God With A Million Faces. by Jeremia Credos

"God With A Million Faces", by Jeremia Credos, is an article about how a new generation (particularly the baby boomer generation) is creating their own religion (liberal), or New Age practitioners vs. old (conservative) traditional theological Agrarian-base religions. This widely used new approach is based on created spiritual beliefs that people are using from several different religions that are more tolerable for them. This approach has been rapidly growing since the early seventies, and seems to be here for at least the next century. Many people believe that organized religion is not self empowering enough for them, or is not tailored made for the modern day world. Sources point out that the rapidly changing world brought on by feminist or male bias has particularly turned people away from such traditional text or credos passed on despite constant efforts by religious authorities to guard their holy text against creative misinterpretation. The information explosion has been another factor in the rise of do-it-yourself spirituality. Almost all religious, or spiritual works, that were once open to only a select few, are now on display on virtually every book store in the country. They are exposing their strengths, and weaknesses, perfectly suited for the do-it-yourself consumer shopper. The insights of modern science may also be pushing people away from traditional faiths. At one time, their were only such things as Shakespeare to marvel at. Now we can look at the thousands of Galaxies through the Hubbell telescope creating skeptics to what else is out there. According to article, New Age practitioners share the following characteristics: faith as a private matter; religious principals from a variety of sources; no centralized religious authority; deity intermingled with self; and more focused with religious consciousness than religious practice. This complex liberal approach to religion is particularly disturbing to more conservative religious organizations. They feel that the shift to more liberal views will in a sense lead to the break up of Christian beliefs and values. They are also finding out that this spiritual liberalism is also hurting them financially-forcing them to scramble for religious reform within their own organizations. Some traditional theologists believe that people are taking a brick here from this religion, and a brick there from that religion, to build their own shottey shrine to fit their own needs-and that it's not right. A lot of people today believe that religion is just not handed down to them. Individuals take what they hear, reinterpret, recombine, reassemble, and come out in their own lived expressions with styles that are very much tailored to themselves. When multiple religious beliefs clash they simply don't worry about it. What they create has meaning, and coherence, that works well for them-even when the results may seem less than logically consistent. I felt this was an interesting article on various religious beliefs, and where a significant number of people are headed. People today are not just satisfied with excepting things as the way they have always been. A large majority cannot just except everything that has been passed down to them without challenge. There are some things about the old school of church that are significantly wrong to some people. When things don't fit their needs and beliefs-they move onto other things that are more like their ideals and values. If you were to practice and speak all of the ways of a traditional theoligist, you would probably be setting yourself up for political suicide in today's world. I feel that it's also safe for people to find some kind of common ground when it comes to their beliefs on religion-particularly when one can't except some things the way they are. The churches have not excepted change with the times, and in the process the have lost a lot of members to their organizations. Now the churches lose money, and say "well I guess maybe we can tolerate that a little if you would please come back pay your dues and except our authority". I personally have a hard time with that because a lot of that just makes zero sense to me. Why should I have to except authority into something that is apparently wrong from what our culture excepts as wrong. If nine-out-of-ten people believe in God, and as many people have a strong faith in him, than why are the churches so worried with this kind of thinking. Doesn't it make more sense to try to find the answers to life's mysteries, and keep an open mind in the process? Many people believe that it is their faith in god that is the essence of all religious practices.

-- Anonymous, March 05, 1999

Answers

Hi Wayne: It is good to see something posted here from you. Having read this article also I can see what you are saying, however, I would like you to explore some of the side themes that were present. Please e-mail me so that we can discuss this further. Thanks, John Hansen

-- Anonymous, April 10, 1999