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American youth have not turned away from the divine. They have merely filled that hole with something new. The routine that past generations followed, flocking to their places of worship or turning to Scripture for guidance, is now fulfilled by following Instagram idols and retweeting their posts.
but that IS literally turning away from the divine
but that IS literally turning away from the divine
Agreed.
Seeing your shrink or therapist weekly or bi-weekly might substitute for similar help that might have come once upon a time from clergy but "divine" it is not.
"Celebrity narcissism" — no matter how popular — is not divine.
Location: At the dude ranch / above the sea Gender:
Posted:
Dec 23, 2021 - 10:53am
oldviolin wrote:
American youth have not turned away from the divine. They have merely filled that hole with something new. The routine that past generations followed, flocking to their places of worship or turning to Scripture for guidance, is now fulfilled by following Instagram idols and retweeting their posts.
but that IS literally turning away from the divine
American youth have not turned away from the divine. They have merely filled that hole with something new. The routine that past generations followed, flocking to their places of worship or turning to Scripture for guidance, is now fulfilled by following Instagram idols and retweeting their posts.
and so we go... but I think a lot about these things. My left ear drones, my right ear rings I try to say what is in my heart; not only my keeping, it lives apart To where the air is fresh, burnsnostrils, brings tears And the mirth, like unto birth, fills assurance and music into my years
To believe takes practice, it's true. To know takes the knowledge of experience.; that thing that we get for ourselves from each other. Ultimately, paraphrasing Christ, or the words attributed to him, we are responsible for each other, and the proceeding time will reflect our according decisions up to a very fine point somewhere near or far in the future, where other things and spaces proceed. Do we need proof to extend a warm reach? Don't we have it? Is there a ghost? Are we already ghosts? Our children will decide based on their and our experiences. Spiritual evolution is progressing. Right along with the sciences of our evolving understanding of our earth; our world; our nothingness...
American youth have not turned away from the divine. They have merely filled that hole with something new. The routine that past generations followed, flocking to their places of worship or turning to Scripture for guidance, is now fulfilled by following Instagram idols and retweeting their posts.
and so we go... but I think a lot about these things. My left ear drones, my right ear rings I try to say what is in my heart; not only my keeping, it lives apart To where the air is fresh, burnsnostrils, brings tears And the mirth, like unto birth, fills assurance and music into my years
To believe takes practice, it's true. To know takes the knowledge of experience.; that thing that we get for ourselves from each other. Ultimately, paraphrasing Christ, or the words attributed to him, we are responsible for each other, and the proceeding time will reflect our according decisions up to a very fine point somewhere near or far in the future, where other things and spaces proceed. Do we need proof to extend a warm reach? Don't we have it? Is there a ghost? Are we already ghosts? Our children will decide based on their and our experiences. Spiritual evolution is progressing. Right along with the sciences of our evolving understanding of our earth; our world; our nothingness...
Blaise Pascal stands with the mother superior and two notaries at the reading of the contract ensuring his sisterâs keep at an abbey.
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Editorâs note: In this Future View, students discuss religion in light of Pascalâs idea that all people have a God-shaped hole. Next week weâll ask, âSurveys suggest that nearly half of young Americans use dating apps. How has the computer revolution shaped what we think about romance and love?â Students should click here to submit opinions of fewer than 250 words before Dec. 28. The best responses will be published that night.
The New God of Politics and Tweets
American youth have not turned away from the divine. They have merely filled that hole with something new. The routine that past generations followed, flocking to their places of worship or turning to Scripture for guidance, is now fulfilled by following Instagram idols and retweeting their posts.
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This new religion is most evident in those who adopt the mannerisms and markers of a political movement. Like Jewish males wearing their yarmulkes, a Trump supporter dons a red MAGA hat. Meanwhile, progressives sport their Nalgene bottle with stickers claiming that âWater Is a Rightâ or some other statement to broadcast that they are on the right side of history. The woke have adopted all the hallmarks of religion, from rituals of recognizing privilege, crafting new language, and proselytizing the holy truth to which all must conform or face eternal damnation.
Pascal was rightâwe all desire God, and my contemporaries have filled the void in themselves with political movements and tweets.
âJoshua Pearson, George Mason University, international security
Religion Makes Human Connections
Religion creates small, close-knit communities. These communities provide connectionsâfriends, mentors, even romantic partners. Religious communities also give members a sense of belonging and impart a shared set of morals. Congregants help one another in times of prosperity and turn to one another for help in times of need, creating a safety net. In short, religion provides social capital.
