BishopAccountability.org
	New Age of Spirituality Is Emerging around the World By Carmel Higgins Times & Transcript October 6, 2010 http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1250578 This is in relation to Gwynne Dyer's recent column on how the Pope is defending the sexual abuse of children by launching an offensive against secularism and all people he sees as enemies of the Catholic Church. As painful as it is for me as a Catholic to admit, I believe Mr. Dyer's analysis of the situation is right on the money. For Pope Benedict, the credibility of the church comes first. He seems adamant on keeping tradition and doctrines intact, and this at the expense of the spiritual needs of the people and the protection of children from abuse by the clergy. The way I see it, the sexual abuse crisis itself is an indication that the very tradition Pope Benedict is defending is in need of a major transformation. The theology that supported our spirituality in the past is fast dwindling in significance and cannot be resuscitated. Informed and observant people like Mr. Dyer know this. They know that people cannot live a harmonious spirituality based on a theology that is bankrupt. It is time for the church to move forward by listening to modern theologians, to ecologists, to women, and thereby incorporating within itself a more positive sexual morality and a more tolerant and inclusive spirituality. That raises the question: what is spirituality and how does it differ from religion? My understanding is that religion is about adhering to an established system of beliefs, based on sacred books and stories and held in common. Religion as such can lead to spirituality (think Saint Francis of Assisi or Martin Luther King Jr.) but more often than not religion alone limits legitimate inquiry, responsibility, and human potential. This is probably what atheist scientist Richard Dawkins meant when he said the Pope is the enemy of humanity. Spirituality, whether practised within religion or without, is central to human experience. It is not so much about beliefs as it is about relationship. It is basically concerned with relating in a meaningful way to life in general as well as to ourselves, others, the planet, and the cosmos as a whole. The sacred mystery we humans have named "God" does not dwell in another realm but is contained and sustained in all of these relationships. We are dealing here with something that is both ancient and new. Long before the major religions were established humans reached out, searched the skies for meaning, and ritualized human experience. In that sense, spirituality is the primary significance of what it means to be human. Even today, scientists are continually reaching out for new revelations. We need to reclaim the totality of our spiritual journey as a species and to rename it anew. What constitutes our spirituality is ongoing: personally as we experience new stages of life and collectively as new ways of seeing continues to evolve. In other words, spirituality is not locked into a closed-system way of thinking; being relational, it is adaptable to new ways of perceiving reality and of responding to new experiences. Sometimes this means changing our beliefs. Change is not easy for some Christians. If you want to test their intolerance to new ways of thinking, just mention the words 'evolution' or 'new age.' For some reason the strongest reaction will come from people who believe new agers are a threat to their beliefs and to mainstream Christianity: "They worship rocks and hug trees don't they?" Truth is there's more to the practice of new agers than meets the eye. The real meaning of the new age movement, according to Irish priest Diarmuid O'Murchu, is that it belongs to spiritual and cultural evolution. "New agers are acting out subconsciously the longing and hunger for spirituality and connection rather than a conscious philosophy of their own making." Today, as Mr. Dyer aptly states, we live in a multicultural society that makes secularism (defined as being concerned only with worldly affairs and not affiliated with any religion) necessary. He is right to a certain extent. There is, however, an alternative to secularism now in the making. This new spirituality is not based on beliefs or myths but on the facts of science as the poetry of reality. With knowledge and exploration of these facts we can expand beyond tribal religion with its tendency for violence to a spirituality of peace, compassion, and connectedness. When I was growing up Catholic in a small village in Kent County, I was unaware of the existence of other religious traditions. Today, thanks to the Internet and other modern means of communication, the world has become a global village. We must not only be tolerant of other traditions but be free to honour the best in each and to actually celebrate our differences. Diversity is the stuff of the universe, but thanks to science we know that in the uniqueness of our diversity we are also interrelated, interdependent, and interconnected. We are not only connected technically, we are ultimately connected to each other biologically, connected to Earth chemically, and connected to the cosmos atomically. This is one great story of reality we can all hold in common, and from which a new theology of relationship can be built. Such a theology would shrink us down to our proper size, while expanding our awareness and our capacity to truly love our neighbour as ourselves. Hopefully, we may very well be on the threshold of a new age. * Carmel Higgins is a Moncton resident who holds a certificate in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University in Oakland California. She can be reached via e-mail at higginsc@nb.sympatico.ca
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.