Why is that? Because you have known some bad cooks in your day? Because you were brought up on junk food? Because you have never had a cordon bleu five course meal? Because a chef once offended you in some way? Because you tried cooking from a cook book once and you failed? Because your friends think good food is snobbish? Because how can you eat a fine meal when there are hungry children in the world? Because some people eat better than you do and they understand fine food, and it makes you look bad? All of these and many more reasons can be given.
"Spiritual but not Religious?" This just means the person is too lazy to look beyond their adolescent bias. They are too lazy to learn what it means to be truly religious. They are too smug and shallow and immature to ever regard anything greater than themselves as greater than themselves.
"Spiritual but not Religious"? They have dismissed religion before they have even seriously considered it or studied it, and even if they have had a chance to consider it, what kind of religion have they been offered to consider? The state of Christianity in the United States is so dire, I'm not surprised any kid with half a brain rejects it. The culture encourages passivity and being a spectator. No wonder they reject religion for religion requires commitment and hard work and wonder and fear and self sacrifice and guts.
"Spiritual without Religion" is subjective Protestantism taken to it's logical end point. It's where individuals in a Protestant culture will end up, and given the starting point it makes sense. Some time ago a Protestant woman came to see me about her teenaged son who was a pretty smart kid who stopped going to church. He said to his parents, "I can love Jesus without going to church. Church doesn't matter."
"What can we say to him!?" they wailed. In fact, they didn't have an answer. The kid was right. If it is only about me and Jesus; if it is only about me and my "personal relationship with my Lord" what is the point of going to church?
We should be clear: "Spirituality without Religion" is not a product of atheism or agnosticism or secular humanism. It is the product of Protestantism, for that is subjective Protestantism's logical conclusion.
Every argument is a theological argument. So what is the underlying theological problem? A distrust of the physical world. Manichaeism. The belief that the physical world is either evil or it doesn't ultimately matter. Protestantism with its denial of the visible church and it's emphasis on eternal security and salvation by faith alone (therefore what you do doesn't matter) and it's often otherworldly Puritanical denial of this world and all that is 'worldly' is Manichean, and it is no mistake that the historians of the Protestant movement see their pre cursors as the Bogomils, Paulicians and Cathars.
"Spiritual but not Religious" is therefore a denial of all that is real and physical in God's interaction with the world. It is a denial of the importance of the physical world. It is a denial of the church, a denial of the sacraments, a denial of the incarnation, and is therefore a most noxious heresy.
No. Because the Lord Jesus Christ--the only begotten son of the Father--took human flesh he therefore sanctified the physical realm. Because he took human flesh; human flesh matters. Because he on physical matter; matter matters. My body matters for it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. My Church matters. The physical church building matters. The One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church--the Catholic Church with all her institutions and history and paperwork and bureacracy and canon law and dogma--all of it matters. The incense and the candles and the books and the bells. They all matter.
The saints and their suffering matters. My rosary and my books of theology and my Infant of Prague and my plaster St Therese and my Our Lady of Lourdes--soiled and with a hole in her head because a nun from the convent where I got her dropped her once--that matters, and so does my starving neighbor and my friend with a headache and my child who needs a hug and a listening ear. They matter.
And so does the Blessed Sacrament which is the focus of the presence of God in the physical.
...and because of this I kneel to adore.
Zing! Thank you for a GREAT commentary. I teach middle school at my parish, and I will definitely use the cooking analogy.
ReplyDeleteI think this post will count as your #1
ReplyDeleteHomerun!
ReplyDeleteFr. Dwight Longenecker
ReplyDeleteAs reasonable as your arguments are, it's still important to remember that some of these people are simply just ignorant. I was once turning into one of those people who thought religion is pointless since I was "spiritual," but, after our Father called me to repentance and penance, I was given the faith to believe that the Eucharist is Jesus. Now I am a daily communicant, pray my rosary everyday and am always astounded by the reality, intensity and universality of the truth revealed through Sacred Scripture and the Universal Church.
Excellent. The best response to perhaps the most inane catchphrase of our time.
