Growing Discontent About Religious Practice

The following article was originally posted on this blog 19 December 2014.   Given the social and economic uncertainty following the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016, this article takes on a new resonance.  Those who were mainly responsible for the election of Mr. Trump and those who have continued to follow and support his actions since consist mainly of far right, more fundamentalist religious leaning folks.  Because the larger majority of citizens do not fall into this category, serious divisions are continuing to develop in our social structure.  Ms. Newer’s clear reporting on the decline of religious participation in recent years foreshadowed what we see taking place today.  More people are apparently rejecting fundamentalist religion and opting for a more personal sense of spiritual practice.

Certainly, the debate over religious interpretation will always be with us.  However, it is incumbent upon each of us, now more than ever, to determine what values best represent us as individuals.  Strong personal beliefs are what lead people to act upon those beliefs.  We are witnessing a strong system of beliefs that in my opinion clearly does not represent mainstream Christianity nor what is essential spiritual practice in any major religion today.

I hope you will take the time to read this article and examine your own system of beliefs and what course of action they may lead you to follow.

Religion and the Rise of Atheism

Recently my friend, Lloyd Agte, forwarded an article to me asking if I wanted to weigh in on it.[1]  The article posed the question: “Will religion ever disappear?”  The author is Rachel Nuwer. It was a fairly long article so I printed it out in order to be able to mark areas I wanted to respond to specifically.  As I read the piece I thought of several of my friends who identify themselves as atheists.  I also realized my comments might end up too long for a simple email response.  So, here is my attempt to “weigh in” on the discussion.

First, here is my disclaimer.   I am a retired Unity minister whom one might expect to be biased to begin with.  That said I have over the years modified my belief systems in many respects.  I do believe in God, though my perspective is certainly different from traditionalists or fundamentalists.  I hope you will see what I mean as I proceed.

I used to argue that there are no “real” atheists.  They were simply folks who did not believe in God by that name or characteristics.  Surely they believed in the Cosmos, the “greater than I” aspect of self, or some other concept of life that most persons would include in the broad definition of God.  Generally speaking, most atheists do not believe in some form of life after death, no divine plan that is responsible for the unseen order of all that is.  For those persons, there is one shot at life and this is it.  Oblivion follows. 

While the article points out that atheism is growing, both in sheer numbers as well as a percentage of the world population, it is still a relatively small population.  Should such growth continue, one could postulate that religion, as we know it would eventually disappear.  Of course, the reverse could be true as well, given the proclivity of “believers” to hold on to their faith.

In the course of my education, I was introduced to a definition of religion in its simplest of form.  Religion is a system of beliefs.  Interpreted most broadly this could cover almost every conceivable set of beliefs one might subscribe to, including atheists.  Their “system of beliefs” would include such things as one life to live, nature as a system of adaptations supported by scientific principles.  Indeed, science would be the cause celebre for explaining the physical world and all of its forces.

The article also pointed out that religion’s appeal is that it offers security in an uncertain world.  So, the more secure and satisfying the world appears to be, the less need for the support offered by religion and the greater tendency to see scientific thought/principles as the reason for the way things are.  I was reminded at this point of early humankind who placed great emphasis on “gods” of nature; the movement of stars in the skies, the rotation of the seasons, and eventually the understanding of development through evolution.  Icons were developed representing these unseen forces that appeared to bring order and security (or the lack of it when necessary to correct the faulty behavior of humankind).

The author indicates that in countries “where the majority of citizens have European roots are all places where religion was important just a century ago, but that now report some of the lowest belief rates in the world . . . People are less scared about what might befall them.”  She goes on to say, “As climate change wreaks havoc on the world in coming years and natural resources potentially grow scarce, then suffering and hardship could fuel religiosity.” 

One of the principles the author shares has to do neuropsychology of the species.  This principle states that we have two basic forms of thought:  System 1 and System 2.  System 2 evolved relatively recently and enables us to plan and think logically.  System 1 is intuitive, instinctual and automatic.  What this suggests to me is that we are born with System 1 operating for all of us no matter the circumstances or location of our birth. “It makes us prone to looking for patterns to better understand our world, and to seek meaning for seemingly random events like natural disasters and the death of loved ones.”  There is more in the development of this concept in the article, which I will leave for you to read on your own.

It seems to me that we might conclude, at least for now, that religion developed in the pre-science period where explanations for the world came mostly from the natural, intuitive nature.  A system of beliefs developed and modified over time based on a faith in things unseen, but taken as true for lack of any other explanation.  As scientific knowledge grew a new set of explanations came about that for some seemed in opposition to religious beliefs.  This is the crux of the matter.  Is religion/atheism a simple case of either/or?

