Robert van Mourik
Faith is not settled belief but a living process. The claim of absolute truth is the greatest single obstruction to theological honesty.
Catherine Keller [1]
Introduction
Co-dependency exists and has been fostered by the church. It denies the inherent wisdom each of us has and impacts our spiritual growth. If we are to develop an enriched adult faith, we need to move away from co-dependency to personal responsibility for faith in action. Yet we may be unaware that we might be in a co-dependent relationship.
In the introduction to his book, When the Disciple Comes of Age, Diarmuid O’Murchu writes “Our inherited patriarchal certainties, and the accompanying power games – along with the co-dependency that they instil in believers – seem to be lying in ruins. The evolutionary context of the twenty-first century requires something very different.” [2] O’Murchu asserts the need to develop an adult faith if we are to evolve and grow.
Co-dependency occurs when one places an excessive reliance on another at the expense of their own mature development. The difficulty with co-dependent relationships is that they are not apparent. In the context of church and religion, co-dependent relationships can be unwittingly accepted as normal, but this is unhealthy. Ilia Delio describes in a recent article a co-dependent relationship with God, a co-dependency that is problematic:
“we have imagined and created a powerful divine Being, whose name is “God,” who lives in heaven and watches over us. We built churches and composed prayers to a God who reigns almighty, from above, a God who is all-powerful and all-knowing; a God who protects the faithful and judges the fallen. The quicker we can dispel this mythic God, however, the greater the chance of discovering the real God.
The problem is, in this crazy and chaotic world, we want a God who is like Zeus, detached from the weakness of matter but in control of life’s events. There are movements today in the Catholic Church to return to the Tridentine (Latin Mass), to restore the church to its glorious reign, as if the Middle Ages were the best of all times; to worship a God who reigns above, like a King who has sent ‘his’ Son to save us from this fallen world. This fabricated God--who has nothing to do with Scripture and everything to do with our deep existential fear of nothingness--is the root of our environmental disaster, our inability to cope with artificial intelligence, our exclusion of LGBTQ persons, the persistence of racial inequality and the lack of hope in the world’s future.” [3]
An Adult Faith
O’Murchu describes adult faith as “coming of age”. He proposes that in the Christian faith Jesus fulfils an archetypal role.
“In Jesus is embodied a unique integration of the human as earthly, yet poised for a process of transformation that converts the merely human into a more radiant expression of being fully alive.”
“In adopting this archetypal portrayal, I am suggesting that the inherited distinction between the humanity and divinity of Jesus is so overloaded with cultural and ideological baggage that it is no longer capable of delivering the maturity that comes with age. Because we get so ensnared in so many tropes related to power, domination, imperialism, and so on, we run the risk of bypassing the profound wisdom that can be so liberating and empowering.” And a little later, “More daunting still is the growing realisation that we have saddled the historical Jesus with several patriarchal projections that have distorted as well as undermined his liberating and empowering message.” [4]
As a personal reflection, O’Murchu observes in his own coming of age, the significance of the phrase from the Sermon on the Mount:
” ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well’ (Matt. 6:33). These days there is little I take at face value, but this Matthean verse feels like a primordial truth. A starting point in our Christian story has been compromised. Throughout several centuries we have not given first place to the kingdom of God: instead, a lot of other imperial values (and systems) have taken priority.” [5]
Our July 2023 newsletter, reporting on our Episode 20 discussion paper Why did Jesus Die?, explained:
“Consequently, looking to the example set by Jesus, Spong reframes the Christian message, that there is nothing that we can ever do or ever be that will separate us from the love of God. Jesus’s message is about love, enhancing humanity, not dragging us down, denigrating us. God is not a noun but a verb that must be lived. If God is the source of life, then we must live fully, love wastefully, extravagantly, and be all that we are capable of being and help others to do the same.
Embracing this understanding leads to changes in our behaviour, the language of our worship and our expectations of our religious institutions. Our language and outlook could be more joyful and life affirming.”
This is another way to comprehend the kingdom of God, otherwise expressed as mercy, compassion and justice for all. Meeting these expectations requires an adult faith. If we are to develop an adult faith, we must understand church history and how these co-dependent relationships have evolved.