ReplyDeleteGreat commentary...I wanted to offer this...I just finished a year-long project to write Catholic-themed songs (in many styles). One of the songs, called "Enough" asks this type of 'believer' whether what they 'believe' is enough for Christ, and asks them to consider the saints, the martyrs, the heresies, etc. If you'd like to listen, it's at this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://soundcloud.com/tanomusic/enough
I think that in general, when people say "I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious", what they actually mean is something like this: "I'm aware that there is more to the world, and more to human life, than empty materialism and hedonism. On the other hand, I do not want anyone telling me what to do with my time, my money, or my sexuality."
ReplyDeleteSpiritual, but not religious.
ReplyDeleteSo is the Devil.
Father, we agree that superficial and undisciplined behavior is not Catholic or religious or spiritual.
ReplyDeleteFor 50 years, I was Catholic, no questions asked. In my adolescence, I believed that Catholicism was the right religion, that the pope was infallible, that homosexuals were disordered, etc.
I was active in my church and my diocese. In my adulthood, I embarked on a spiritual journey that took me far beyond my traditional thoughts about religion and spirituality.
My journey was not superficial or undisciplined, and I learned more about Catholic history and theology than I learned in 12 years of Catholic education and 50 years of Catholic living.
As a result, I made an enriching and life-changing commitment to follow Jesus, by placing God and others at the center of my life.
For us, this required giving away half of our belongings, quitting our six-figure jobs, and selling our 4,000 square foot house. We retired early, to volunteer abroad and at home.
I am certainly a better person, a better Christian, a better husband, and a better father.
I may not be a better Catholic, if it means that I believe that Catholicism is the right religion, that the pope is infallible, that homosexuals are disordered, etc.
Catholic theology recognizes the primacy of individual conscience over church authority. Whether we accept every tenet in our 600-page catechism or not, we are each responsible. If all or part of our catechism is wrong, we cannot escape responsibility by pleading ignorance.
Religion is a means to an end, which helps us to become more spiritual, not an end in itself. There is no value in becoming more religious, if we are not also becoming more spiritual.
As Henri Nouwen says, “Slowly, I came to realize that the differences between Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Buddhist, religious and secular, were not the kind of differences I thought they were; that there was a deeper unity below the surface… To move from exclusive notions of Christian community to a more universal and inclusive vision of the human family of God is a difficult journey and requires a mature and confident faith.”
There is nothing undisciplined about authentic spirituality, and there is nothing inherently positive or substantial about religion, when it does not produce radical transformation in our lives.
I am following Jesus, as best I can. You might say that I am spiritual, but not religious.
That's my two cents. Thanks for listening. Keep up the good work.
Zillionaire's response reminds me of the whole "I don't believe in marriage -- I don't need a piece of paper to be committed to someone" philosophy; which is just like the "I don't need to go to church; I can worship God in nature" philosophy. True, perhaps, for one in a million (or zillion). But most of the time, a nice-sounding lie from someone who does neither of the things he/she contrasts. People who say they are "spiritual but not religious" generally mean they are vague and artsy and like to "appreciate" things. People who say they love Jesus but not the Church generally mean that they think Jesus was a nice guy but that they're handling things quite well on their own, thank you very much. And I don't mean that in a nasty way -- I used to be one of them. I did think I was doing just fine on my my own. After all, I was nice, wasn' I? Fr. Dwight NAILS IT.
ReplyDeleteOopsies, methinks Dwighty-poo might be freakin' out a little because if we all abandon organized religion, he'll actually have to work for a living...
ReplyDeleteSorry, dude.
You're as wrong as wrong can be on this one, and you don't even understand why.
Poor thing.
But what can you expect from a lazy man who refuses to lift a finger to support his own family but sycophantically lives off the hard work of real men?
Dude, you're a complete tool. Fuck you and your self-importance.
N -- or then you could have discussed the points made in the post...
ReplyDeleteto "N" who might get deleted because of his response's profanity-
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that the Church or a priest or something has hurt you. I'm thinking of you.
As for a priest "not working for a living"--- do you say that a psychologist or a social worker works for a living? If so, a priest also "works"- just with a different direction but still leading people to mental health. And a good priest also does many other tasks (in addition to liturgy)- anyways...
