Cultural Differences Between Native American Spirituality And Religion

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There are many different religions in America and spirituality means different things to different people. Religions are manmade stemming from the Latin word religo, meaning to bind up. Christian spirituality involves a choice we make to grow in our daily relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ by submitting to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There are different denominations within Christianity, the same goes for the different tribes in Native spirituality. The Natives who belong to different “religions”, still hold onto their spirituality through the “circle of Life” (page 11). Some people would argue that Native spirituality is corrupt and lost. However, part of life is adapting and learning from others. Native Americans spirituality…show more content…
Both believe in one ruler over all, both believe in a good place (heaven) and bad place (hell) after death, and both believe in guidance through spiritual leaders(prophets), to name a few. Another reason I believe Natives practices have not been abandon is because their culture is inextricably linked and connected with Mother Earth. The land, the plants, the animals, and all around contain their culture, spirit, and identity; all working together to create a balance of harmony (Page 68). How can a culture’s spiritual identity gets lost when it is rooted into everything living and non-living? Lastly, spirituality was designed without written rules to be edited and manipulated, without limits and boundaries, without segregation and prejudice. Spirituality is something we possess within ourselves and cannot be coerced, deceived, and compromised. That is the number one reason Native American Spirituality still exists today with or without other cultural influences. Colossian 2:8,” See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on

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