For me, the conflict exists due to the distortions of religious systems based on controlling the masses and bending their independent will to the “higher authority” represented by the church.  If you are going to believe the world (our earth and everything that ever existed on it) came about in all its glory in seven days, you are unlikely to ever accept any other explanation regardless of the demonstrated reality of modern scientific methods.  Most religions long ago resolved, at least in part, what appeared to be a contradiction between religion and science.  Again, for me, the problem of religion comes about through the absolutism of Fundamentalism, which today seems to be growing, especially among the religious right.  Is this the result of the uncertainty existent in our world today—economically, environmentally, and physically?  I would argue that it is.

Finally, I distinguish between religion and spirituality.  Religion, as a system of beliefs, may exist independently of one’s spirituality.  Religion requires persons to subscribe to a set of principles and codes, often at odds with the way the world works today. It excludes those who do not subscribe to the “rules.”  Spirituality, on the other hand, subscribes to few, if any, codes of conduct or religious practices.  Spirituality is a view that is inclusive rather than exclusive.  It is intuitive in nature.  Rather than seeking hard and fast rules, it operates as a blending force that sees all things as part of something greater.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In a world that appears often to be out of control, hurtling toward oblivion, persons may tend to defer to the concept of a “god” ultimately taking care of us when we realize we cannot take care of ourselves.  I would like to go on here about children and their natural tendency to believe they are taken care of.  This goes beyond the care of parents. I believe they intuitively know they have come from and are heading toward something greater than themselves, but which INCLUDES them.

The author’s conclusion is that “even if we lose sight of the Christian, Muslim and Hindu gods and all the rest, superstitions and spiritualism will almost certainly still prevail.  Humans need comfort in the face of pain and suffering, and many need to think that there’s something more after this life, that they’re loved by an invisible being.”  I do not subscribe to the “invisible being” concept.  I subscribe to the principle of All That Is as an interconnected, omnipresent essence in all and through all that embraces us and responds to us according to our beliefs and actions.

I hope you will take the time to read the article by Rachel Nuwer footnoted at the end of this article.

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[1] http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141219-will-religion-ever-disappear

Rachel Nuwer is a freelance science journalist who contributes to venues including the New York Times, Smithsonian and Scientific American. She lives in Brooklyn with a large orange cat.

--Slate profile

Another Article you may like: 18 Apr 2017, BBC Future

How Western Civilization Could Collapse

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170418-how-western-civilisation-could-collapse

When Others Are In Pain

We all have our painful times, whether physical pain or emotional pain.  We do our best to work through those times in order to return to a sense of well-being and harmony.  The natural state of being is health of mind and body and harmony in our worldly interactions.  Like a well-tuned instrument the melody of our lives sounds a true tone when we find ways to believe in our true state of Being.  Discord and inharmony in our life and affairs temporarily express when we lose our sense of centeredness in Spirit.  We are not always aware of the specifics of how we came to experience pain, but regaining our belief in our natural state will begin the process of healing.

Dealing with our own pain is one thing.  Dealing with the pain and suffering of friends and those we love is yet another.  We may feel helpless and impotent, not knowing how to be of assistance.  I have a friend going through chemotherapy right now.  It’s a tough haul for her.  What I feel I can do is to assure her of my caring and support the spark of healing life that I know is within her.  My daughter has dealt with several serious conditions over the years that have been painful and that sap her energy. Fortunately, she has been brought up to believe in her inner Spirit as a healing presence.  I know that has strengthened her in many ways as she deals with the conditions.

In our caring for others and wanting to assist them in their healing we need to “keep the high watch.”  For me this means seeing them as fully functioning, perfectly whole in mind and body and in harmony with the world around them and the people in it.  Too often we may feel caught up in sadness or fear about the conditions our friends and loved ones face because of the names we have attributed to those conditions. Naming a condition makes it appear even more powerful.

I remember years ago as a worker in Silent Unity, the 24-hour prayer department of Unity in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, when the Cancer Society started promotions highlighting the “seven danger signals of cancer.”  Once those promotions aired on TV, Silent Unity was flooded with prayer requests from people who feared they had one or more of those signs.  This is just one example of how fear can override our otherwise positive outlook on life.

