8/24/2008--I was re-reading yesterday’s post and felt I had to add a short note. The book, God Without God, is as good as I wrote. But the question is, for all its accomplishment, can the book work? That is, can monotheism as we know it in the Bible and the Qur’an, really survive the loss of the supernatural?
C.S. Lewis thought the answer to that question was, no. I’m inclined to agree. And even Michael Hampson seems to stumble over the resurrection.
I don’t want to prejudge the matter. Maybe in fifty years, long after I’m gone, secularism will be a thing of the past and people will be flocking back to church, synagogue, mosque and other places of worship.
Hallowed Secularism answers my need today and, I assume, the needs of others now and in the future. If it does not work out that way, if institutional religion can really adapt, great. I just can’t see it happening. Even the tradition teaches that you cannot put new wine in old skins.
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Hey. I like reading your blog but it would be nice if you moved the welcome to a separate page.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Christianity moving forward, I don't think it's moving toward doing away with the supernatural but I do think it does well enough by using the inherent ambiguity in 2000 years to its advantage. As long as it builds a nice little fence around where supernatural events are allowed (they can't be allowed in the present -- meaning: it has already survived the loss of the supernatural) it continues merrily along.
I like to think as more information becomes available to more people it will no longer be a valid option for people. At some level though I just accept that I'm one of those people who can't accept it even in its more benign forms. Church just steals too much of my existence and has a really low EROEI value. Churchgoers just don't feel the same way about it.
oh, this fencemaking is basically how i read both dispensational and covenant theology.
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