Religion in a Culture of Science, Skepticism, and Do-It-Yourself Spirituality
For many people, religion has become like an old grandfather tucked away in a senior citizen’s home. People stop by to see him when they are in town, mostly on Christmas and Easter, and listen to him ramble on about the good old days, but most of what he says does not seem relevant to their modern lives. They kindly pat him on the head before leaving, then quickly forget what he said as they seek their way through this modern world that has passed him by. And if religion in general is out of date, for them, Catholicism is surely irrelevant. Although some religions change and adapt to the world, the Catholic Church with all its traditions is hopelessly stuck in the past.
How has religion come to such a state? Three aspects of modern culture have rendered religion irrelevant to many. The first is the advancement of science. Many think of religion as a mythological view of reality that has been disproved and displaced by modern science. Science has answered so many questions that people no longer look to religion for answers.
The second aspect is skepticism. Science answers so many questions and provides so much certainty about the physical world that many have given up on the possibility of finding the universal truths and morals religion once provided. Many conclude that in the realm of value and meaning, it is up to each person to construct his or her own private sense of truth and morality.
This leads to the third aspect of our modern culture that seems to render religion irrelevant—the pursuit of a personal spirituality severed from organized religion. Again and again we hear the refrain, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” In a world in which each person constructs his or her own meaning and purpose in life, spirituality becomes a private and individualistic pursuit. The outdated rules and rituals of organized religion seem irrelevant to the personal pursuit of spiritual meaning.
In this modern culture of science, skepticism, and do-it-yourself spirituality, is religion still relevant? Does religion have something to say to modern scientists, skeptics, and spiritual seekers? In particular, is the Catholic religion still relevant?
A closer look and a more careful consideration of each of these three dimensions of modern culture might show that religion still has something to say and that the Catholic faith in particular has immense relevance to the modern outlook.