Why Christianity Is Dying But Spirituality Is Thriving?

Thecla

03/07/2013 08:11:46 PM

Of course I agree with these points: I have no interest in the Bible, I believe Christians should be open to other religions and their spirituality, support LGBT equality, and don't believe that heaven is a pie-in-the-sky payoff for correct theology. But who does? A few rednecks somewhere in the rural south? I can only suspect that the SBNR who reject religion come from white trash backgrounds and think of religion as Evangelicalism--not the religion of downtown brownstone churches, great music, fine art, and high church. Organized religion is important because it maintains the buildings and organizes the rituals. To reject religion is to reject the buildings, rituals, art, music, all the stuff that produces aesthetic/mystical experience. I can't imagine why anyone would want to be spiritual but not religious, to give up those yummy goodies. And to forstall the usual response, of course there are other goodies--sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, food, sports, nature hikes and bike-riding. Church is just more. And the more the better. Pleasure and pleasure alone is good, and religion provides more of it. If, of course we don't take the ridiculous moralism seriously. And why should we? We should take what we like and enjoy. Religion is fun!

zeanna

02/08/2013 08:04:37 PM

Christianity is dying because it is rejecting the faithful. Case in point: Beliefnet just killed a deal for a blog with a Presbyterian blogger who wanted to include the word "f*m*n*sm" in the title. Too offensive. (wtf?) I guess they missed that part of the Bible where there is no more slave or free, Jew or Gentile, or male or female in Christ. Christianity used to be about a message of love. Growing in Christ meant being transformed into a loving person. Now, it's about aggressively trying to change others and judging them if they won't conform to one's own Pharisaical views.