Skeptical Faith

Google Image Many people are turned off by dogma, or doctrine, according to surveys, and some churches have accommodated this trend. Many megachurches, for instance, try to provide something for everyone, no matter their beliefs. If you like “traditional’ services, they’ve got them. If you like less formal services, including Christian rock bands and ministers in torn jeans, they’ve got you covered. Music is often an attraction. Sanctuaries become stages, making it hard to distinguish entertainment from worship. The web site of one of these churches says, “We strive to use relevant, meaningful, music to worship in a language that people understand.” That, of course, is laudable, but the word “sanctuary” is from the Latin, “sanctus,” meaning “holy.” With the demise of sanctuaries, do these services maintain a sense of the holy? A Dilemma All churches should strive to be relevant, and it makes sense to use music to help. But a dilemma remains. I f the aim of commu...

Google Image “Nones,” as readers of this blog should know by now, are people who answer “none” on survey questions about their religious affiliation. The surveys show that more Americans, especially the young, are giving this answer. And I hope all of you still know what a nun is. They’re getting scarcer, but I’m a big fan. They were my teachers in eight years of grade school and I’ve had many friends who are nuns. I greatly admire their self-sacrifice, dedication to their faith and their dogged willingness to serve others. But it would be hard to name two groups that are less compatible, at least on the surface. I read about the Nuns and Nones project in the National Catholic Reporter, but recently an extensive article in the New York Times reported a new twist. A small group of nones, described as “progressive millennials,” none of whom are practicing Catholics, decided to take up temporary residence in an active convent. A Pilot Project “Intended to be...

Google Image Mass shootings. A more-than-ever dysfunctional federal government. The refusal of so many Americans to recognize that mother earth is in trouble. The reoccurrence of violent racism. The apparent abandonment by politicians, corporations and organizations of commonly held norms of behavior. The stuff of daily news. So is the sky falling? Are ethical norms dead? Is humanity doomed to a continual degradation in quality of life? Is it unrealistic to be optimistic? The future, of course, is unknown, but what is known is that it’s hard for pessimists to search for God, at least in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Why? Because the search requires an equanimity based on trust in God. Not About a Smiley Face That kind of optimism, of course, has little to do with exhibiting a smiley face, ignoring the bad things that happen to good people. Terrible suffering happens on an hourly basis. Disaster and death come unexpectedly. Not every cloud has a silver lining. But it’s n...

Google Image A few weeks ago I wrote a blog entitled “The Antithesis to the Search for God.” It dealt with racism as an obstacle on the path to faith. I’ve been thinking about that post, wondering whether I was “preaching to the choir” in writing about racism given the target audience for this blog. The blog’s description, posted permanently on the blog site, is “discussion of faith, belief and religion for people who have given up on God and/or religion.” To be clear, disenchantment with religion in “the West” must be placed in perspective, at least for Judeo-Christianity. In the last 100 years, the number of Christians in the world has quadrupled from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion presently, according to an online source. The worldwide Jewish population is 13.3 million. Most Americans who have given up on God/religion probably have done so for reasons other than racism. If we’re talking about young people, in fact, data show they are the least racist amon...