It is now confirmed that not everyone likes me… or at least
the stuff that I write. I think this is good because the conversation generates
better thoughts and articulation of those thoughts. Here are some of the things
people said in response to my last article:
Mock,
malign and marginalize the spiritual but not religious all you want. They're
our fish. They've had spirituality commoditized for them and need to see that
a) spirituality involves work and b) that work bears amazing fruit (b before
a, really).
Sorry,
but I completely disagree with this essay. You're equating lazy with not doing
what Christianity and other organized religions prescribe. To me, that kind of
logic is lazy and elitist.
Spirituality
comes in all forms.
You can read two other comments on my blog.
It seems that some see my previous post as a big ole’ push
for organized religion. Granted that is my bread and butter, but it wasn’t my
intent. Based on the way I wrote the entry I can see how many reached that
conclusion – I really could have said things in a different and maybe more
positive way, but then I wouldn’t be so much fun, would I?
I think what I meant to say was that it is important to find
and be a part of a community however that looks. Last week’s podcast of
Philosophy Bites featured Alain de Botton speaking about Atheism 2.0. He spoke
about the importance of a community as a place where not only morals are taught
and carried on, but also as a place where ideas of importance, values are
tested, shared, and celebrated. De Botton stressed that it was not faith so much
that was important (as an atheist that would be weird for him to celebrate
faith in God) but the rituals and liturgy of the community stressing the values
and morals of a community.
I am not suggesting that Atheists form a church with a
liturgy and all that. I don’t even know what that would look like. It is the
community that is important and the type of community.
Those who get together on a regular basis have rituals and
liturgy and in large part rituals and liturgy express the ideals and values of
that group of people – even if it is a group of people gathering around to talk
about God over beer, or to talk about beer over God.
It is the individualist spiritual person that I was railing
against and I will add to this the individualist Christian, the individualist
Jew, the individualist Muslim, and on and on (I’m not attacking groups of
people, just individuals). A community requires work. It is work to learn the
“grammar” of the community and to participate in that grammar. It is work to share
yourself and to share in the life and struggles of others. It is a lot easier
to just go to church, say the words proscribed, and then go home without any
connection with the people there or any investment in the rituals. It is a lot
easier to say you are spiritual but do nothing that considers, expresses, or
deepens that spirituality. That is what I meant by selfish spirituality.
For those who are searching – keep searching – that is part
of the work. For those who have a community be it an organized religion or not,
engage and immerse yourself into that community and push the community to
deepen its experience of spirituality however that may be expressed. I guess
that is what I meant by being religious – being deliberate about your
spirituality.
Of course I really appreciate all of the comments. Well, I
kinda appreciate all of the comments – it took me about a week of crying in the
shower to find the nerve to write a response. Now I look like a giant white
raisin.
Topic closed? Can I move on and blog about Red Letter Bibles
and churches with pastors?
