According to Teilhard de Chardin
religion itself is the fruit of evolution
and has spread across the globe by peace and violence
because the world has been converging
on Christ throughout its history
as its personal center of fulfillment.
Christian faith takes hold when people look at the Cross
and can no longer deny their chains of sin/guilt/death
and when complete individuation/autonomy/irresponsibility
for others fails to fulfill them.
Beyond not being their brother or sister’s keeper
aggression, like a drug for an addict
gives temporary relief but then
the nightmare and hatred continue to grow inside you –
violence is picking up burning coals with your bare hands
and throwing them at your enemy.
Whether you hit them or not, you are guaranteed
to burn yourself.
The biggest source of violence from religious people
is a colossal modern problem:
the pressure cooker of science has kept a lid on faith
so people feel pressured to give up their beliefs
to be part of the modern/postmodern world
and some rebel with violence.
But some gifts of religious people
to the modern/postmodern world involve seeing:
sin/darkness is an inescapable part of us
there can be joy in imperfection
and Jesus built community not hierarchy
circles not pyramids.
Our sins come out of our God-given desires
which are healthy in themselves
but God is the only real fulfillment of those desires –
godless luxury wants over-abundance to fill its soul-hole
but God is
an inexhaustible treasure of incorruptible pleasure:
“At your right hand there are pleasures forever”
– Psalm 16:11
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 