Thanks for a great post! You make some very thoughtful points about the world we live in today. I know you teased more to come in future posts, but I must ask — even when we have lingering doubts, what else can we really do besides continue talk to God about those doubts and come encounter Him in the Sacraments anyways? Even if we feel like we’re talking to ourselves? Even if we don’t feel something the moment we commune? Because I remind myself that the reality is that He’s listening to prayers and that He is present in the cup, regardless of whether I feel something or not. On balance, I can say that He’s there and with us and is real in my life, even if I can’t say I feel it every single moment.
Sometimes I worry that it’s too easy to get hung up on needing to have 100% certainty or needing to have a spiritual experience, and I’m worried that’s a trap. What do you think?
Reminds me of CS Lewis' commentary in The Abolition of Man, aka the most difficult 60-some pages I've ever read, and in the Space Trilogy, which I've recently been re-reading.
This is challenging and important, but can you please get rid of the gifs? The repetitive movement is distracting and incredibly annoying. I have to try to read the article while holding my hand over the little mini-seizure of a movie clip so I can concentrate on the words.
Steve, very interesting post. Sometimes I wonder, however, how accurate the frameworks of secular1 (compared to secular3) is. Do we not believe in the past there was a sense among people that you could believe whatever you wanted then, and you should be on a quest to find ‘your truth’- just as there is in our postmodern world? For instance, the ancient Roman Lucius said: “religion to the common man is equally true, to the philosopher equally false, and to the politician equally useful”. I still think Charles Taylor’s framework is very useful - but I wonder how much of the disengagement with the church in recent times can be attributed to this postmodern, subjective search for the truth since (I think) it has been present across history?
Challenging thoughts but I am not sure your template is as neat and universal as you present. You paint, with a pretty broad brush, all of us into our “Secular 3” corner. I don’t feel so trapped as you imply we all are. Yet I do admit the faith/doubt debate is a faint background. Though my “enchanted”experience is dominated by a rational faith, the enchanted has broken through enough to make faith “real” and the truth undeniable despite my faint “experience” of the spirit and the kingdom. I will read this again to understand better what you are saying.
Why You (and I) are "Secular"
Oof. A challenging, but needed read. Thanks.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for a great post! You make some very thoughtful points about the world we live in today. I know you teased more to come in future posts, but I must ask — even when we have lingering doubts, what else can we really do besides continue talk to God about those doubts and come encounter Him in the Sacraments anyways? Even if we feel like we’re talking to ourselves? Even if we don’t feel something the moment we commune? Because I remind myself that the reality is that He’s listening to prayers and that He is present in the cup, regardless of whether I feel something or not. On balance, I can say that He’s there and with us and is real in my life, even if I can’t say I feel it every single moment.
Sometimes I worry that it’s too easy to get hung up on needing to have 100% certainty or needing to have a spiritual experience, and I’m worried that’s a trap. What do you think?
Reminds me of CS Lewis' commentary in The Abolition of Man, aka the most difficult 60-some pages I've ever read, and in the Space Trilogy, which I've recently been re-reading.
This is challenging and important, but can you please get rid of the gifs? The repetitive movement is distracting and incredibly annoying. I have to try to read the article while holding my hand over the little mini-seizure of a movie clip so I can concentrate on the words.
Steve, very interesting post. Sometimes I wonder, however, how accurate the frameworks of secular1 (compared to secular3) is. Do we not believe in the past there was a sense among people that you could believe whatever you wanted then, and you should be on a quest to find ‘your truth’- just as there is in our postmodern world? For instance, the ancient Roman Lucius said: “religion to the common man is equally true, to the philosopher equally false, and to the politician equally useful”. I still think Charles Taylor’s framework is very useful - but I wonder how much of the disengagement with the church in recent times can be attributed to this postmodern, subjective search for the truth since (I think) it has been present across history?
Challenging thoughts but I am not sure your template is as neat and universal as you present. You paint, with a pretty broad brush, all of us into our “Secular 3” corner. I don’t feel so trapped as you imply we all are. Yet I do admit the faith/doubt debate is a faint background. Though my “enchanted”experience is dominated by a rational faith, the enchanted has broken through enough to make faith “real” and the truth undeniable despite my faint “experience” of the spirit and the kingdom. I will read this again to understand better what you are saying.