Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "As faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a distinctive way of looking at life. We view our experiences in terms of eternity. As we draw farther from worldliness, we feel closer to our Father in Heaven and more able to be guided by his Spirit. We call this quality of life spirituality.
"To the faithful, spirituality is a lens through which we view life and a gauge by which we evaluate it....To be spiritually minded is to view and evaluate our experiences in terms of the enlarged perspective of eternity." "Spirituality" 1985
Doctrine CONCERNING SPIRITUALITY
“Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal” (2 Ne. 9:39)
“… all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal” (D&C 29:30–32, 34)
President Russell M. Nelson: "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." April 2018 General Conference
President David O. McKay defined spirituality as “the consciousness of victory over self, and of communion with the infinite. Spirituality impels one to conquer difficulties and acquire more and more strength. To feel one’s faculties unfolding and truth expanding the soul is one of life’s sublimest experiences” (David O. McKay, Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life, comp. Llewelyn R. McKay, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1971, p. 99).
President McKay: "Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every brave suffering for the right; every surrender of self to something higher than self; every loyalty to an ideal; every unselfish devotion to principle; every helpfulness to humanity; every act of self-control; every fine courage of the soul, undefeated by pretense or policy; every being, doing, and living of good for the very good’s sake—that is spirituality." [David O. McKay, True to the Faith, compiled by Llewelyn R. McKay (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), p. 245]
HOW DO I INCREASE SPIRITUALITY?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "We seek spirituality through faith, repentance, and baptism; through forgiveness of one another; through fasting and prayer; through righteous desires and pure thoughts and actions. We seek spirituality through service to our fellowmen; through worship; through feasting on the word of God, in the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets. We attain spirituality through making and keeping covenants, through conscientiously trying to keep all the commandments of God. Spirituality is not acquired suddenly. It is the consequence of a succession of right choices. It is the harvest of a righteous life." "Spirituality" 1985
A WORD ABOUT SCRUPULOSITY
Do you constantly obsess about living the gospel the “right” way? Do you feel an urgency to repent for the same mistake or sin over and over again because you doubt whether you have repented “properly”? Do you feel perpetually guilty? If so, you might be struggling with a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) known as scrupulosity.
Those with a religious background may also experience religious obsessions and compulsions where a “person judges personal behavior as immoral that one’s faith community would see as blameless.” This type of religious OCD is called scrupulosity.
Religious focus tends to become narrow and trivial; religious practice gets extreme; and behaviors such as praying and confessing become repetitive, persistent, and unwanted compulsions that cause a lot of distress.
For example, confession tends to become chronic, generally connected to minute indiscretions or behavior that is misperceived as sinful; it becomes impulsive and repetitive because of fear that it hasn’t been done quite the “right way.” In other words, with scrupulosity, the big picture of the gospel plan of happiness gets distorted and corrupted by anxiety.
THERAPEUTIC MODALITY : ATTACHMENT THEORY
Attachment is defined as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969, P. 194), and may be considered interchangeable with concepts such as “affectional bond” and “emotional bond.”
A person’s first attachment is often established with the primary caregiver during infancy. However, it must be noted that attachment is not unique to infant-caregiver relationships but may also be present in other forms of social relationships.
Attachments of various kinds are formed through the repeated act of “attachment behaviors” or “attachment transactions,” a continuing process of seeking and maintaining a certain level of proximity to another specified individual (Bowlby, 1969).
Because caregivers vary in their levels of sensitivity and responsiveness, not all infants attach to caregivers in the same way. Simply Psychology
Filled with His Love podcast by Russell Osguthorpe, formerly of the General Sunday School Presidency.
PRACTICE
Who are some examples of each attachment style from the scriptures?
Nephi
Paul
Moses
Joseph of Egypt
Abraham
Sarah
Jonah
Joseph Smith
Alma the Younger
The Brother of Jared
Esther
Ruth
What is your attachment style with our Heavenly Parents, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost? Are you Secure in that attachment? Avoidant? Anxious? Fearful?
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
How can you remind yourself to move toward a more secure attachment to our loving Heavenly Father, thus increasing your spirituality?
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