Discipline: From Learning to Punishment
At some point in Western civilization the meaning of discipline was revised. It came to mean punishment rather than learning. To discipline someone meant to punish the person for failing at what he or she was supposed to do according to those in positions of power. Such punishment was considered an effective method of teaching; if not for the person punished, then for those who witnessed it.
Discipline in the Context of Christianity
In the context of Christianity, spiritual discipline was reduced to punishment in order to correct sinful behavior. It included such things as saying so many Hail Mary's and Our Father's. In some cases in involved fasting or giving alms. In serious cases some engaged in self flagellation. In extreme cases it involved temporary or permanent shunning from the fellowship of believers or exclusion from receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist.
The purpose of such discipline was to enforce faithfulness and obedience to the church, the faith, the clergy, and God.
Discipline in the Context of Thumotics
In the context of Thumotics, spiritual discipline has nothing to do with punishment and has everything to do with learning.
Rather than focusing on and punishing behavior at odds with religious doctrine, it focuses on one's own spirit and has to do with learning specific spirit-related skills.
Spiritual discipline is about exercising one's own spirit and training oneself to master one's own spirit. It's about developing spirit-related intelligence.
The specific exercises of spiritual discipline are called spiritual practices, the subject of my next blog post.
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