Session 4 - Spirituality And Mental Health
John suggests that our relational consciousness (our innate tendency to reach out at both a human level to one another and at a divine level towards God) is the basis for all spirituality and religion. Children are gifted with this natural sense of awe and wonder making them open to spiritual experiences, although our educational system tends to ‘despiritualise’ them as they get older.
- Discuss the idea of relational consciousness. Is it real? Is it something that becomes more apparent as we get older?
- Later in the talk John states that relational consciousness developed in humans because ‘there is something there to relate to’, implying a divine being. How helpful do you find this argument?
- Discuss John’s view that ‘there is something in our culture that pushes us away from relational consciousness (and spirituality)’