I used to run across the "spiritual not religious" notion frequently among people in 12-step programs. After listening to their sophomoric fortune cookie wisdom, I realized that what they wanted was the benefit of religion without the effort.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with this blog; I just followed a link a friend shared to get here. I'm not sure my critical comment is welcome, if not I apologize and mean no disrespect.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I want to throw in my quick 2 cents that this post reads to me to be squarely aimed at those that already agree with it.
It doesn't really offer any rhetorical rebuttal to the 'spiritual but not religious' perspective. As I said, I don't know the audience, so that may be appropriate. But as a random netizen passing through, it reminds me of the perspective many find so futile about some types of religious discourse: talking past those that don't already share your view in order to merely affirm those that do.
I'm with 'priest's wife'!
ReplyDeleteWell said Father!
The CONTENT of our faith is very important, but the paradox is ever present: At the beginning and in the end our faith is in the PERSON on Jesus, who said (among other things), "He who is not against me is for me." The recovering twelve-step person (supposedly the poster child for spirituality) in reality is a fellow pilgrim on the journey. He is "not far from the kingdom" and would benefit from our loving encouragement rather than the criticism expressed or implied in the main bologna and many of the comments. Of course his belief is incomplete, but we can work with him in his imperfection. Fr. L spoke about food; St. Paul worked lovingly with those who were capable of only milk. Embrace the paradox. Signed Pelegrinus
ReplyDeleteFather,
ReplyDeleteI have had a fundamentalist Christian snapback at me once for saying those same words, "The body is sacred because it a temple of the holy Spirit."
He spat, "No it isn't!"
On that note I've also been told by a lovely young fundamentalist women, to whom my cousin is married, that it's unBiblical to pray using the holy Scriptures.
In referring to the original blog my word processor spelled bologna. I did not intend any disrespect. I intended only to say that, as Christ's imitators, we can best love our imperfect fellow pilgrims by accepting them exactly where they are and encouraging them to grow from there.
ReplyDeleteI'm corporeal but not athletic.
ReplyDeleteFather,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! I have been looking for a response to this nonsensical statement for years and this is IT!
Pax et Bonum,
-Greg
Wow. No religion means no Eucharist. No thank you.
ReplyDelete~N said...
ReplyDelete"Dude, you're a complete tool. F*** you and your self-importance."
Bless you.
I don't what you say, just following the word of Jesus.
"Bless those who curse you"
Even though you didn't curse me, it is what is written and should have been a response.
"I don't condone what you say,"
ReplyDeleteThat's what I meant to say.
I think this stems not only from protestantism but also Bl. Newman's incorrect assessment that Christianity is an "idea." Whether he understood the ramifications of his proposal is doubtful.
ReplyDeleteBl. Newman writes in his "Development of Doctrine"book by telling us that “Christianity,” he says, “though spoken of in prophecy as a kingdom, came into the world as an idea rather than an institution, and has had to wrap itself in clothing, and fit itself with armor of its own providing, and form the instruments and methods of its own prosperity and warfare.”(pg.116)
So in essence his understanding of Christianity at this writing of his book was that it is NOT an institution=religion but an idea=spiritual. So I think Catholics need to address this issue in their own midst and not be so focused on those "outside". Until Newman's errors are addressed the Church will be losing members/souls.
Father, to me following the Catholic Church can be hard, so some just say they "can't" or "won't" because they are not willing to learn, discern, open their hearts, allow Jesus to guide, and follow those who have thought all this through for so many years. How many have also quit college or a job or a marriage because it was "too hard" or required a lot of work? Anything worth doing is worth learning about it, and working through the difficulties, and persevering in hard times. If our purpose in life is to be as good as we can, to get to Heaven, and bring as many with us, then the job of a priest is the most important, for he helps guide those through the difficult times. I attended a wake last night for a 14 year old who killed himself, and watched the agony of his three siblings and parents, and felt fear for my children. Yet I force myself to trust God, because that is all I have that is TRUTH, and will believe it to sustain me and my sanity in hard times--WHEN WE NEED IT MOST. I have a renewed respect for my pastor and what he must go through to help families grieving for so many reasons other than death. If we don't have "rules" and "guides" and a hope to improve, we are doomed to suffer, and cause misery too. I choose the HARD way, and though I am no saint, I do aspire to be. God Bless you, Father! May the doubters inspire you even more in your journey and tasks.
