The first of probably many religious ramblings to come...

I'm going to go out on a limb with this post by touching a potentially sensitive, although extremely important, subject: spiritual beliefs. I observe spirituality to be simultaneously omnipresent and taboo in my environment. The only things I observe to be even more universal and taboo than spirituality are strong fears of both organized religion and notions of a transcendant spirituality.

So why is religion so difficult to talk about anyhow? Why is it included among topics never to be discussed at social events, right up there with political views? Doubtless there are numerous intuitive responses to these questions. In the past religion has had a difficult (and not entirely undeserved) reputation for being judgmental to the point of being prejudiced. Naturally it is difficult to discuss topics when there is an underlying fear that one will be judged or pidgeon-holed for their views. Furthermore, religious discussions frequently involve comments regarding "right" and "wrong." We are faced with consequences regarding the decisions we make based on our personal views of what is right and what is wrong. We live in a "free" society in which we are entitled to our personal beliefs, although we are required to be tolerant of the beliefs of others. All too often "tolerance" has equated "silence." We simply do not discuss our differences because we cannot tolerate them.

I believe these are a few of the many factors that have lead to a pervasive fear of organized religion and transcendant spirituality in my generation. My experience of organized religion is not overly positive or negative, though I have noticed that contemporary church beliefs and practices have on the whole been stagnant in the last thirty years. Organized religion, at least mainstream Protestantism, has not evolved at the same speed as other aspects of society. As a result it comes off to younger generations as being out dated. The world seems less judgmental without it. I believe John Lennon was prophetic when he wrote "Imagine," for he ingeniously harmonized a sense of peace through his soothing chords with images of a world void of things that divide people, organized religion being among them. Many years later, organized religious institutions of John Lennon's day have generally failed to keep pace with a society that is evolving to be increasingly accepting of diversity. At this rate, I believe that the church as it is known today will be extinct before long.

I hope this is not the case, and that one day members of my generation will come to have faith in organized religion as a potential force for good in the world, void of judgmental natures and brainwashing tactics. See, I don't believe that narrow-mindedness is a necessary consequence of organized religion. Rather I believe that narrow-mindedness results from the abuse of institutions, be they religious or otherwise, for the advancement of people. The church is, afterall, a human institution that utilizes doctrines to help people connect to the divine (loosely defined). I want to emphasize the word "human" in there, meaning that although it is associated (and wrongfully equated) with God , it is still a HUMAN institution, that can be abused. The church is not God, and hence abuses committed by the church are human abuses, not God's abuses.

The good news is that as humans are not perfect, they can improve and learn from their inevitable mistakes. There is hope that the church, as a human institution that is managed by humans, can become a healthy, uniting force that will foster tolerance and refrain from judging (and unjustly punishing) diverse world views. The key is in keeping both the institution and the hope and belief in its potential alive.