Neo-Emerson Revival?
Very interesting review essay at The New Statesman about religion and modernity. The premise: Religion and modernity co-exist just fine. Voltaire and the Enlightenment and its progeny have always been wrong about modernity and religion:
Whether Marxian or Millian, socialist or liberal, secular rationalists have held one tenet in common: religion belongs to the infancy of the species; the more modern a society becomes, the less room there is for religious belief and practice. Never questioned, this is what lies behind the hot-gospel sermons of evangelical atheists: if you want to be modern, say goodbye to God.
At bottom, the assertion that religion is destined to die out is a confession of faith. No amount of evidence will persuade secular believers that they are on the wrong side of history, but one of the achievements of God Is Back is to show how implausible, if not ridiculous, their view of history actually is.
Although the reviewer agrees with the authors that religion co-exists just fine with modernity, the reviewer takes issue with the authors' emphasis on monotheism. Religion in the modern world doesn't have to be monotheistic, the reviewer seems to believe, and he points to instances of non-monotheistic revival in the modern world.
Problem with this is, monotheism is the advanced form of religion, not because of some fluke, but because mankind discerns higher truths as it moves forward. Superstition and polytheism are religious forms of worship for philosophical infants.
For me, one of the most startling things about the Old Testament is God's revelation of his name to Moses: Yahweh. I Am Who Am. This was revealed a thousand years before philosophy would start groping toward ultimate truths in Greece. It was revealed over 2,000 years before Aquinas would use philosophy to explain the truth behind that puzzling name: God's essence is to exist. I am Who Am; I am the Being whose sole trait is to exist: in immutability, omniscience, and omnipotence. The fact that a nomad articulated this truth thousands of years before philosophical tools were sufficient to grapple with it has always been powerful evidence of the truth of Old Testament revelation.
Are we now supposed to expect that the powerful revelation that accords with powerful philosophy is just another belief system, not much more different or developed than the totem pole? That's apparently what the reviewer is expecting.
That, or a return to some form of humanism/transcendentalism. In his words, "While there will be no universal pattern, the rediscovery of Confucianism is probably a better clue to the way the world will look a few decades from now than the proliferation of mega-churches." I agree that the mega-churches are probably a short-lived phenomenon, but a rediscovery of a Confucian vague humanism with a touch of the divine spark? That doesn't strike me as probable either.
I predict a renewal of Catholicism (the recent Irish entry into the Parade of Shame notwithstanding), Eastern Orthodoxy, and Islam. It might not be tomorrow (though Islam's demographic march is already well underway), but by 2050, I think the demographic trends will establish it.
But those thoughts will have to wait another time.
Tony Robbins: Spiritual Master
I always thought it'd be a neat project to grab a handful of secularist self-help books and break them down into spiritual categories. All those authors basically grab a handful of spiritual truths, then apply them to everyday living and working. That's why they're so popular: they resonate with the reader's soul, even the ones' whose ultimate aims are steeped in greed and ambition.
Over the weekend, The Atlantic featured a short self-help column: Surviving Uncertainty: A Few Tips. The writer provided seven tips for dealing with the current economic crisis. All of them have underpinnings that you can find in the writings of genuine spiritual writers, from St. Paul to Thomas Aquinas to the monks of the Philokalia.
1. Don't panic. In other words, don't completely jettison four of the (combined) seven cardinal and theological virtues: prudence, fortitude, faith, and hope.
2. Focus on the present. Christian thinkers from Evagrius to C.S. Lewis have emphasized the importance of living in the present. God, C.S. Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters, wants men to attend chiefly to two things: "eternity itself, and to . . . the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity."
3. Keep perspective. This is the old saying, "Don't sweat the petty stuff" (or, as George Carlin said, "Don't pet the sweaty stuff"). Every spiritual counsel worth the shirt on his back will tell you, "It's all petty stuff, except sin. Stay away from sin, and you won't sweat."
4. Separate what you can't control from what you can, and then focus on taking action on those items you can control. This one presents a small problem. The idea to shed the lust for control is good. Malcolm Muggeridge liked this ancient saying that was found in the Libyan desert: "Here am I, Captain of a Legion of Rome, who served in the Libyan desert and learns and ponders this truth - there are in life but two things, love and power, and no man can have both." He who craves control, doesn't love. Let go. The second half of the writer's saying (take control of those items you can) is fine, but it presumes you can take control of anything besides the immediate present, your own virtue, and your sin. You can't.
5. Learn to prioritize what's essential, and loadshed everything else. What station has God given you in life? Deal with it first, then let everything else (obtaining nice things, golfing, blogging) fall where they may.
6. Stay flexible. The Psalmist writes that the Lord's word is a lamp to one's feet (119:105). It's not a spotlight that lights a person's entire horizon. We shouldn't lament the past or fret about the future, and we should be ready to accept whatever comes. When a person rolls with the sudden twists in his days, he's in a better position to accept whatever graces God sends. See.
7. Remember to look at and enjoy the scenery, even when things get challenging. If you don't think enjoyment of creation is a spiritual thing, I recommend the early Franciscans, especially the old master himself, St. Francis, and St. Bonaventura. This page might be a good starting point.
I Hate Carl
I've heard that the male demographic ages 10-15 is one of the hardest to reach with responsible entertainment. They're too old for SpongeBob and, at least some of them, for cachinnating over wamble jokes, but not old enough for the risque or terribly subtle.
My nephew is trying to fill that void with a series of I Hate Carl videos: they border on the risque and are at points subtle, but they're not too much for boys that age. More important, the boys won't feel like they're being coddled with We Sing Train stuff. Three of my sons (ages 16, 12, and 10) love the videos, as do their friends. If you get a chance, check them out and send the link to guys in that demographic.
The family made it back safely from bird camp. They had a great time. Sigh. It looks like I'll have a lonely Memorial Day weekend next year. But hey, I might not even live that long. Gotta keep that lamp trained on my feet.
And no, there is no inconsistency between my doting reference to creation/Bonaventura and my dislike of bird camp, just as there's no inconsistency between a person who likes to attend Mass but doesn't like to attend that Mass. That's being said, I'm not a big nature guy. Front porch creation drinking is my preferred mode of absorption.
What kind of international following does TDE have? This question came up in yesterday's comments box. If you're from outside the U.S., please use the comments box to tell me where you're from. The more exotic (Thailand, Christmas Island, Easter Island, Gibraltar, Berkeley), the better. Thanks.