ReplyDeletejust wondering how a priest has a wife??? doesn't the pope, who is infallible, not allow priests to marry?
ReplyDeleteBaker, please check out the Pastoral Provision--this is a special process by which the Holy See makes an exception to the rule of celibacy to allow married former Anglican priests to be ordained as Catholic priests.
ReplyDeleteBaker, the Pope's infallibility has nothing to do with a married priest. God bless you Father L., an excellent post.
ReplyDeleteArguing laziness in people who don't want to follow the church is in itself laziness. And shifting the blame to Protestants? Please. I grew up Catholic, went to a Catholic high school, have very loving Catholic parents, and even admire a great deal a Catholic priest. With all that said, I wholeheartedly reject the Catholic church. My upbringing (which did not involve being hurt by anyone or anything) thoroughly disenchanted me with the church. I didn't become this way through laziness, or a lack of effort, or a lack of research, but through careful thought and discussion that left me empty and unsatisfied. I continue to search for clarity, but you can be sure Catholicism will not be anywhere close to the final answer.
ReplyDeleteZW... I don't think the blame is placed on individual Protestants so much as Protestant theology. Individual Catholics fail all the time but Catholic theology is strong. Individual Protestants can be very strong Christians but Protestant theology is weak and leads to dangerous places.
ReplyDeleteZW, Wow, you read ALL of the Church doctors/fathers, and still empty? Augustine was enough for me, but then people say I'm easily amused. Seriously. We all have our own path, and usually it is in God's time, not ours, and my own experience says if I don't do it God's way, I get something like a 2 x 4 over the head. To some people, God's way isn't the Catholic Church. To many of us, it is the very light that shines in the darkness of this often cruel world. I have many gripes with PEOPLE of the Church, but I still find great solace in something that has lasted 2000 years, still witnesses miracles, doesn't back down on beliefs because people want "laws" to conform to their human desires, and is a familar sacrament throughout the world. When you find your perfect church, come back and tell me about it. Till then, I sing St. Francis's song: Make me a channel of Your peace...
ReplyDeleteBlaming Protestantism seems too strong to me. Intellecutally, yes, sola scriptura and private judgment lead to some dead ends. But when you blame Protestantism, people are going to hear you blaming Protestants. Also, as others have intimated, there's more than enough dry soullessness in Catholic parishes to account for a distaste towards religion.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention, the cooking analogy is spot on.
ReplyDeleteSpiritual but not religious is a comon saying amongst radical feminist nuns. I speak from personal experience for over 10 months living with a group of them. They somehow have convinced themselves that "spirituality" and "sexuality" are somehow horns on the same goat. As a result, the ones I have met are either openly lesbians or sexually active in other situations. It is very sad.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, people who are "spiritual but not religious" are also not that concerned about ethics. They'll lie in insurance claims, make illegal copies of videos, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'll go further. Nor are such people that kind in practice.
It's the boring religious people who acknowledge their imperfections and seek to improve in specific areas like honesty, chastity, and charity.
I was once told very clearly by a Christian that she new that Catholics talk about religion,(were religious) but assured me that she preferred to talk about Faith....she was not religious, but faithful.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the first encounters with a Protest Christian, who seemed to look down her nose at Catholicism.
Fr. Dwight, Thanks for the great response. It was spot on as usual. Please, everyone who reads this and the other responses, pray for those who have rejected the Catholic Church. If they truly knew what they were rejecting they would still be Catholic. Also pray for all the souls they will lead astray with their venom toward Christ's mystical bride, The Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteThanks father!
ReplyDeleteI met this very one but seven days ago in the form of new aquaintance, mid twneties, scots, niceish if with an air giving a supercilious effect, about to get a job saving the planet with biofuels...
I mentioned death, and got this variant:
"Im mystical" and, by implication, not religious.
I had to abandon him for work commitments, but next time we meet I shall be better prepared.
