Crack in the Matrix Solutions

Abstract

Previous reports (see Benefield, Newman, and Shaffer, 2008 and Benefield and Newman, 2007) regarding the findings of the Spiritual Discernment Project have summarized quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses of participants (n=938) to the Spiritual Discernment Survey (SDS), interviews, and content analysis of websites and blogs hosting discussions specific to spiritual discernment. The current study confirms the previous findings regarding the effects of two demographic variables (religious affiliation and political orientation) on the factors that constitute the ascribed characteristics of spiritual discernment. The quantitative data from the current report is the analysis of recent respondents to the SDS (n=248).   Specifically, analysis of variance of the quantitative data indicated that spiritual discernment profiles based on religious affiliation could be constructed for five of the seven spiritual discernment factors: good vs. evil, new age spirits, the nature of God, God initiates behavior and prerequisites to discernment.  That is, responses to the questions regarding these five factors and total factor scores could be reliably predicted based on the participants’ religious affiliation.   The second factor (political orientation) was found to significantly affect six of the seven spiritual discernment factors.  Thus, politically conservative and political liberal participants were found to differ significantly on the following factors: good vs. evil, gift versus learned discernment, new age spiritual concepts, the nature of God, prerequisites to discernment, and God initiates behavior. Similar data were obtained by examining z-scores comparing means of religious and political preference clusters and grand means and correlations between the responses to the SDS by political conservatives and one cluster of religious affiliates and political liberals and a second cluster of religious affiliates.  These data taken together permitted the construction of spiritual discernment profiles as a function of religious and political affiliation.  The qualitative component of this research focused on the analysis of “spiritual” blogs and websites each of which addressed issues related to spiritual discernment.   Specifically, qualitative content analysis of the frequency of the seven factors comprising the ascribed characteristics of spiritual discernment were examined in both Christian and non-Christian blogs and websites (n=67). Using a paired-observations methodology and maintaining reliability coefficients of .80 or higher, the frequency of discussion of the spiritual discernment factors at each blog and/or website was determined.  For all data, the following five spiritual discernment factors were discussed most frequently: 1) “gift versus learned ability,” 2) “how God communicates,” 3) “prerequisites to discernment 4) “new age/spirits,” and 5) “discerning good versus evil spirits.  The “how God communicates” data was examined for the Christian blogs (n=47) and non-Christian blogs (n = 20).  Christian blogs produced the following top five “ways that God communicates”: 1) Sacred Scripture or Bible, 2) (leadership of or baptism of the) Holy Spirit, 3) Listening/Silence, 4) Inner Voice, 5) Prayer/Meditation.  Non-Christian blogs produced the following top five listing: 1) Sensory experiences (nature art, music, light), 2) Insights, Dreams and Out of Body Experiences, 3) Sacred Scripture, 4) Inner Voice, 5) Prayer/Meditation. 

(*Presented to the Toward the Science of Consciousness Conference, Tucson, AZ April, 2010)

If you would like a copy of this paper contact me at

rbenefield@etbu.edu

or

bob@crackinthematrix.com