We may never know the why we face suffering.  I do believe, however, that whatever conditions may come our way our indomitable spirit urges us forward, always toward life and wholeness.  Each step we take believing in that wholeness moves us closer to the full measure of its expression in mind, body and affairs.  This is how I choose to view my friends and loved ones always, not simply when they are in pain and suffering.  I support their faith in healing.  I encourage the innate healing urges within every cell of their bodies.  I believe, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 9:22)

A Time For Reflection

(I will be on sabbatical until further notice)

Every once in awhile it seems to be necessary to take some time off from whatever we have been doing so that we might assess those things and re-evaluate how they contribute to our lives. There is a cumulative effect of events in our lives like the rolling waves of the ocean hitting the shore. Slowly, wave-by-wave, the shoreline is changed. In quieter times the sands are built up, the beach becomes softer and enjoyable. In stormy times the beach erodes exposing buried rocks and logs and all sorts of things formerly unseen. Life is like that. Every day the waves of events crash upon the shores of our being and we discover the changes that are occurring. We cannot, do not, fight the onslaught of the waves because we understand the natural process. However, we often do attempt to fight the onslaught of events in our lives that begin to expose aspects of our selves that have been covered by the quieter times. That fight is often futile.

I have come to a point where I am beginning to observe my life differently. I am raising new questions about who I am and how I got to where I am. I am trying to assess and re-evaluate the events of my life for any new insights I might find as the waves first build and then erode the features that I consider to be the shores of my being. This review includes not only the examination of my beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions, but also what I have observed in the character and behaviors of others in my life who have also contributed in some way to my view of self.

This might be a major effort on my part, at least it seems that way to me from my current perspective. Because I firmly believe that I need this time of reflection and introspection, I intend to drop out for awhile and go back to some physical places that have served as a source of energy and insight in the past. I expect to spend time on the beaches where I have over the years watched the tides bring dramatic change to the shores. I hope to let those tides bring a fresh vision of who I am and what I am here to do in my remaining time in this life experience.

I have no idea of how much time I need. It may be a day. It may be a month. It may even be forever! All I know is that until I can wrap my mind and heart around this thing I call my life I am in no condition to be offering supposed insights to others. So, this will be my last posting until the lightening strikes in such a way that it is clear to me that I have learned something worth talking about.

I appreciate the interest of those of you who have followed LifeCentering. I hope to be back with a renewed view of life and maybe more certainty regarding what it is all about!


P.S.
Before I even posted this article, I decided to check out from the library a book that has come to my attention through two different sources recently: Women Who Run With Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I had barely read the cover notes and introduction when I realized my journey had begun! The deep sense of emotional disorientation and the search of singing over the bones has revealed a beginning point that resonated with an inner search that has been tickling my attention for some time. I immediately ordered a copy of the book for myself. I think you will hear much more about this when I return!

Sometimes We Have To Be Scared Into Our Beliefs

This article originally appeared in the Whole Life Learning Center Blog on September 22, 2005.

Just three weeks from the destruction and chaos of hurricane Katrina we found ourselves facing yet another one. Hurricane Rita, the third most powerful hurricane on record for this country, was targeting Galveston, the southern Texas coast and Houston.

What a contrast between the preparations for Katrina and the preparations for Rita. Maybe we have to be scared into believing that there is real power in the force of nature. Maybe we have to see what happens when we are nonchalant as opposed to actively engaged in dealing with our lives. It will seem harsh perhaps to call the residents of New Orleans nonchalant or complacent in the face of warnings to evacuate. It was not simply the residents there who were not paying attention. Look what happened with our government’s response (or lack of it!) Maybe we give too much credit to the folks of the Texas coast for planning ahead, when it was simply facing the fear of what happened with Katrina. In any case maybe it isn’t our job at all to judge either of the situations, since we were probably not in the midst of the action. Bystanders and Monday morning quarterbacks seem to always consider themselves smarter than the rest of the crowd.

I happen to be one of those persons who believes sincerely that we create our own reality. Not just the good stuff. I believe we create all of the experiences of our lives. What! You might say. What are you talking about? Surely you can’t say all those folks in New Orleans brought this upon themselves. After all, those that suffered most were those who were poor, disadvantaged and had no means of getting out of the way. Yes, somehow and in some way each of those persons were where they were because of who they were and they are who they are because of their inner belief systems, whether they were aware of those beliefs or not. Wow! I can hear the judgments coming my way already!

I suggest a source for further consideration of the subject of creating our own reality. Go to http://www.whatthebleep.com/herald5/filmmakers.shtml. Here you will find folks who have studied this subject intensely and have witnessed in their own lives how this principle of how we create reality has worked.

Obviously, there is much to consider with this subject. I have worked with this belief system for over 50 years. Sometimes the reality of it is clearer to me than at other times, but this I know (for me) if I create my reality, I have some control over my life. If I don’t create my reality, who does?

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. --Dan