Relevancy and the Cult of Self
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The trick for religion is making itself relevant without giving up its
fundamental principles; otherwise, it has nothing to say to modern society. One
way of doing this, in the case of Christianity, is by continual review of its
fundamental principles – making sure they are in line with what Jesus taught - and
speaking about them in a clear, “non-churchy” way.
I realize, of course, that “relevance” is personal and subjective. For some
people, it means isolating their thoughts and judgments from objective criteria.
But many decide what is relevant mostly from what society currently
approves and promotes. For them, being current is definitive in deciding what
matters and what’s right and wrong. Their principal argument against religion
is that it’s “old fashioned.”
PBS News Hour
I was reminded of this when recently reading David Brooks’ satirical essay in the New York Times. If you’re unfamiliar with Brooks, he is a Times columnist and a regular commentator, along with Mark Shields, on PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff.
I was reminded of this when recently reading David Brooks’ satirical essay in the New York Times. If you’re unfamiliar with Brooks, he is a Times columnist and a regular commentator, along with Mark Shields, on PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff.
Some describe Brooks as a “conservative,” but I don’t like such labels. Usually,
I think, he “calls ‘em like he sees ‘em.”
In his essay, “The Morality of Selfism, The Gospel of Saint You,” Brooks
satirizes what he sees as the current obsession with self and the adoption of
values that conform to our “lifestyles” at the expense of objective moral
values.
“We live in a culture of selfism — a culture that puts
tremendous emphasis on self, on self-care and self-display,” he writes. “And
one of the things we’ve discovered is that you can be a very good person while
thinking only about yourself!
“Back in the old days,” he continues, “people thought morality
was about living up to some external standard of moral excellence. Abraham
Lincoln tried to live a life of honesty and courage. Mother Teresa tried to
live up to a standard of selfless love.
David Brooks
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As for relevance, he continues the satire.
“If people are talking to you, shouldn’t they be focusing their
attention on your
life? Shouldn’t they be saying things you
can relate to? If somebody starts talking about some grand hero who is dead or
lives far away, you should just respond, “Sorry, that’s not relatable.”
This idea of relevance will not work for people searching for
God in the Judeo-Christian tradition because Judaism and Christianity depend on
following a way of living that believers contend has been revealed by God.
The Ten Commandments are a good example, or Psalm 15 in the
Hebrew Bible, which lays out what, for people searching for God, is right and
wrong. The first line asks what kind of life is approved by God. The rest of
the psalm answers the question.
Acts with Justice
“He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue; he who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbor….”
“He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue; he who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbor….”
Nor is the Christian Bible timid about telling it like it is. In
his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us what it means to
love.
“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it
is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable
or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.”
It should be Psalm 15, above. Cheers.
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