Monday, January 9, 2017

Religious Nones and a Spiritual Remnant


Our world is becoming more secular; a disputable, but defendable statement. We are told that more people than ever have become religious nones. That is, there is an increase in the number of people who reject a belief in God, creation, spirituality, and purpose. They insist that the universe happened by chance, has no purpose, and will come to an end by chance. They reject a Christian faith, a Muslim faith, a Jewish faith, a Hindu faith, a Buddhist faith, and any other type of faith in something higher than the physical properties of a temporary - or eternal - universe. This is the truest form of secularism. These religious nones find meaning, if they find meaning at all, solely in living life passionately, sincerely, and authentically, according to their feelings.[1] Whether they know it or not, they are disciples of Existential Thought of one form or another. They assert that morality does not fundamentally exist, and that any established moral values are theoretically contrived. Some may even claim to be religious and ascribe to a faith, while functioning as if their own existential world was all that mattered.

When we say that these religious nones live passionately, sincerely, and authentically, we are saying that they live sincerely according to the authentic passions they feel at any given moment. Those feelings tend to change from moment to moment and, as such, are extremely relative to the situation.

So, could it be that more people are finding it acceptable to use immoral means to get what they desire out of life? Do more people today see others succeeding by operating by violent or immoral means? Do some grab all they can get from this world by any means possible believing that others will do so if they don’t?

Perhaps it is too soon to tell. But as our world turns away from the foundations of faith and the moral principles within the religions of the world, we can expect to see more amoral people, and more immorality, and even violence as people live out their unfettered passions.

I believe that we are at a turning point in which there will be another increase. Many of us will live to see a return to faith. The values and morals of another age are deeply rooted in the faith of our fathers and mothers. I believe that we will see many return to a belief in God and a trust in his authority and power. Let us not despair but instead choose to be at the forefront of a movement back to the Creator; a spiritual remnant.




[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism

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