It might be challenging, but I believe humanity could embrace secular churches to meet our moral and social needs. However, these won't fully replace faith in the supernatural. The sense of community and the guidance of human reason are valuable, but they can't compare to the deep comfort of belief in a higher power that offers salvation from the unthinkable horror of oblivion. A Cult of Reason simply can't provide that level of solace.
The question, of course, is how? Modernity is a reaction to emotive religion, which claims to be its salve. In the US, a third of the population is abandoning traditional religion as it is seen as immoral and tyrannical. -Limiting! Just as the printing press gave birth to Protestantism, the technological revolution of the past 30 years will lead to a revitalized moral order. One that synthesizes libertarianism with socialism and community-purpose with liberty-seeking. These four are not opposites but blind mice feeling out an elephant. The problem with traditional religion is it gains its moral authority from only one source. But thanks to the Internet, the limits on production and relationships through geography has changed! Communities can be built from all sorts of texts! Through the Internet, they abound like never before. And they are grasping towards philosophy. I think what will be will be a synthesis of polytheism AND moral philosophy. Many “gods” towards a tessellated truth.
It might be challenging, but I believe humanity could embrace secular churches to meet our moral and social needs. However, these won't fully replace faith in the supernatural. The sense of community and the guidance of human reason are valuable, but they can't compare to the deep comfort of belief in a higher power that offers salvation from the unthinkable horror of oblivion. A Cult of Reason simply can't provide that level of solace.
The question, of course, is how? Modernity is a reaction to emotive religion, which claims to be its salve. In the US, a third of the population is abandoning traditional religion as it is seen as immoral and tyrannical. -Limiting!
Just as the printing press gave birth to Protestantism, the technological revolution of the past 30 years will lead to a revitalized moral order. One that synthesizes libertarianism with socialism and community-purpose with liberty-seeking. These four are not opposites but blind mice feeling out an elephant.
The problem with traditional religion is it gains its moral authority from only one source. But thanks to the Internet, the limits on production and relationships through geography has changed! Communities can be built from all sorts of texts! Through the Internet, they abound like never before. And they are grasping towards philosophy. I think what will be will be a synthesis of polytheism AND moral philosophy. Many “gods” towards a tessellated truth.