We do NOT know anything about Ultimate Reality. At least, we do NOT “know” in the way that we know that the sun is shining. We Do NOT Know Anything About Ultimate Reality In The Way, I wrote that many people believe some things so strongly that they “know” them, but beliefs are opinions, not facts. After I read 1,000 books, I knew much less than I used to know. Sometimes we think we “know” because we assume... Read more
The two halves of life offer two different experiences. Will we have the emotional maturity to accept these differences and to adjust our ways of life to accommodate them? The Stages of Life In The Way, I wrote four autobiographical chapters based on the four stages of life as described in Indian philosophy, including the student stage, the householder stage, the forest dweller stage, and the renunciant stage. There is a definite distinction between the first and second... Read more
Many observers conclude that self-actualization and self-transcendence are complementary. In The Way, I opened the book with a discussion of worldviews. There are almost eight billion people on Earth, and they have different worldviews and correspondingly different religions. Why do only two percent of the Chinese people embrace Christianity? In the East, many people believe that the Universe is eternal (not created) and cyclical (not linear). Also, many believe that Ultimate Reality (or God) is immanent in everyone... Read more
What do we do when we no longer believe? A good friend is a well-known personality in the religious deconstruction space. He was asked to speak at a progressive Christian church about deconstructing religion while remaining in church. Like me, he finds that as more people ask questions about religion, fewer people stay in church. “What am I going to tell them?” he wondered aloud. “Most people with questions eventually leave.” For me, deconstruction was an unraveling, where... Read more
Why should we care who is a REAL Christian? For that matter, what is a REAL Christian, and why should we care if we are REAL Christians? There are more than 45,000 forms of Christianity worldwide, and they disagree on fundamental Christian beliefs. I wrote about that here. Christianity Has NOT Always Gotten It Right Like all human institutions, Christianity has NOT always gotten it right. Throughout history, Christians have NOT always chosen to love their neighbors as... Read more
Many people who left the Church are NOT coming back. I wrote about why people are leaving the Catholic Church here. Typically, I post the link to my Patheos columns in various Facebook groups. And I heard from a number of ex-Catholics on whether the Church can reverse the decline. The short answer is “No.” Some readers note that these lessons apply to Protestant churches, too. The Southern Baptist Convention lost 250,000 members last year. Readers cite a few reasons... Read more
For years, the Catholic Church has seen dramatic declines in Mass attendance. Many agree that the Catholic Church needs sweeping changes. I wrote about why people leave church here. I wrote about the differences between the perceived reasons and the real reasons here. Is “Poor Evangelization” the Problem? In 2021, Bishop Zubik of Pittsburgh closed the Catholic church that I attended in my youth. In 2018, there were 188 parishes in the diocese. Today, there are 63 parishes... Read more
As science informs us, we are increasingly unlikely to believe unbelievable things. I wrote about the Buddhist approach to reducing suffering by managing attachment, craving and ignorance here. Among people who are deconstructing their religious beliefs, there is a lot of suffering caused by attachment, craving and ignorance. Why People Leave Their Religion Barna Group reports that 52% of U.S. adults and teens have experienced religious doubts in the past few years. Daryl R. Van Tongeren, PhD, wrote... Read more
The Zen patriarchs encourage us to manage attachment, craving and ignorance. I wrote about the Buddhist understanding of pain and suffering here. “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water” is a famous Buddhist saying. The saying encourages us to focus on the present moment. In that way, we enjoy even the most mundane tasks, such as washing the dishes, and we tolerate even the most unpleasant tasks, such as losing money. Thich Nhat... Read more
Buddhist Ken Wilber compares spirituality to the stock market. Wilber says that, over the long haul, there is a slow upward trend. Over the short haul, there can be considerable pain and suffering. This week, we discuss the parallels between spirituality and the stock market, and we introduce the Buddhist understanding of pain and suffering. Next week, we will expand on this theme. Everyone experiences pain, notably birth, sickness, old age and death. Along the way, all of us experience... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In