Anyone who has traveled any distance in whatever interest knows there is magic. But with the rise of the internet, the willingness to imbue members of the clergy with the keys to the magic kingdom is draining slowly, slowly away..... A large majority of Americans make important decisions without calling on religious leaders for advice, according to a new survey released Monday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research . The poll finds three-quarters of American adults rarely or never consult a clergy member or religious leader, while only about a quarter do so at least some of the time.
And it's not just the Roman Catholic pedophile scandals. I suspect that across the religious board, Google has risen in stature: There are answers, all of which require credulity/idiocy, but the notion that even the best-hearted clergy member could possibly have the answers is ... well ... no longer as credible as once.
The difficulty, among others, is that the magic insists, the idiocy is required and the Bible or Quran or Vedas simply cannot get a handle on it, own it, and spread its good-bad-indifferent word.
If religious texts don't work and Google doesn't really work either ... well, shiiiit! I really would like to be happy and at ease in a changing, ball-juggling world. If I could find the answer -- whether clerical or otherwise -- what need would there be for the question?
I think it's best to become an idiot for something. Anything. Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Applaud. Kow-tow. Kiss the sainted relic. Wave the incense. Learn weird languages. Chant and sing and... and...and ... return to ground zero. In order to get smart, you've got to be willing to get stupid.
My Zen teacher said simply, "Take care of your family."
So I predict the return of magic, because magic is magical. It brooks no ownership. It swallows the universe whole. Here today, gone tomorrow. Call it "alive" and you miss the point. Call it "dead" and you miss the point again.
It's magical....
But you knew that.
People may not be consulting their priests, rabbis, or imans like they used. My guess is that it’s a regional phenomena. But it’s also makes sense. How many spiritual or moral dilemmas do people have? There are a handful of events still marked by religious ceremonies: birth, marriage, death.
ReplyDeleteCould it be that weekly services are out of fashion because they’re lacking relevance?
In my area people have an array of consultants for advice and help: Their doctors, their therapists, lawyers, financial advisors, contractors, Yoga teachers, Meditation teachers, personal trainers, chiropractors, podiatrists, etc.etc.
Then there Zen Teachers who become psychotherapists, or psychotherapists who become Zen Teachers and there are lawyers who teach yoga and meditation.
There’s a new category called Spiritual Director. No idea what an SD does or who frequents one.
Ever take advice from a Facebook page?
Ever Do aRetreat with an App?