Dear Fr Dwight Longenecker,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog when a friend of mine posted it on his Facebook wall. While I can appreciate your enthusiasm on such a topic, I found your approach to the topic come across as condescending and inflammatory. The following paragraph summed it up for me.
“"Spiritual but not Religious?" This just means the person is too lazy to look beyond their adolescent bias. They are too lazy to learn what it means to be truly religious. They are too smug and shallow and immature to ever regard anything greater than themselves as greater than themselves.”
Such broad generalized statements come across as ignorant and thoughtless. Consider reading the Dr Seuss story of “The Sneetches.” Rather than welcoming those who may be in a different place in life than you are, you seem to be chasing them away and putting "stars" the those who share your view. I've always found that the more positive energy I put out, the more I get in return, and I think that can also be said about the negative.
I myself am often asked what religion I am, It is a common question in Utah, and unfortunately it often comes along with judgment similar to the opinion you have expressed. I was raise by LDS parents and spent much time with my best friend who has devote Catholic parents. I try to spend at least one hour each week doing service to others such as volunteering to help weed a local park, sewing things for friends or family or even to be donated to strangers, helping work “off the clock” at my job to help animals in need, reading with neighbor children, or even small acts of kindness such as smiling at someone who may be having a hard day. I've even had a good friend (who happens to be Catholic) tell me I need to stop doing so much for others and do a little more for myself. I enjoy the melting pot of a neighborhood I live in. I have LDS, Jewish, Catholic, and atheist neighbors who I love and value for their differences. They are all kind and thoughtful people and I would never assume to say that one person is better than the other because of their religious choice. I know about Good Friday, Yom Kippur, Passover, Ramadan, and many other Holy days for several religions and try to be respectful to anyone who chooses to worship in the way they want. Does it make me a lesser person just because I choose to have my own personal discourse with God? I don't believe so. In fact, I think my life is enriched everyday because I pay attention to the details of God. I am far from perfect, but I try to improve myself a little every day.
I hope this gives you a little food for thought before you make such quick judgments of “Spiritual but not Religious” folk like me.
Cheers and Love,
Jules
Comment after comment from "closed minds"....you come by it naturally though....generally from your parents or some outside force. Why do you fear Spirituality? Why religion?..I am a memeber of AA. our program teaches us to seek "a God of our own understanding"...daily we pray for 'the knowledge of Gods will for us,and the power to carry it out"...Religion is of Man...Spirituality is of God
ReplyDeleteI love this Protestant minister's retort to the "spiritual but not religious" thing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/spiritual-but-not-religious.html
Would it be helpful to add to this discussion the ramifications of religion as the chief of the moral virtues? (S.T. II,ii Q81 http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3081.htm)
ReplyDeleteProtestantism with its denial of the visible church and it's emphasis on eternal security and salvation by faith alone (therefore what you do doesn't matter)
ReplyDeleteDwight, as someone who was a Pentecostal and an Evangelical before eventually becoming a Catholic, you are being incredibly dishonest. I know of no honest Evangelical or Protestant who says that "what you do doesn't matter." They will say that you cannot "earn" your salvation because you cannot redeem yourself for your own sin to the degree that God demands; that's the whole reason Jesus came to Earth. But that's entirely different that saying "what you do doesn't matter." St. Paul himself encouraged Christians to avoid bad habits and past sins, and to avoid justifying constant sinning by abusing divine grace.
I also know of no honest Protestant or Evangelical who "denies the visible church." They have a fundamentally different ecclesiology than Catholics, certainly, but that's hardly "denying the visible church."
If you need to be this dishonest to justify your conversion, then what do you really believe in your heart of hearts? You don't owe me an explanation, certainly, but you do owe yourself one.
What a post! That is exactly the point - got me standing up from my PC too
ReplyDeleteJoseph D'Hippolito I understand your being ticked off about "what you do doesn't matter"
ReplyDeletebut I think what was being defended was the Meaning of Tradition (as per Cardinal-Yves-Congar) which gets dissed as "religion" by those with superior, and individualistic "spirituality" where "what you do" is increasingly up to you to work out, and could be said not to matter, as it is a choice.