History is cyclical, and it would be foolhardy to assume that the culture wars will never return. But after the humiliations of the Scopes trial and the repeal of Prohibition, it did take a good four decades for the religious right to begin its comeback in the 1970s. In our tough times, when any happy news can be counted as a miracle, a 40-year exodus for these ayatollahs can pass for an answer to America’s prayers.
-Frank Rich, NYTimes, March 15, 2009
It is a wondrous thing that we are too busy surviving to be distracted by either a demagogic debate on stem cell research or by the condemnation of gays who wish to fight and die for our country. However, there is no reason to celebrate, as Mr. Rich would have us do, for the concomitant overall decline in attention to our spiritual lives.
As Mr. Rich points out, this is nothing new. So, why do people, even in the face of a protracted disaster, turn away from religion? Perhaps it has little to do with the bankruptcy of the religious right’s ideals and everything to do with people’s need to return to the first and second levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At those planes of existence, we have little patience for any emotional debate that distracts from our need to feed, house and clothe ourselves and our families.
Fundamentalists of many religions have attempted to uspurp God’s role in our lives as companion, confidant, stalwart and goad by making Him into the stern schoolmarm who raps you on the wrist when you fail. In a world where we are fighting for our survival, we turn to our God who, through His Grace, forgives and cherishes us despite our failures and shortfalls.
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