I disagree that we need to bring people back to religion (or vice versa). Everything that's bad about religion, plus maybe a couple of good things about it, has been replicated in our current social spaces. If people went to church instead of to Comic Con or trucker rallies or Facebook or TikTok, they'd be just as tribal, self-righteous,…
I disagree that we need to bring people back to religion (or vice versa). Everything that's bad about religion, plus maybe a couple of good things about it, has been replicated in our current social spaces. If people went to church instead of to Comic Con or trucker rallies or Facebook or TikTok, they'd be just as tribal, self-righteous, and spiritual as they are now, maybe more so.
Wokeness and gender ideology haven't exactly replaced godliness though. Many wokesters are religious (or "spiritual but not religious" in the case of the more progressive congregations). I used to occasionally attend services of the denomination I was raised in, but they're all totally focused now on social justice, DEI, and political activism. So I listen to BARpod instead.
As a still-religious person who's moved around a lot, I've had a hard time finding churches that aren't largely political clubs of left- or right-wing flavor. I have found exceptions, but I always want to ask the political clubs, "Why do you think people should bother to get up on a weekend morning to come to your services instead of sleeping in and doing political volunteer work on a Tuesday night?" If I could think of a less aggressive way of asking the question, I'd be genuinely interested in the answers.
Maybe for a lot of people the answer is "community." Tyler Cowen is another nonbeliever who makes a case similar to Katie's for religious observance. To which I say, sure, come for the potlucks and stay for the beautifully weird scriptures.
I disagree that we need to bring people back to religion (or vice versa). Everything that's bad about religion, plus maybe a couple of good things about it, has been replicated in our current social spaces. If people went to church instead of to Comic Con or trucker rallies or Facebook or TikTok, they'd be just as tribal, self-righteous, and spiritual as they are now, maybe more so.
Wokeness and gender ideology haven't exactly replaced godliness though. Many wokesters are religious (or "spiritual but not religious" in the case of the more progressive congregations). I used to occasionally attend services of the denomination I was raised in, but they're all totally focused now on social justice, DEI, and political activism. So I listen to BARpod instead.
As a still-religious person who's moved around a lot, I've had a hard time finding churches that aren't largely political clubs of left- or right-wing flavor. I have found exceptions, but I always want to ask the political clubs, "Why do you think people should bother to get up on a weekend morning to come to your services instead of sleeping in and doing political volunteer work on a Tuesday night?" If I could think of a less aggressive way of asking the question, I'd be genuinely interested in the answers.
Maybe for a lot of people the answer is "community." Tyler Cowen is another nonbeliever who makes a case similar to Katie's for religious observance. To which I say, sure, come for the potlucks and stay for the beautifully weird scriptures.
Well said!
Great point.