Clerical Culture & Devotionalism
In Episode 12 of the Butterfly Series, the discussion paper[6] discussed the early recording of Christian thought:
“In the first two to three centuries the early church developed as a plurality of communities with different emphases and with sacred texts having a history of oral transmission before being reduced to writing. Constantine’s initiatives led to Athanasius (c. 296-373) editing and consolidating these sacred texts as the bible, resulting in some texts being discarded. In the early years there were many Christianities e.g., wisdom, healing and matriarchal. This diversity of thought was lost in the drive to organisational control, codification as canon and the elimination of heresies. Unity and diversity lost out in the drive to uniformity.” [7]
Despite the desire of fundamentalists to believe that the Bible is inerrant, the reality is that theological beliefs and dogma have evolved over time. For example, as previously discussed [8], the doctrine of original sin was formulated by Augustine in the fifth century, presenting a negative archetype of humankind. In the eleventh century, Atonement Theory was developed relying on this doctrine of original sin. O’Murchu writes:
“The legacy of Constantine also endorsed the rationalistic anthropology of Aristotle which, when combined with Constantine’s addiction to power, left Christians with a systemic codependency that prevailed into the 20th Century. Alluding to that parent-child codependency that prevents adults coming of age.” [9]
Nevertheless, O’Murchu writes:
“The historical research of Brock and Parker (2008) highlights the fact that a spirituality of paradise on earth, rather than a life hereafter, prevailed right into the eleventh century; even the martyrs associated with the Roman catacombs envisaged their death as a contribution to a better world in the here and now, rather than an escape to a life hereafter. An empowering faith in the Risen Christ, rather than a devotion of atonement, seems to have dominated the first Christian millennium.
This complex foundational picture marked a spiritual coming of age, which subsequent Christian history has poorly understood. Ecclesiastical power and domination persistently blinker our vision and distort the true story."
However, the times marked significant changes and ill-founded practices resulting in the reformation by Protestant churches, provoking a defensive institutional response, a counter-reformation:
Clerical power became a major issue at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) which put in place a robust system of structure and regulation to safeguard the one and only truth, which the Catholic Church alone could deliver. To that end it created a superior person in charge, who is best described by four key words: Male, White, Celibate, Cleric - a clerical elite in which even the privileged clerical few cannot come of age, because they are ensconced in an idolatrous and tyrannical regime. Everybody ends up in co-dependent, dysfunctional relationships.
Those holding the power – the male, white, celibate clerics – enforced their power chiefly by perpetuating a form of devotionalism that kept people feeling unworthy, obedient, and passive. Almost inevitably people began to internalise a tyrannical, demanding God that could never be satisfied, a God that would never give the graces necessary for salvation unless we bombarded him day and night…. Requiring repetitive prayers, rituals, exaggerated use of statues and holy pictures, and frequent attendance at church services. In this way, people were kept in perpetual childish immaturity, embracing a faith with little or no sense of adult growth and development.”[10]
Why this is Important
At the risk of being overly simplistic, if the Church is to accomplish its mission, it could:
Reframe the Christian story as described by Spong, above. The habits of devotion and rituals, described above by O’Murchu, along with many beliefs, become difficult to justify when viewed through an independent, adult lens.
Reduce the influence of clericalism and its associated power and encourage and affirm the value and wisdom of the people, reflected in the notion of sensus fidelium/fidei, as discussed below.
Encourage those members of the Church who are not clerics, to step up and accept their own responsibility to be proactive, to contribute to the church’s mission and to pursue their own spiritual growth.
.
It can be argued that the church has trained people to be co-dependent, reflected in a model of church known as “pay, pray and obey.” The growth of clericalism and the framing of doctrines such as original sin and atonement theory, for example, have created for clergy a business of sin management, as described by Richard Rohr[11]. It has also resulted in many living their lives in fear of eternal damnation, in part due to a failure to “obey the rules”.
The Art of Consensus-Making
Notwithstanding this history of clerical culture and devotionalism, the art of consensus-making, involving collaborative decision making rather than adversarial debate, is more likely to accomplish the objectives of mission. This will result in better decisions, better group relationships and better implementation of decisions. This reflective process echoes the earlier notion of sensus fidelium/fidei.
