Published on 12, July, 2020
I just wanted to start a thread to see what the experiences of any other autistic Christians are? As an autistic person who didn't know I was autistic until later life I have had an up and down relationship with my faith over the years. I have had some very bad experiences in church too, I know a lot of autistic people struggle with church for many reasons too.
Im not trying to convert or preach to anyone and I appreciate a lot of people on here aren't religious or anything but it would be really interesting and comforting to hear any experiences of fellow autistic Christians
There's a professor who's doing a lot of work to try and reconcile the church with a better understanding of Autism https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/divinity-religious-studies/profiles/grant.macaskill#publications I've listened to a few lectures. He's autistic himself and has some really profound things to say.
There's also an ADHD author/professor from Princeton/Yale who has written quite a lot on the church and topics most usually don't know how to approach and I think his perspective is aligned with Autistic thinking https://reknew.org
I believe there is a lot of wisdom found in Jewish teachings as well which easily bridge the social gaps between Autism and NeuroNormative thinking.
Id be interested to know more about what you were saying about Jewish teaching
Seven also features in Revelation; The Seven Seals, and the Seven Blasphemies.
From a Jewish perspective:
Critical thinking is encouraged. Especially during the holidays.
Matters of never demanding respect, being cautious about and pausing to explore where one's feeling of 'offence' is arresting them are quite important in the old texts.
The element of space - this other and the grey matter (or G-d) between us all, rendering another wholly worthwhile.
There was a Christian Rabbi I had met who, like many others will talk about how the use of Letters and Numbers as an aid to make inter-connexions or hyper-connexions throughout both texts. This was particularly interesting - like combining maths and art. I'll have to have more of a think, but it would be a way of speaking with/to those who are guided by their heart and connect to symbols, meanings and also those who are guided by their head and connect better to the science and reasoning.
These principles are excellent building blocks for engaging with others and allowing room for these magnificent differences. Grant Macaskill explores these differences in the New Testament as the matter of a whole collexion being a "body". All 3 will discuss the caution with the ego, with humility, with a G-d who will reason with us and not discard us - a standard for being.
When Autistic individuals express distress and are dismissed, it is a loss of respect we additionally suffer. And when the gap in communication is severed because the NT is offended or stuck in their dance with dominance, it is the ego in the way.
But the Jewish texts have so much to offer: those who are discarded, marginalised have unexpected endings.The book of Genesis is not what one expects if we actually read it.
I really think the stories in the Jewish texts have a depth to them. There's not really an expression of heaven or hell as an endgame. There are these 'miraculous' moments which are unexpected and somewhat unexplainable, but the impact is important. And then, the number and it's reference are important. For instance if 7 refers to an infinite "set", but is reflected in the week, it's easy to recognise that it may be an analogy to any length of time, but take 1/7th of that set period of time to regenerate. Referring to a human week rather than an exact number of days of creation. So, maybe there is a time for evolution. No one was there and does it really matter. Dr. Boyd has a recreation theory that's quite interesting regarding this. But everyone does agree on is that out of Chaos, Order was formed and I think this is the most relevant.
There is something anti-chaotic that is uniquely Autistic. If we are more in-tune with our senses, or even perhaps other logical orderings, I think there is something of a spiritual connexion perhaps we are much more capable of in this innate raw-ness of being.