Crises of Faith — Starts to New Possibilities
By Thomas L. Lenczowski ~
Some beyond strange, wrong-headed beliefs we expected to die have taken hold, even some based upon known falsehoods. A “christless christianity” spreads, millions praise Jesus but follow the commandments of Donald Trump. This nation founded in enlightenment watches as religious fundamentalists gain power. Most agree the country is headed in the wrong direction, Christian politicians have been in charge for tens of decades but we ignore any connections. It wasn't atheists or Marxists or woke ideology that led the entire country to mass dissatisfaction, division and dysfunction. Further decay is evidenced by the second election of a president who leans toward despotism, who’s out to destroy the very idea of America.
We’ll remain headed toward darker ages until we dare to question the foundational beliefs that brought on this mess, questions we tend to avoid. Crises of faith will challenge deeply held, widely accepted beliefs, especially religious beliefs ingrained in us before we could think. No beliefs should be held above question, if they hold meaning, they’ll withstand challenge. Crises of faith are rewards in themselves regardless of the answers, healthy experiences that ought to be a part of every life, it's how my life forever changed.
Born into Catholicism, taught by nuns, the catechism was all you needed to know. Entered a seminary to prepare for the priesthood right out of 8th grade, questions of faith didn’t come easy. Twenty years old, pretty much clueless when first faced with doubts about life as a priest and relentless questions.The Bible? Revelation? The Creed? Does any of it really matter? Sacraments?? Transubstantiation?? Is God any more than a belief? The church lost relevancy, it became difficult to defend teachings that didn't make much sense once questioned, teachings ignored by many still quite faithful to the church. Some not very mortal sinners looked to be hell-bound.
Beliefs were useless with answers to age-old questions in the search for meaning, purpose. Each day’s news of the violence we do to each other prompted more questions–how do we become societies that destroy the beauty in so many? Every parent commits to being the best mom or dad, why does it fall apart? No child is born filled with hate, how is it learned? Guns everywhere, can’t or won’t keep kids safe, constant wars and still believe we’re a peaceful nation?? How can we accept such vast differences between belief and what we’ve created?? In this country it’s said God and Christianity are of supreme importance, it’s also evident they have little meaning.
Something is fundamentally wrong—taught we’re stained by original sin, taught we’re sinners so flawed salvation can only be had by the grace of god are self-fulfilling prophecies. No wonder we’re all screwed up. We weren’t born tainted by anything least of all original sin.The birthplace of Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths has always been a war zone. Fundamentalism gains normality worldwide led by religious beliefs at their ugliest. Terrorism is almost always faith-based, explained away as a “few bad apples” but it’s a logical extension of divisive religious beliefs–if you’re not with me you’re against me thinking. Differing blind faiths have led to a less civilized, more violent world. There must be better ways.
We are products of nature, neither good nor evil. As in nature, the capacity to create or destroy is in each of us. — Centuries of misguided beliefs have left us genuinely lost. Religions, ideologies of every stripe--liberalism, conservatism, a multitude of other ”isms”, none has all the answers, especially theologies that claim “knowledge” of the unknown. We’re all raised in silos of unexamined belief, taught to believe in a god but learn articles of faith, not to explore whether or not god exists, what it might be or how to relate to it. Early baptism and Sunday school indoctrination close minds and prevent questions of faith, terrible things to do to a child. Religious beliefs are accidents of birth. No one should choose a religion for anyone else. IF god exists, it doesn’t belong to any one religion. Prior to any baptism, learn from religions of the East, West, atheism, humanism, even satanism.
We admit thousands of gods throughout our history were idols we created. Doubt led to further searches for fuller understanding but always led to another god, another relationship of prayer and worship, a relationship of idolatry. Gods treated as idols are idols. IF god exists, we have yet to find it, certainly none that is universal. A sun god makes as much sense as a supreme being in a heaven far far away. Ancient concepts of the universe are routinely questioned, why not concepts of god just as old? Why do we need one? Which one actually explains anything about anything? IF god exists, it must be more than a born-into belief. If you might THINK there is god, what could it be? Love? The spark of life itself? Can it be something outside reality? IF god exists, we’re part of it, it’s nothing at all supernatural.
Beyond belief there is reason for hope. In crises, a 9-11, in natural or man-made disasters, god is of no help, humanity steps up. We don’t care about what victims of crises believe, the color of skin or gender or sexual preference before we extend a hand. As we come to know each other, the divisions beliefs create become senseless.
Theistic concepts of god place spirituality outside our nature, they're at the heart of our problems. We are products of nature, neither good nor evil. As in nature, the capacity to create or destroy is in each of us. Spirituality is ours to discover within our nature. Meaning is in the relationships we build, the ideas we create. No one else can make your life meaningful, not even a god. Any salvation to be had is within us, no need for churches, priests or gods.
Embrace crises of faith, they’re hardly magic solutions but starts. They will change lives, they’re keys to futures of promise. Without them, belief will continue to constrain reason, we’ll continue to choose the past for a future while we dismiss questions of what should or could be. Static belief systems just don’t fit an ever-changing world, they have been a fool’s hope that limits our thinking, limits our potential.
Challenge beliefs, challenge what we think we know in light of what we learn. What if we learned our nature isn’t sinful? What if we learned we can matter? Might a few beliefs and ideals become reality?