Rituals, Habits, & the Human Brain

We are beings of habit. Our successes and failures are contingent on the habits we make and those we break. We aren't only speaking of physical habits, like remembering to brush your teeth each night, but also habits of mind. I remember speaking to a counselor once who suggested one such habit to reverse my anxiety patterns. He said to seek out a regularly occurring sound in my environment. Every time I heard that sound, I should close my eyes and have a silent moment of stillness and peace. Eventually, my mind would automatically become relaxed on habit.

It's easy to see the rituals, feasts, ceremonies, and regular sacrifices in the Bible as facets of an ancient world separate from our own. Some will state that they were only for remembrance of God and how He walked with His people in the past, present, and how He will walk with us in the future. That's only partly true. I'm convinced that they were also created to create a habit of mind.

"How do your voluminous sacrifices benefit me?" the LORD is asking. "I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don't enjoy the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing useless offerings! Incense is detestable to me, as are your New Moons, Sabbaths, and calling of convocations. I cannot stand iniquity within a solemn assembly. As for your New Moons and your appointed festivals, I abhor them. They've become a burden to me; I've grown weary of carrying that burden. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I'll hide my eyes from you. Even though you pray repeatedly, I won't listen. Your hands are full of blood, your fingers drenched with iniquity." Isaiah 1:11-15

"For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year." Hebrews 10:1-3

On the one hand, the Israelites were being constantly reminded of their past sins so they weren't doomed to repeat history. On the other hand, God didn't want empty rituals done by mechanical repetition. They were made to make people more conscious not less. They were a type of meditation. Better yet, these rituals were like mental practice for greater things.

One source states:

"People tend to think that what differentiates religious people from their secular counterparts is that they believe different things. But that is less than half the story. People in most religions behave distinctively. They engage in ritual. They do certain things like praying, over and over again. Ritual is the religious equivalent of “deep practice.”

We can now understand why. Constant practice creates new neural pathways. It makes certain forms of behaviour instinctive. It reconfigures our character so that we are no longer the people we once were. We have, engraved into our instincts the way certain strokes are engraved in the minds of tennis champions, specific responses to circumstance. Prayer engenders gratitude. Daily charitable giving makes us generous. The “thou shalt not’s” of religion teach us self control. Ritual changes the world by changing us.

This would not have surprised Aristotle or Maimonides because that is how they believed virtue is acquired, by constantly repeating virtuous acts. “Habit becomes second nature,” as the medieval thinkers put it. That does not mean that genes have no part to play. I think I always knew that with my height and lack of body coordination I was not destined to be a basketball champion. But neither talent nor virtue is determined by the lottery of birth. Hard work beats lazy genius every time.

Far from being outmoded, religious ritual turns out to be deeply in tune with the new neuroscience of human talent, personality and the plasticity of the brain. The great faiths never forgot what science is helping us rediscover: that ritual creates new habits of the heart that can lift us to unexpected greatness." (rabbisacks)

We may no longer do the same rituals or have to sacrifice lambs for our sins (since the great Lamb Jesus did the last and most meaningful sacrifice). However, as Christians, we should implement ritual to our everyday routine in order to ingrain the habits we want to sustain in the name of God.

People don't wake up after baptism being excellent disciples. We are what we do repeatedly. Start somewhere. Donate, practice empathy in your next interaction, read the Bible, set an alarm at a certain time daily and do something for someone else. Research says it takes twenty-one days for a habit to form. It will literally change your mind.

Let's practice being disciples together and amaze the world with God's greatness. Even if we fail most days, look at all the good we could do in the meantime!


Sources other than Bible:
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-13-ritual-versus-reality-romans-225-29
http://rabbisacks.org/credo-ritual-develops-habits-that-can-lift-us-to-greatness/

Finally, Be Strong

Many of us in Western countries are blessed in that we can worship freely with little to no oppression. However, that doesn't mean it's easy to stand firm and proud for what we believe in, and we can face backlash and even hatred for our principles. As many of you know, you need to put on the armor of God.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:10-18

Let's break this apart, shall we? Paul wrote the book of Ephesians from a Roman prison in Ephesus, waiting for his trial in front of Caesar. His ministry had been so successful that the silversmiths were losing money with all the people that stopped buying idols and worshiping Artemis. He left to Jerusalem but was arrested there. We know the outcome of his trial was execution.

Needless to say, Paul knew first-hand what it was to stand firm in his faith while facing death.

When speaking of the armor of God, he describes several pieces of armor and weaponry common for Roman soldiers to equip. In fact, it seems the verse goes in order to how a soldier would've put those pieces on his body.

Belt of Truth - First thing equipped and used to hold everything in place, both the rest of his armor/equipment but also to hold extras he may need like money or food. Without the Word of God and His truth, everything else we do will fall apart.

Breastplate of Righteousness - Resting on and attached directly to the belt, the breastplate protects the heart. Living our lives in God's way of love will protect us from temptations and harm to our hearts.

Feet fitted with Readiness - A Roman soldier had footwear with spikes in the heel, to better grip, balance, and well to defend themselves with! We need to stand ready and steady to deal with whatever may come our way, eyes wide open.

Shield of Faith - Roman shields were long, spanning from chin to knees. When under great attack, many soldiers together would hunch down together and combine shields to protect themselves and their fellow soldiers until they were able to, as a group, make the next move. Our faith and trust in God will protect us from the fiery arrows of the world, and when we combine our forces to protect each other with encouragement and trust in God, we're unstoppable.

Helmet of Salvation - Many nations had leather or bone helmets, but the Romans wore bronze or iron helmets, almost impervious to attack. As children of God, we are saved, which means many things, but one the biggest things it means is that the Holy Spirit now lives within us to help us direct our ways. With the Holy Spirit, our minds are protected from worldly attacks, trying to sway our minds into paths of darkness and doubt.

Sword of Spirit - A Roman soldier had a few types of swords, one of which was a two-edged sword. The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, while it protects, also cuts through the darkness, getting straight to the truth of the matter. If God is with us, who can be against us?

Something else to remember is this:

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

Put on the armor first, prepare. The soldier doesn't arm him or herself in the middle of a battlefield. They put it on before they step out. Find a way to put on your armor daily before doing anything else, so that you will be prepared for whatever comes your way.

One way of doing this is prayer, which Paul actually addresses. It brings us back to God's perspective, our faith in Him, and is a type of meditation to calm us at the start of day. You can also start the day with Bible reading. Don't sigh. You don't have to read a whole book to make this effective. Simply, read a daily verse like those through the Bible app. Like prayer, it centers us back onto the right path. You can journal, draw, run while contemplating God, etc. You do you. Just find a way to equip yourself.

How do you put on the armor of God each day? Comment with your own ideas, and as always, love y'all!






Sources other than Bible:
http://www.christianarsenal.com/Christian_Arsenal/Full_Armor_of_God.html
http://www.truthnet.org/Spiritual-warfare/6BackgroundArmor-God/Armor-of-God.htm