My religious affiliation is Unitarian Universalist which I think resonates with most of what you describe that is positive "in religion" in your recent article, yet you don't mention it. Is there a reason?
Also, with in my Unitarian Universalist religion I have my own "secular Buddhist" practice as probably best described by Stephen Batchelor. I find it too matches very closely to what you describe as positive "in religion". Thoughts?
If you have the time and choose to respond, I appreciate it.
"Just ask the LGBTQ+ community about the inclusivity of the traditional Christian church. Of course there are exceptions. The Unitarian Universalist Church and United Church of Christ, for example, are inclusive and diverse. "
Excellent overview. I have been in and out of various churches, never quite comfortable with what seemed to be a dark view of our existence. This is my credo from those experiences:
The human mind’s ability to create, from bits and pieces of incongruous truth, a belief system in grand, panoramic detail, knows no limits. Such elaborate belief constructs are often driven by nothing more than ego, a desire to control others, and deep-seated fear of the unknown. Be careful what belief system you adopt.
Your second benefit for religion ... "Religious rites and practices to reinforce and strengthen in-group cohesion and solidarity. This assured the only realistic chance of surviving as a species - cooperation, mutual aid, and coalition" remind me of ... guess who? Girard. 🙂
For Girard religion was developed precisely for the reasons you state here plus, the added benefit of being able to "offload" our psycho-spiritual dysfunction onto the backs of others, blame them, and get rid of them. Getting rid of "them" is tantamount to getting rid of our problems. It's powerful. And effective. And demonic.
Good stuff, as always. Thanks for your insight. (I want to read Flannery O'Connor. All my favorite writers routinely cite her. I gotta get with it, man.)
Of the actual evidence that Constantine fully (if ever) converted to Christianity, and if I were a curious man, I might study the only living archeological evidence of the time of his conversion. After the Battle of the Milvian Bridge there was an arch of the victory erected in Rome. It has historically been closed for close up examination but such an examination was recently allowed. There is NO Christian symbolism anywhere on the arch, in fact it only contains pagan references. There is also evidence that Origen rewrote and republished the section on Constantine's conversion after he met with the Church leaders. Constantine was a general in the Roman Legion and he knew how to play the game. He wanted to unite Rome under one religion and it was a secular decision and nothing more. While I am a believer in Jesus and his teachings I find the church a bit sus.
Church makes me squirm. When I go home for Yule (christmas with my family...because they are churchy) I can barely make it through the hour. I hate it. My partner teases me that I have to give myself a pep talk and then take a deep breath and say one two three go! And open the truck door. I don't think I will ever be able to go back. I don't think I want to. It's not good for me, it's not good for my soul and it's not good for my mental health. And I'd much rather spend a Sunday outside in Nature than in a building.
I just joined the Substack this morning, partly as a needed response to the US 2024 election results. I'm the son of a compasionate Baptist minister, and at a very early age (9 or 10 perhaps - I'm 69 now, so it's been a while) realized I could not accept the core believes of Christianity as truth. At various times in my life I've flirted against that my core belief/nature, but have discarded those efforts a long time ago. Your Jeff Foxworthy list works pretty well for just "You Might Not Be Up For Christianity if...)
At this juncture in life, I have a strong sense that many of the political disagreements generate from a faulty world view that includes irrational religious belief. So you can't appeal to reason when making the case without also chipping away at the world view (like there's a single Christian/religious world view anyway...). So find myself pondering how I can be an agent of change in this society toward rationalism and progress based on the facts we do know. No answers yet, but it probably involves me (an introvert) seeking more like minded people both locally and globally/virtually.
Fantastic article and perspectives. I am super jealous that you got to meet Jeff Foxworthy, but am pleased that he has left religion in the pursuit of inner-peace.
I can't help but believe that America hasn't evolved from Christianity to Secularism, primarily due to Christianity's manipulation by men of power. My opinion is that further progression will have to be driven from the top down, by noted/established leaders disengaging from leveraging historical Christian culture.
Great article! One thing I would like to add (if you don't mind me saying so) to your "5 beliefs to change..." would be something like "Every person has the right to change their beliefs and spiritual interests over time as they grow." Then again, you may have seen that as being a part of one of the others.
Growing up Catholic, I could never quite put to words why I could never fully believe what I was being taught in catechism. I sensed that a lot didn’t make sense to me. Of course I couldn’t voice that, it simply wasn’t allowed, as I grew away from the church. I looked for other churches that might satisfy whatever spiritual need I had, but I never quite found it. Nature comes the closest. Thank you for putting into words many of the reasons why I cant embrace a church. It has taken me a lifetime to become more comfortable with that. I might even be at the point where I can honestly say I don’t need a church at all, and did not feel the least bit guilty about it.
I am thoroughly enjoying your writing.
