20 Second Function: Radical Transformation and Liberation

12:05 Examples: Prosperity Gospel and Transactional Religion

14:31 Horizontal vs. Vertical Development in Religion

17:00 The Value of Horizontal Religion

20:10 Behavioral vs. Consciousness Change

22:23 Complicating the Simplified View

24:15 The One True Church Paradigm

27:10 Transitioning to Vertical Religion

30:11 The Pain of Letting Go

35:00 The Challenge of Living Authentically

37:45 Compassion for Those in Horizontal Religion

41:00 Balancing Horizontal and Vertical Religion

44:20 The Role of Comfort and Security

49:06 Conclusion and Next Steps