Religion does not have a monopoly on social capital, and our generation could find some secular analogues. But by turning away from religion without some other community to take its place, we risk making the country more divided at a dangerous point in our history.
By turning away from religion, we are not so much missing a part of ourselves as we are missing parts of one another. What we lose is not God, but the better angels of our communal nature. We find on the altar of secularization not a diminished inner spirituality, but the dissolution of ties with our common kindred.
âMax Willner-Giwerc, University of Chicago, law (J.D.)
The Reasonableness of Secularism
Blaise Pascalâs ideas ought to be understood in the context of the 1600s. As a highly educated French mathematician and mystical philosopher, he was exposed to realities that Americans donât experience. France originated in principles that relied on an understanding of God. In the 1600s, it was rare to encounter someone with a secular mindset.
Applying Pascalâs claim of a God-shaped hole to young Americans today would be to reduce the identity of an entire population to a missing part. This would be a rash injustice to those young Americans with a secular viewpoint, who grew up in an areligious world.
Modern politics rejects the proposition of gospel truth. Truth simply no longer exists. Arguments are easily reduced to the phrase âYou do you.â In many ways, technology has replaced God. Mysteries of the universe are no longer attributed to a divine figure. An American turn away from religion is reasonably warranted.
âIsabella Barrett, Belmont Abbey College, politics, philosophy and economics
Our Search for Meaning
When we invite God into our lives, we realize that the world doesnât revolve around us. Life is centered on serving God through generous acts of love for other people. The reason that Meta appeals to so many is because itâs a world where everything is under the userâs control. Thereâs no such thing as suffering in a metaverse, a fake world. My generation has been taught to avoid suffering at all costs, but to quote Viktor Frankl, âIf there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering.â
The trials and sorrows of everyday life can make sense only if we have faith that God will not abandon us. If we donât hold firm to this, we will live in a constant state of anxiety and resentment. If we do hold firm to this, suffering will have meaning, and life can be joyful. Not easy, but joyful.
âNathaniel Valyo, Seton Hall University, economics
Spirituality and Politics
Young Americans are turning away from religious institutions, but they remain invested in spiritual matters. According to Pew Research, a growing number of young Americans identify as âspiritual but not religious.â I think that secularism is actually weakened when people see their faith as coming from outside established institutions. Itâs relatively easy to put a fence between organized religion and government, but much harder to separate politics from spirit. I predict the boundaries between faith and politics will blur, rather than solidify, in the coming years.
âThomas Brodey, Amherst College, history
The Impulse of Religion
Increased secularization might have changed our behavior, but it has not curbed our urge to worship something, even if that something is ourselves. In an increasingly secular society, Americans have lost many of the healthy outlets they once had. Religion has always been a way for people to claim an identity, build community and create purpose for their lives. Without these outlets forcing them to look outward, Americans have become steadily more self-absorbed. This phenomenon is only encouraged by social media, which convinces people that self-expression should be their priority.
Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless. Despite cultural changes and waning religious affiliations, human nature has not fundamentally changed. All people still long to be loved and to feel as though their lives are meaningful. Young, nonreligious Americans continue to search for purpose and identity. They try to find them in gyms and therapistâs offices and places of work. The fervor with which young Americans do all this can be described only as religious.
Although they are less likely to be found in a synagogue or church, they are not less likely to have these religious impulses. People still seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings, and they pursue anything that seems as though it will make them feel significant.
âIvy Young, University of North Carolina, journalism
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Daniel chapter 7:2-4 - Daniel spake and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings."
Daniel chapter 7:2-4 - Daniel spake and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings."
If a European country turned from Catholicism to Lutheranism (or, more broadly, to Protestantism) after the early 1500s, when Martin Luther (and a few other reformers, such as Zwingli and Calvin) launched the Reformation, that would have been a good indication that the nation would qualify for the adoption of the common European currency about five centuries later. If it had stayed predominantly Catholic, or even Greek Orthodox, then not.
With few exceptions, that simple rule would have saved hundreds of millions of people around the world a lot of despair, along with much of the animosity and frustration that now prevails — never mind trillions of euros in asset value.
Obviously, Germany would have been in the eurozone under that rule, as would Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Interestingly, financially solid Switzerland would have been in, too. So would, even more tantalizingly, the United Kingdom.
Ireland? Spain? Portugal? Italy? No. Never mind Greece, that highly (un-)Orthodox country when it comes to conducting a clean and proper economic policy.
Luther, if asked at Maastricht, would have nixed any suggestion of including these countries straight away. "Read my lips: No unreformed Catholic countries," he would have chanted. The euro, as a result, would have been far more cohesive — and the European economy in far less trouble...
