Left to oneself, one could easily slide away from “the faith once given” into a phantom called “my religion.”
C.S. Lewis, “From Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer,” The Essential C.S. Lewis (New York: Touchstone, 1986) 410.
Left to oneself, one could easily slide away from “the faith once given” into a phantom called “my religion.”
C.S. Lewis, “From Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer,” The Essential C.S. Lewis (New York: Touchstone, 1986) 410.
This, I think, is what we see happening today. And not only are people exchanging "the faith once given" for "my religion"... but many are ditching the idea of "religion" altogether, in favor of some loosey-goosey concept called "spirituality." An increasing number of people see this as a good thing – the purging of all that silly "dogma" that is hard to believe in AND hard to live by.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to be convinced.
Margaret, you have me at a disadvantage please elaborate "but many are ditching the idea of "religion" altogether, in favor of some loosey-goosey concept called "spirituality." and what is this silly "dogma" that you are referring to?
ReplyDeleteAndy
Andy, I don't know where you live, but here in the U.S., the Christian Church as a whole has been bleeding members for decades, as more and more people turn away from the faith of their parents and ancestors. Some of these people simply reject the idea of a spiritual realm outright and embrace a materialist world view, pure and simple. Others have decided that "religion" is unnecessary, but cultivating spirituality is still important. These people tend to reject dogma and creeds of any sort (but especially the Christian kind!), or they simply piece together bits of different traditions to their own liking. When I referenced "silly" dogma, I was commenting on their perception, not my own. I am both "religious" AND "spiritual," myself. For me, without the beliefs stated in the "ancient creeds," the whole thing falls apart. By my lights, spirituality without God (and without the God/Man Jesus Christ) is just empty self-worship.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I totally agree with you. I live in Canada, it's not much different here. My perception of the U.S. is somewhat different in that it appears somewhat more tolerant in talking about God in governmental circles (except for the ACLU) whereas in Canada it is not tolerated for the sake of political correctness. Just my observation.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, this is a sidebar I am adding a web link if the blog master allows it. It is a birds eye view of the 6th largest city in Canada and the impact the mayor of the city has had for the residents and business. Apparently it operates debt free. It is a Canadian success story, the city of Mississauga just west of Toronto. I think you will enjoy the short clip besides being uplifting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wimp.com/bestmayor/