Religion
In essence: Religious traditions offer frameworks for meaning that transcend individual experience, providing narratives and practices that connect us to something greater than ourselves.
Core Ideas
- Religion provides frameworks for meaning and moral reasoning
- Shared traditions establish continuity across generations
- Modern approaches to spirituality often lack depth and coherence
- Religious practices create spaces for contemplation and wonder
Examples & Insights
"True enchantment is simply living within the confident belief that there is deep meaning to life, meaning that exists in the world independent of ourselves. It is living with faith to know that meaning and commune with it."
— Source: Living in Wonder
Religious traditions offer paths to reconnect with enchantment in a world that often feels disenchanted by modern materialism.
"The kids have been raised in a culture of radical individualism, therapy, and you-do-you self-fulfillment. What they don't know, but will one day find out, is that a religion you make up yourself has no power to enchant. A religion designed to serve one's perceived needs is unavoidably self-worship."
— Source: Living in Wonder
The modern tendency toward personalized spirituality often fails to provide the depth and meaning that comes from submitting to traditions larger than oneself.
"The truth of Christianity is not protological, but rather eschatological, residing in Christ whose return Christians still await."
— Source: The Mystery of Christ
Religious understanding often requires looking both backward and forward, finding meaning in a narrative that spans time.