“We don’t need no stinkin’ belief system.” I’m riffing on the classic line from John Huston’s 1948 film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, where a band of outlaws posed as Federales. When those being robbed asked to see badges, one of the outlaws replied, “Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges.”
It’s a funny line, and it went on to become part of our cultural lexicon. And it’s true when it comes to spirituality – we don’t need a belief system.
When I experienced a spiritual coming to, I thought, “Gees, what do I believe?” I knew there was a presence about me, and I had started to learn how to increase the experience of that presence. It was changing my life remarkably. But what did that make me? A Buddhist? A Hindu? A New Ager?
I started combing books on spirituality to figure out what I believed. Since I was having all of these spiritual experiences, I must believe in something, right? Looking back, that seems a bit silly, but I truly did associate spirituality with belief or faith.
What I found in my search of world religions and spiritual practices is that the roots of most belief systems touched upon experiences similar to what I was going through. Yet once religions became well-established they tended to avoid or diminish these direct, raw spiritual experiences in favor of narrow doctrine. But when most religions were young, they tended to be a bit wild with radical awakenings.
I came away from my investigation with the sense that spiritual experiences or awakenings are quite different from belief systems, spiritual organizations, or religions.
That’s fine. While it’s a pleasure to spend time with people who are also experiencing spiritual breakthroughs – and I learn from every person I meet in spirituality – I don’t need to have no stinkin’ badge.
Spiritual Awakening 
Reblogged this on and commented:
And now for some hope… haha. I still pain for not having a ‘badge,’ but no matter….
Thanks for reblogging. You have a badge, it’s just that no one can see it, and it doesn’t match other badges.
Ah, i guess that’s what i mean, an ‘official’ badge that matches others. Thanks!
This is so true. When I was a child I talked to Jesus and the disciples in my backyard, one of many direct spiritual experiences. But when I tried to talk about it in Sunday school I was told it wasn’t real. I couldn’t figure out how they were so excited about Moses and a burning bush and I had Jesus in my backyard and that wasn’t considered a big deal 🙂 It seemed like one the spiritual teacher had their experiences, no one else was allowed any but had to funnel their spirituality through those past experiences. That feels so dead to me and so wrong.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
So many of those who put spirituality first as adults had spiritual experiences as a child. I have yet to meet anyone who had a spiritual experience as a child and also had that experience taken seriously by parents or other adults — or even other kids.
The fact of the matter is that there never is never was nor never will be a STINKING YOU to have , or ever had a believe system.
No stinkin’ you, no stinkin’ badges . . . the sun is bright and the sky is blue.
There is not an autonomous and separate STINKING “ME” to have a STINKING BELIEVE system. You see, the whole appearance of the universe including the stinking “YOU” , stinking “ME and the stinking believe system are merely appearances in consciousness. The problem is that the appearance of a stinking “ME” have a stinking believe that these stinking “ME” or “YOU” is real. What a show! — What a show!
What a show indeed, Hshmzaki7! And what a pleasure to watch it all play out.
Great read…childhood spirituality not taken seriously…..or believed….Now you have me thinking about the way I school and parent. Thanks. No badges here either.