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As a Christian I find other christian friends split on the topic of mindfulness. Some embrace mindfulness and some think it should be avoided. I am in the latte
by p0d 7y ago
As a Christian I find other christian friends split on the topic of mindfulness. Some embrace mindfulness and some think it should be avoided. I am in the latter camp. I imagine the reason why is the spiritual nature of mindfulness which is highlighted by all the comments here.
Most days I use the Lord Jesus’s prayer to reflect and pray about the day before/ahead. It’s an important part of my life and well-being. I’m curious to hear from other christians who embrace mindfulness. It is an alien concept for me to reflect inwards without looking outside myself to God. How does mindfulness rest with your christian faith in this regard?
- Infinitesimus 7y ago(Former Christian my some standard here) Some would argue that meditation, mindfulness and prayer are not necessarily different. Prayer - from the angle of communion with God - can be a two way street. You speak, you listen. With mindfulness and many other meditations, you listen a lot. You can call what you're listening to yourself. Or God. Or Oneness. Or The Universe. Whatever it is, it helps you turn the lens of your introspection away from the noise and towards something quieter, deeper, and perhaps enlightening. Don't forget that several monks from the 5th century to the present day promoted meditation ( eg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christian_meditation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christian_meditat... ) Even in the bible, all the times people went off to the desert to commune with God, I bet they were meditating and practicing mindfulness.
- p0d 7y agoThanks. I was just chatting to my wife about your response and she was recollecting what some call centering prayer. There seems to be some comparison. I guess I do meditate and am mindful. There may just may be some cultural baggage with those words in Christendom.