In a footnote, O’Murchu references this notion:
“For several contemporary theologians, the notion of sensus fidelium/fidei is linked with the vision of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Before the nineteenth century, sensus fidelium appeared in texts on theological sources, but the concept was not employed commonly in theology. The authoritative source usually cited is that of Melchior Cano’s (d. 1560) De Locis Theologicis. Cano lists four criteria to establish whether a doctrine or practice belonged to apostolic tradition of the Church, including the “present common sense of the faithful” as one of the four criteria.
Renowned Dominican scholar Yves Congar claims that since the early eighteenth century, the teaching authority of the Church claimed a monopoly of truth that progressively undermined the notion of the sensus fidelium/fidei, and Vatican II’s definition of the Church as “The People of God” has initiated a corrective to this virtual marginalisation of the “faithful”. [12]
Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) [13]
For the Catholic church, a new document issued by the Vatican in June 2023, Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document), sets out an operating model for a synodal church, potentially the most significant initiative by the church since Vatican II. It represents entirely new ways of thinking about how things are done throughout all levels of the church from its cardinals through to parishes. It also reflects the diversity of the worldwide church. It includes references to:
A focus on local Churches considering their variety and diversity of cultures, languages, and modes of expression.
A Church that is also increasingly synodal in its institutions, structures, and procedures.
A synodal Church is a listening Church.
A synodal Church desires to be humble and knows that it must ask forgiveness and has much to learn.
This Church is not afraid of the variety it bears but values it without forcing it into uniformity.
Characteristic of a synodal Church is the ability to manage tensions without being crushed by them.
A synodal Church is also a Church of discernment.
Synodal life is not a strategy for organising the Church, but the experience of being able to find a unity that embraces diversity without erasing it.
The need to renew the language used by the Church: in its liturgy, preaching, catechesis, sacred art, as well as in all forms of communication addressed to the Faithful and the wider public.
This is language entirely removed from the development of the church after the Council of Trent. Implementing this working document and following its practices could result in an entirely new church, in which the laity can have an important role, especially in the light of diminishing numbers of clergy.
It would give new meaning to the sense of the faithful.
The Many Colours of Spirit
A maturing adult faith implies spiritual growth just as there are differing states of physical or emotional development. These states can be likened to coloured segments on a pie chart with each segment necessary to complete the whole. Ken Wilber is known for his model of spiritual development:
“Here is another, particularly crucial, set of distinctions. Every altitude of consciousness will interpret Spirit differently. If we use the five major worldviews—Magic, Mythic, Rational, Pluralistic, and Integral—then we also have five very different “Gods,” five levels of Spirit. Surveys consistently report that an overwhelming majority of people say they believe in God. But which colour god? Believing in a magic Magenta god is light years away from a pluralistic Green god, which is radically distinct from an Integral Turquoise divinity. Many spiritual/ religious conflicts spring from this exact issue. The debating (and sometimes warring) parties talk past each other because they’re each referring to different altitudes of Spirit.
How do attitudes of spiritual awareness show up in real life? Here is one example among many of how different levels, different interpretations of Spirit, can show up among Christians.
Magenta/ Red Magic God: This level sees Jesus as a Magician, turning water in wine, multiplying loaves and fishes, walking on water, and so on. Jesus is experienced as a magical person who can miraculously alter the world. This stage is preconventional and egocentric. This Jesus is of interest because he can answer my prayers, meet my needs, and offer me blessings.
Amber Mythic God: This level sees Jesus as the Messiah, the Eternal Truth-bringer. This stage is absolutistic in its beliefs, so I must either believe and obey scripture as it is given or face damnation. This stage is also ethnocentric, so I am allied not just to God but also to my fellow religious believers. We are united against the heathens who resist and oppose our true faith. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal saviour will be saved. This is, by far, the most prevalent level of spiritual consciousness, sometimes slightly altered as it begins to evolve toward Orange.
Orange Rational God: This level sees the Jesus of Nazareth, still fully divine but also fully human, in a more rationally believable way, as a teacher of the universal love of a deistic God. In relation to this God, I am free. I am able to exercise reason and personal responsibility. I care for myself and for my tribe and country, but I also care for all people. I can find a good, true, and blessed life through Christ Jesus in my way with other Christians, but I allow that others might also find a valid spirituality through different forms of worship.
