I clearly see the need to find an alternative to the spiritual wasteland of secularism. But I think it is very important to differentiate between the worldy benefits of secular societies and their spiritual poverty.
As Phil Zuckerman has written "It is the highly secularized countries that tend to fare the best in terms of crime rates, prosperity, equality, freedom, democracy, women’s rights, human rights, educational attainment and life expectancy. [...] And those nations with the highest rates of religiosity tend to be the most problem-ridden in terms of high violent crime rates, high infant mortality rates, high poverty rates and high rates of corruption."
The question we should be able to answer is: If less religious respectively secular societies have so many (worldy) advantages over religious ones, why becoming religious in the first place?
My approximate answer would be we should become religious for our spiritual salvation. It seems possible to build a secular society that is not a wasteland in the worldy sense (well-being, low crime-rate etc.). So we should tell people why despite the prosperity of secular societies, there is a need for spiritual salvation.
Nondualism - hmm, when our eternal destiny is to be in a bod with God, even as Jesus is now, a myriad of body temples filled with the Holy Spirit built together as living stones into a temple of the Living God, which is what I think the New Jerusalem in the cubic shape of the Holy of Holies in temple and tabernacle is, the “Bride of Christ” as introduced by the angel to, John. In a new heaven and new earth no less. God’s eternal reality is hopelessly, scandalously individualized, concrete, material and diverse, quite non Buddhist or Taoist I think.
I ordered The Lost Way to Good yesterday. I am very interested in what may more or less fit into the Dionysian tradition, particularly in the West, e.g., Meister Eckhart, Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross, etc., and how our own tradition can be clarified, enhanced, and even challenged by various forms of Buddhism, Taoism, etc. I look forward to reading it.
Congratulations! This review really piqued my curiosity and your book is going straight on my to-read list!
I clearly see the need to find an alternative to the spiritual wasteland of secularism. But I think it is very important to differentiate between the worldy benefits of secular societies and their spiritual poverty.
As Phil Zuckerman has written "It is the highly secularized countries that tend to fare the best in terms of crime rates, prosperity, equality, freedom, democracy, women’s rights, human rights, educational attainment and life expectancy. [...] And those nations with the highest rates of religiosity tend to be the most problem-ridden in terms of high violent crime rates, high infant mortality rates, high poverty rates and high rates of corruption."
The question we should be able to answer is: If less religious respectively secular societies have so many (worldy) advantages over religious ones, why becoming religious in the first place?
My approximate answer would be we should become religious for our spiritual salvation. It seems possible to build a secular society that is not a wasteland in the worldy sense (well-being, low crime-rate etc.). So we should tell people why despite the prosperity of secular societies, there is a need for spiritual salvation.
What do you think?
Nondualism - hmm, when our eternal destiny is to be in a bod with God, even as Jesus is now, a myriad of body temples filled with the Holy Spirit built together as living stones into a temple of the Living God, which is what I think the New Jerusalem in the cubic shape of the Holy of Holies in temple and tabernacle is, the “Bride of Christ” as introduced by the angel to, John. In a new heaven and new earth no less. God’s eternal reality is hopelessly, scandalously individualized, concrete, material and diverse, quite non Buddhist or Taoist I think.
I ordered The Lost Way to Good yesterday. I am very interested in what may more or less fit into the Dionysian tradition, particularly in the West, e.g., Meister Eckhart, Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross, etc., and how our own tradition can be clarified, enhanced, and even challenged by various forms of Buddhism, Taoism, etc. I look forward to reading it.
I am conflicted. Do I read it here or in my copy of First Things?