can ppl with AS br religious?

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I think people with Aspergers and Autism have a far greater opportunity to be Spiritual then Religious. However, this could just be my own personal bias.

Spirituality involves inner growth through attunement to a higher (some would say divine conciousness). Such growth can occur anywhere with or without direct interaction with other individuals.

Religious growth is growth along the lines of a specific culture through adherence to cultural and social norms. Thats why most religious institutions are social in nature. Such patterns of growth can be very problematic for people who dont care too and do not intuitively understand NT norms.

So spiritual yes definately, religious not so much.

very well put indeed, irishmic. wish i'd said it.

Actually Tali, I've thought about Jesus and Autism.

My belief is that he was too much of a social critic against the Romanization of Jews.
This demonstrated that he possessed a keen sense of the social dialog of his time.

Plus, how many aspies do you know who wake up one morning and say;
Hey, you know what would be a really good idea,
I should gather around me 12 people who will go with me everywhere, do everything with me, and when I'm not surrounded by large crowds of people, can teach all of my ideas too.

In my case, it would be more like;
Hey God you want me to do what, gather 12 people, I dont even know 12 people,
what do you want me to do that for. No, absolutely not! I'm not going to do it, go find someone else. Like go find an NT who actually likes entertaining large groups of people. Me, I'm going to sit under this Yew tree and think about you and not get up.

For that matter even Abraham could not have been an Aspie.
What Aspie do you know that after imploding and cutting off his foreskin with a rock, convincing everyone else that its a good idea, and making them do it, is going to sit outside his tent in the hot sun hoping that some strangers will come by so he can entertain them, and then, when they actually do show up, goes out of his way too entertain them.

Something to think about

I am an Aspie and a Christian. I admit I have had musings about if Jesus may have exhibited some Aspie traits while on Earth.

I don't think they were using many drugs back then, and it doesn't explain all of the miracles attributed to Jesus. However, there is this one fascinating hypothesis put forward by Ian Wilson that Jesus may have utilized hypnosis to cure people of various ailments. This can be ascertained by a simple reading of the text. None of the miracle accounts appear to have been elaborated upon or an added mythologized layer; instead, the mostly tell the story "straight". In many of them Jesus merely touches someone, utters a command, and they heal immediately in the manner in which he says. Science has observed (but not fully understood) the extraordinary healing potential of hypnosis. To Wilson, that sounds an awful lot like hypnosis. To the people of the time, it certainly would have looked like a miracle. Heck, today it might look like a miracle too.

I don't think believing this downplays or surpresses Christianity. On the contrary, these explainations at least give the gospels enough credit to these events actually happening, and if true, provide fascinating insight into the world Jesus lived in.

Too, there is also the supernatural theory to which I subscribe to.

I see it as a Spiritual Joureny in Life not a Religiuos one. For even God wants You to worship in Spirit and Truth..

i agree

Some people are just plain nutty

wot?