Dogmatic Faith Stage Analysis

After a few years of being in the first stage I was in the dogmatic faith stage. In this stage, I was applying myself ceaselessly to earning the love and approval of the Supreme Being (Gold, 2010). I thought I was doing the work of the lord and that if I did that I would be an important person for it. I never wanted to do the wrong thing and even was very over worried about my sexual behaviors or openness to start doing things in that realm as a high school student. At the same time, I think that church was a good and stable place for me to be at that time regardless, but looking back it seems to be a pretty foolish way of thinking that it was the only way to do right in the world. What it did teach me was about having obligations and personal

Eventually this space made me feel depressed and confused to see that we have been moving in the wrong direction and had become disconnected. It was a feeling of shame and guilt for what I had become. This lead me to go back to church once in a while (even though I went alone I still went back) and I would try to convince my family at times and vice versa. I was able to think about right and wrong on my own at this time. This has been continuing for a few years and I am now making the changes I want to see for myself. Which brings me to today where we still do not attend and rarely do as a family. This has bothered me for a while, but I knew that I had the freedom to go back if I choose to. The freedom and space to determine my own spirituality. I am now choosing to go back and help my church. I am going back to follow what I believe and making an informed choice to go back to my church on my own terms. This is the fourth stage where I have reconstructed my internalized faith. In this stage, I have chosen a spiritual path that provides me with meaning and purpose (Gold, 2010). I have become driven by my own beliefs and morals. I am coming back to what I believe to be an important part of my own