RELIGION AND RATIONALITY

Established religion must adapt to revolution

or become irrelevant

for, authentic religion: resonates with people

consoles them in their suffering

answers their existential questions

and changes with the culture

without changing its own sacred core

this is what the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) did

 

Gaudium et Spes, a document of the Council

said that “All the faithful possess a freedom

of inquiry/thought/expression, freedom of the mind

in matters in which they have competence”

thus throwing the Vatican door wide open

to Catholic scholarly and intellectual freedom

however, scientists who

since the so-called “Enlightenment”

chose as their spirituality “scientism” –

the faith that only science has all the answers –

which is ironically not provable scientifically –

these scientists could not brook other spiritualities

and totally repressed them

zealots of any spirituality, including scientism

do not clear their heart

they try to clear the world –

to hate and get rid of anyone who is not of their tribe –

and the tribe is simply the ego writ large

on the other hand, traditionalism can give religious tradition

a bad name – many people have abandoned religion

because of traditionalists stuck in the past –

God is a God of the living and the NOW

moreover, the media only recognizes spirituality

as pre-rational and puts trans-rational religion –

religion which transcends the limits of rationality –

into the same garbage pail

as the traditionalists and pre-rationalists

religious faith is only a problem when it sees itself

as a means to an end such as heaven

since true faith is its own end

and means you are in heaven NOW.