My religious affiliation is Unitarian Universalist which I think resonates with most of what you describe that is positive "in religion" in your recent article, yet you don't mention it. Is there a reason?
Also, with in my Unitarian Universalist religion I have my own "secular Buddhist" practice as probably best described by Stephen Batchelor. I find it too matches very closely to what you describe as positive "in religion". Thoughts?
If you have the time and choose to respond, I appreciate it.
He did mention it:
"Just ask the LGBTQ+ community about the inclusivity of the traditional Christian church. Of course there are exceptions. The Unitarian Universalist Church and United Church of Christ, for example, are inclusive and diverse. "
Excellent overview. I have been in and out of various churches, never quite comfortable with what seemed to be a dark view of our existence. This is my credo from those experiences:
The human mind’s ability to create, from bits and pieces of incongruous truth, a belief system in grand, panoramic detail, knows no limits. Such elaborate belief constructs are often driven by nothing more than ego, a desire to control others, and deep-seated fear of the unknown. Be careful what belief system you adopt.
Your second benefit for religion ... "Religious rites and practices to reinforce and strengthen in-group cohesion and solidarity. This assured the only realistic chance of surviving as a species - cooperation, mutual aid, and coalition" remind me of ... guess who? Girard. 🙂
For Girard religion was developed precisely for the reasons you state here plus, the added benefit of being able to "offload" our psycho-spiritual dysfunction onto the backs of others, blame them, and get rid of them. Getting rid of "them" is tantamount to getting rid of our problems. It's powerful. And effective. And demonic.
Good stuff, as always. Thanks for your insight. (I want to read Flannery O'Connor. All my favorite writers routinely cite her. I gotta get with it, man.)
Of the actual evidence that Constantine fully (if ever) converted to Christianity, and if I were a curious man, I might study the only living archeological evidence of the time of his conversion. After the Battle of the Milvian Bridge there was an arch of the victory erected in Rome. It has historically been closed for close up examination but such an examination was recently allowed. There is NO Christian symbolism anywhere on the arch, in fact it only contains pagan references. There is also evidence that Origen rewrote and republished the section on Constantine's conversion after he met with the Church leaders. Constantine was a general in the Roman Legion and he knew how to play the game. He wanted to unite Rome under one religion and it was a secular decision and nothing more. While I am a believer in Jesus and his teachings I find the church a bit sus.
Church makes me squirm. When I go home for Yule (christmas with my family...because they are churchy) I can barely make it through the hour. I hate it. My partner teases me that I have to give myself a pep talk and then take a deep breath and say one two three go! And open the truck door. I don't think I will ever be able to go back. I don't think I want to. It's not good for me, it's not good for my soul and it's not good for my mental health. And I'd much rather spend a Sunday outside in Nature than in a building.
I just joined the Substack this morning, partly as a needed response to the US 2024 election results. I'm the son of a compasionate Baptist minister, and at a very early age (9 or 10 perhaps - I'm 69 now, so it's been a while) realized I could not accept the core believes of Christianity as truth. At various times in my life I've flirted against that my core belief/nature, but have discarded those efforts a long time ago. Your Jeff Foxworthy list works pretty well for just "You Might Not Be Up For Christianity if...)
At this juncture in life, I have a strong sense that many of the political disagreements generate from a faulty world view that includes irrational religious belief. So you can't appeal to reason when making the case without also chipping away at the world view (like there's a single Christian/religious world view anyway...). So find myself pondering how I can be an agent of change in this society toward rationalism and progress based on the facts we do know. No answers yet, but it probably involves me (an introvert) seeking more like minded people both locally and globally/virtually.
I’m new to your Substack and I think it’s excellent. It sounds like you’re a secular humanist now and I’m curious what led you to this belief system?
Fantastic article and perspectives. I am super jealous that you got to meet Jeff Foxworthy, but am pleased that he has left religion in the pursuit of inner-peace.
I can't help but believe that America hasn't evolved from Christianity to Secularism, primarily due to Christianity's manipulation by men of power. My opinion is that further progression will have to be driven from the top down, by noted/established leaders disengaging from leveraging historical Christian culture.
Great article! One thing I would like to add (if you don't mind me saying so) to your "5 beliefs to change..." would be something like "Every person has the right to change their beliefs and spiritual interests over time as they grow." Then again, you may have seen that as being a part of one of the others.
Growing up Catholic, I could never quite put to words why I could never fully believe what I was being taught in catechism. I sensed that a lot didn’t make sense to me. Of course I couldn’t voice that, it simply wasn’t allowed, as I grew away from the church. I looked for other churches that might satisfy whatever spiritual need I had, but I never quite found it. Nature comes the closest. Thank you for putting into words many of the reasons why I cant embrace a church. It has taken me a lifetime to become more comfortable with that. I might even be at the point where I can honestly say I don’t need a church at all, and did not feel the least bit guilty about it.