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“There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling
in religion (‘Man’s search for God!’) suddenly draw back. Supposing
we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that!” –
C. S. Lewis
When choosing a faith – or not to have one at all – the
greatest difficulty can be knowing whether you’ve made the right
choice. It’s real easy to get it wrong, though: Just make up your
own religion.
That’s exactly what an increasing number of Americans
are doing according to a poll conducted for CBS News. In response
to the question “Ever bring teachings or philosophies from more than
one religion into your own practices?” 36 percent responded that
they did, 52 percent did not, while the remainder didn’t know or
didn’t profess a faith.
While the percentages are a bit of a surprise the trend
is not. Our culture seems increasingly awash in “spirituality,” as
in “I’m not religious but I’m very spiritual,” but what spirit? The
ghost of Christmas past? The Spirit of St. Louis?
I have noticed a squishy sameness to the descriptions
“spiritual people” give their beliefs but have yet to find two who
define their anonymous spirituality the same way. What they have in
common is a belief in a spirit of some sort with no set definition,
no name, and most importantly, few or no expectations.
The CBS story cites the case of Rev. Debora Steen Ross,
who was raised in the Christian Science religion, married a rabbi,
and “meditates before a collection of religious symbols.”
“At the heart of every religion it’s the same thing,”
Rev. Ross told CBS, which didn’t note exactly what it is she is a
reverend of. “It’s love. So if they’re all the same at the root,
why would we not honor all of them?”
Anyone who has seen a headline or two during the last
few years should be disabused of the notion that all religious
beliefs are based on love, but even if that was the central value of
every faith religions are not primarily defined by their teachings.
That may be heresy in “spirituality” circles, but this unfortunate
misunderstanding is at the root of much of the spiritual mishmash
embodied by Rev. Ross. This “What’s the difference?” view is also
why many who would prefer to believe in something concrete end up
rejecting faith altogether.
The real difference between religions, between truth and
error, is their understandings of what the spirit is. Many
religious teachings and even secular philosophies have significant
similarities, but unless the source of those teachings is divine
they are just so many words competing for our fickle attention.
What changes teaching to truth is the touch of divinity.
CBS’ poll also asked people what they considered the
most important part of their religion. The choices were “Following
traditions and teachings closely,” which came in at 45 percent;
“Finding a spiritual experience,” 38 percent, and; “Religion not
important,” 10 percent.
I’d have probably joined the majority given those
options, but the right answer wasn’t there. Traditions and
teachings are only important if divinely inspired; otherwise they’re
little more than rituals and opinions. Spiritual experiences can be
wonderful but seeking them for their own sake is self-serving, the
very thing the “spiritual” generally claim to reject.
CBS’ poll aside, the most important part of true
spirituality is the spirit himself, or God. God is what he is, to
be discovered, not constructed. Picking and choosing from various
teachings not only misses the point of seeking who he really is, it
keeps the focus on what makes us feel good rather than what is good.
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