Can an argument be made for Religiosity, in the absence of Faith? SHOULD that argument be advanced by so-called "People of Faith" in our society?
In my view, the generations that followed the Boomers have developed a neurotic and irrational need to be "all in" on things. Ask them why they are 35 years old an unmarried, and they respond, "I haven't met my soul mate yet," or words to that effect. Ask them if they expect to retire from their employer in 40 years and they recoil in horror because they don't know what they want to do for the rest of their lives.
As for religion, they feel like (and I used those words pointedly) they cannot commit to a religion unless they have rock solid faith in not only the religious tenets of a faith, but also absolute trust in the organization (if any) that nurtures that faith, e.g., the Catholic Church.
But this is a sophomoric view. NOBODY has rock-solid faith all the time, and especially those who claim that they do. Faith is like romantic love; it comes and goes. But as with marital love, one must live as though it were present all the time, otherwise it is pointless and futile. It is generally well-known that there are observant, religious jews who either don't believe in God or are agnostic. And yet they still believe that there is value in living the life advised by the Torah - acting AS THOUGH they were firm believers.
This is not "hypocrisy," but rather a mature approach to reality.
In our world, where we are surrounded by Evil, one must look to find those factors that promote virtuosity, whether it is a belief, an organization, a philosophy or an ethnicity. I personally may think that the religion of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young is theologically nonsense, but I admire the Latter Day Saints for being law abiding, resourceful, and contributing to our society in any number of tangible and intangible ways.
Many of my fellow Roman Catholics have abandoned the Faith because of the child abuse scandal(s), but is that rational, or on a personal level, a good thing to do? Where do you go from there? If you go to nothing, then you have done yourself and everyone around you a disservice. And it gives the impression that you really left because you had other things you wanted to do with your Sunday mornings, and principle had nothing to do with it.
Religiosity is the opposite of evil, regardless of where it originates. Certainly, there are zealots in every religion whose overall impact is negative, but for the most part it IS justifiable to be religious (and to raise a religious family) whether you are a True Believer or not. Because the absence of religiosity fosters evil. It fosters a culture that doesn't know where it needs to go. A culture that's not sure how many genders there are, that doesn't know why abortion is evil, and so on.
Be religious. Faith can come later, or not at all.
In my view, the generations that followed the Boomers have developed a neurotic and irrational need to be "all in" on things. Ask them why they are 35 years old an unmarried, and they respond, "I haven't met my soul mate yet," or words to that effect. Ask them if they expect to retire from their employer in 40 years and they recoil in horror because they don't know what they want to do for the rest of their lives.
As for religion, they feel like (and I used those words pointedly) they cannot commit to a religion unless they have rock solid faith in not only the religious tenets of a faith, but also absolute trust in the organization (if any) that nurtures that faith, e.g., the Catholic Church.
But this is a sophomoric view. NOBODY has rock-solid faith all the time, and especially those who claim that they do. Faith is like romantic love; it comes and goes. But as with marital love, one must live as though it were present all the time, otherwise it is pointless and futile. It is generally well-known that there are observant, religious jews who either don't believe in God or are agnostic. And yet they still believe that there is value in living the life advised by the Torah - acting AS THOUGH they were firm believers.
This is not "hypocrisy," but rather a mature approach to reality.
In our world, where we are surrounded by Evil, one must look to find those factors that promote virtuosity, whether it is a belief, an organization, a philosophy or an ethnicity. I personally may think that the religion of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young is theologically nonsense, but I admire the Latter Day Saints for being law abiding, resourceful, and contributing to our society in any number of tangible and intangible ways.
Many of my fellow Roman Catholics have abandoned the Faith because of the child abuse scandal(s), but is that rational, or on a personal level, a good thing to do? Where do you go from there? If you go to nothing, then you have done yourself and everyone around you a disservice. And it gives the impression that you really left because you had other things you wanted to do with your Sunday mornings, and principle had nothing to do with it.
Religiosity is the opposite of evil, regardless of where it originates. Certainly, there are zealots in every religion whose overall impact is negative, but for the most part it IS justifiable to be religious (and to raise a religious family) whether you are a True Believer or not. Because the absence of religiosity fosters evil. It fosters a culture that doesn't know where it needs to go. A culture that's not sure how many genders there are, that doesn't know why abortion is evil, and so on.
Be religious. Faith can come later, or not at all.