Green Pluralistic God: This level sees the Christ consciousness that exists within me and within all beings. I endeavour to discover and respect the divinity in myself and in all people. I deconstruct and reinterpret Biblical passages to speak to me in more universal terms and to champion issues such as ecological sustainability, social justice, fair distribution of wealth, nonviolence, and women’s rights. I recognize the full validity of a wide diversity of spiritual paths. Christianity is merely one path among many—none better or worse than another.
Teal/ Turquoise Integral God (toward Indigo Super-Integral): This level sees that the universal Christ consciousness can be found everywhere, in everyone, and in every perspective. Whereas the Green, Orange, and Amber-Red-Magenta Christians don’t get along very well with each other, I find much in common with each and all of them, and I appreciate and resonate with the special strengths of each. For me, God is obvious and universal, present everywhere in every form.” [14]
Those who remain in a co-dependent relationship with the church and the clergy will mostly be relating to a Magic or Mythic God. This is the God of the Old Testament. He is also the God of the Nicene Creed, written in CE 325, which has the Father sitting on a throne in heaven and the Son ascending to sit at his right-hand side. It is also a God that is born of unrealistic expectations, which includes intervention in worldly affairs in response to prayer. Christian human consciousness needs to evolve beyond this image of God.
However, it is also important to understand that it is necessary to grow through these various levels, Rohr writes:
“When I speak about the failings and limitations of the church and low level religion, I hope you know I am not throwing out the important beginning stages of structure and obedience. They have a relative importance as scaffolding, but they are not the building itself. We don’t need to continue protecting the scaffolding once it’s served its purpose. But we still honour and respect it.
In the first half of life, our task is to build a container. Eventually we realise that life isn’t primarily about the container but the contents. As Jesus said, wineskins are for the sake of holding the wine (Luke 5:37-39), not for the sake of themselves. It doesn’t serve us to argue about whose wineskins are best. If they hold the precious contents, they are good!” [15]
This concept is known as transcend and include.
Conclusion
Jesus spoke frequently about the kingdom of God, a concept that denotes a life of mercy, compassion, and justice for all. Seeking this kingdom was his priority and the Christian church that follows him must have this as its primary objective. That is its mission. It requires acknowledging God as the source of life, that we must live fully, love wastefully, extravagantly, and be all that we are capable of being and help others to do the same.
However, the early Christians, like Jesus, were radically counter-cultural and not what the church became. Its early impetus was lost to alignment with state power and the growth of church bureaucracies. These structures sought their own power, creating divisions and excluding the other - such as women and minorities - contrary to the very message Jesus sought to promote. The resulting growth in clericalism created a co-dependent laity whose own wisdom was diminished.
The Christian story could be reframed and aligned with Jesus’s vision for the kingdom of God, a society offering mercy, compassion and justice for all and the fullest realisation of human potential. Our growth in understanding in many fields, such as psychology and quantum physics, helps us conceive new ways in which we can imagine “God” at work. This knowledge and our growth spiritually invite us to reconsider our views on our responsibility for the environment, distribution of wealth, the merits of unbridled capitalism and other beliefs we now take for granted.
How do we, as individuals and Christian communities, respond to these signs of the times?
We can reflect on the reality of codependency and ask ourselves how we might grow to exhibit an adult faith. We can reflect on clericalism and reimagine the role of the laity within our community. We can respond to the call of Pope Francis for a more synodal church in pursuit of its mission. We can ask ourselves: “if Jesus was in Australia right now, what would he do? Expect of us?”
Questions for Reflection
Can you recall a time when you had a co-dependent relationship challenge? Has this changed? When did it change and why?
Referring to Wilbur’s five major world views, which colour describes your view of God? What colour would you like to be?
[1] Diarmuid O’Murchu, When the Disciple Comes of Age, 57
[2] ibid, vi
[4] Diarmuid O’Murchu, When the Disciple Comes of Age, 54-56
[5] Ibid 59
[6] Historical Influences on Christian Beliefs, Robert van Mourik, Butterfly Series #12, September 2022, 3
[7] Cynthia Bourgeault (RvM Wisdom School notes), February 2023
[9] Diarmuid O’Murchu, When the Disciple Comes of Age, 58
[10] Diarmuid O’Murchu, When the Disciple Comes of Age, 67-70
[12] Diarmuid O’Murchu, When the Disciple Comes of Age, 25-26
[14] Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening by Ken Wilber, Terry Patten, et al
November 2023
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