By Damian Geddry
Why is a None a None?
What do they want none of?
And what does it really mean when they say… we’re having none of that?
If we are to believe the data
And I believe we should
They want none of the “world-view” emanating from so many religions
But let’s narrow it down
Because mostly, when they say religion, they mean Christianity
A certain brand of Christianity that’s selling a strange kind of reality
A reality that’s oddly anti-science
A reality that’s oblivious to the environment
A reality that ignores the sick, the poor and the strange
A reality that ignores… well… reality
So let’s get real for a moment
Nones are having “none” of the omnipotent, anthropomorphic, unilateral, immutable God that somehow ordains a prosperity gospel, pillaging of the earth and persecution of people who aren’t straight… white… men
The Nones, God love ‘em, have a God problem
God… reality… potato… potaato, its all the same thing in their ears
Nones are not willing to trade in physics for a god that acts like pharaoh
They are none too happy about the prescriptive, finger-wagging god
You know… the one that yanks our chain and manages our bodies like marionettes
In their mind, this is a kind of cosmic, big-daddy coercion
And guess what?
They’re having none of that either
And then there’s that sticky wicket called evil
Theodicy
When god is rendered as some kind of galactic gladiator that strikes down disbelievers and doles out suffering like Christian karma, Nones are the first in line to say…
Thank you very much… but no
We’re having “none” of that
In fact, the Nones are basically saying: if your god, your reality, motivates the kind of dogmatic shenanigans we see in the media, we’ll get our inspiration elsewhere
And so, they decamp for greener pastures… organic, of course
They have left behind the judgment, the denial and the whacko metaphysics
And thus begins a quasi-religious road trip that takes them to exotic destinations
Mindfulness, contemplation, meditation, therapy, soul cycle and yoga studios
All excellent places to visit
Perhaps they’ll find a true spiritual home there
But for some of the Nones, Dones and Spiritual But Not Religious, the questions remain
The big, cosmic-scale questions and little existential itches just won’t go away, and they, like many of us, keep searching
So, we know what the Nones are “none” to fond of, but what’s the alternative?
What’s the solution?
How about a grand re-opening?
Where we open up the very idea of Reality, Divinity – the idea of God
What if we introduced something interactive and exciting?
A God that is persuasive rather than coercive
Relational rather than unilateral
Natural instead of supernatural
A reality where we are truly free agents
And the future… that’s a team sport
It’s evolution vs. creation
Motion vs. stagnation
And reality as we actually feel it
You want to reach the Nones?
Repaint reality with some zestier colors
Put our free will in the picture
There it is
Now we’re co-creating
God and reality are alive
But I’m obviously preaching to the choir today
And the Nones… they can’t hear us because of the ear buds
So, this is going to take some work
Some translating
Maybe even a liturgical model that rotates around Beauty
Truth
Adventure
Art, Value and Peace
A model that directly engages those big existential questions like…
Meaning
Purpose
Suffering
And yes… evil
Does this mean we toss out the old traditions?
No.
But we need to recharge the metaphors with a new metaphysics
We need to dismiss the god of easy answers
And must invite the Nones to take a role in the very process of life
Because that’s real – and I believe they’re ready for something to really have faith in
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