I loved this. It reminds me of a David Foster Wallace quote - “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.”
I have a deeply personal connection to this song, the album Slow Train Coming, and Bob Dylan's conversion to Christianity. The fact that this is one of your favorite songs makes you even more intriguing.
Fun Fact: Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame was the guitarist on Slow Train Coming, and his bandmate Pick Withers was the drummer.
"I’m not saying we should all be religious. But I do believe we all worship something. We all serve somebody. And the bitter irony is, the best way to protect your mental health is to be damn sure it isn’t yourself." What is the hesitation to say that we should all be religious when you spent an entire article basically arguing that point? If we worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving God then are we not left with something that will eventually 'eat you alive'?
Religion means millions of things to billions of people. I've often joked that everyone should make up their own religion and then keep it to themselves. There's danger in large masses of people being manipulated into doing evil things when they all think in lockstep; indeed that's half of history. The point is to find spirituality with other like-minded people that helps you be a better person, not to sign on to a cookbook belief system that lets you follow your baser instincts while telling you it's okay - which is sort of like this Gen Z religion Freya talks about, among other better-known religions.
Thanks Tom for the comment. I think we are beginning from different starting lines and must establish some type of neutral grounding if we are to have a discussion. I think our points on contention are: 1) I don't view all 'religions' as equal. Thus someone making up randomness means very little to me, regardless of how many people believe it. 2) There have been wars in the name of religion and atheism. Not sure getting into a game of who was more evil is really the point. 3) Religion at some point has to answer questions about truthfulness. So whether like-minded people get together to become 'better,' what does 'better' even mean absent an objectivity that can weighed and measured for its verity? 4) I'm not sure what a religion having an all-good, loving, powerful God has to do with instincts and cookbooks. Your feelings, instincts, and decisions are irrelevant if God exists and is true. Irrelevant meaning He exists and is true regardless of what you do, not in the sense that any proposed duties and actions will not have consequences. Which leads to my original question, "If we worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving God then are we not left with something that will eventually 'eat you alive'?" And seemingly, you agree that if God is less than all-good, loving, and powerful, then we are signing 'on to a cookbook belief system that lets you follow your baser instincts while telling you it's okay.'
Thanks Alistair. Fair question that is pointing out the imprecise nature of my two sentence summary addressing a complex topic. My quick summary 'there have been wars in the name of religion and atheism' was in response to, "There's danger in large masses of people being manipulated into doing evil things when they all think in lockstep; indeed that's half of history." Neither statement is actually fair 'wars in the name of religion' nor 'wars in the name of atheism.'
I should have said something more along the lines of, in the same way people have used religion for evil, people can use the absence of religion or god to do evil... the common denominator being people. To answer your question and for the sake of brevity, I would summarize to say that one of the few uniting principles or points of consensus of atheism is 'no god.' This has often been radicalized to say that all religion is bad. And has been radicalized even further to be hostile to organized religion, particularly in totalitarian political systems. These systems have often brought about a lot of evil in the attempt to eradicate religion based on the worldview that atheism is best for the individual and state.
Drexel, you’ve highlighted an important point about the complexity of these issues. it's true that both religion and the absence of religion can be used to justify harmful actions. the common thread is human behavior and how ideologies, regardless of their nature, can be twisted for evil purposes. atheism, with its principle of 'no god,' can indeed be radicalized, leading to hostility against organized religion, especially in totalitarian regimes.
All-good? Come on. You know that is neither true nor logical. At least not if we go by the Bible, and the physical causes of misery in the world. Still you have a point, if you allow it all to be imaginary.
Hi, Drexel. I have just worked out how to reply at the right sub level, I believe. Don’t be impatient: I am seldom here more than a few minutes over morning coffee.
I will think about you suggestion that I write about my notion of truth ( your note seems to have slipped into some black hole: I’m new to the mechanics of this platform.) But I don’t want to make this too complex, nor adversarial: if one takes your bible at face value, the old testament has numerous example which I suspect even you would not label as emanations from an entity described ( in human terms) as all good. Nothing heavier than that. The all-good designation may apply to a later deity construct. Just wondering why you use that all-good descriptor. Gods may have moral imperatives different than tge merely human, anyway ( I thought).
incomplete quips? Ouch. Just noticed that. Not every demurral from a thesis needs to be an essay. But indeed, they should promote thought, actual thought. Sorry if that one did not.
Not really following you Evan as it seems you aren't really saying anything. You didn't answer my question. You assumed I was referencing the God of the Bible and immediately started attacking His character. Did you engage with the article at all? Do you agree? Disagree? My original question remains, if you worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, all-loving God then will it not be self-destructive? If you have answer, by all means, lets engage. If you are only here to attack with incoherent and incomplete quips, then have a great day.
Peter, that's a powerful quote from david foster wallace. it captures the idea that everyone has something they prioritize or hold sacred, whether it’s a god, a belief, or something else entirely. i find that choosing to worship something spiritual can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, whereas other forms of worship might consume us in ways we don’t anticipate. it’s a thought-provoking reminder to be mindful of what we value most in our lives.
The spiritual part can be a struggle for people, especially in this day and age. Wallace himself had a hard time with the “Higher Power” part of AA. To me, the point of that quote (And Freya’s piece here) is that you need to be focused on something outside of yourself and your own desires, whether that’s God, your community or your family.
I am surprised that the word "capitalism" wasn't mentioned here as a possible root (it was briefly mentioned in "cost of living crisis"). Capitalism pushes people to extremes and excess (that's why "wellness," "manifesting," etc, has gotten so out of handy). Capitalism is just manifesting (pun not intended) into different forms, but it will always leave us feeling soulless.
I wish I could repost this comment. I completely agree. We are living in a society that encourages us to devalue community and embrace individualism in the pursuit of material gain. The problem is systemic and maybe it’s being amplified now given the availability of certain technology, but the issues highlighted here have a lot to do with human behavior in a capitalist society.
It has do with an economic model that needs to commodify everything in order to continue "perpetual growth". We need a collective awakeing from this, if we are to have a more sustainable or even better perhaps, a regenerative future.
And I think you are right with how it all is amplified by technology. Becuse now we are all commodites for the Capitalist Growth System.
I agree. The extractive ways and the need to commodify everything that is inherent in Capitalism and an economic growth model leaves us soulless because we have to commodify / sell / buy needs that are inherently human. Like spirituality, care and creativity.
We are so disconnected from Nature today, the root of what we are it can only lead to dis-ease, and illness.
There is a YouTuber I follow (I think it's Broey Deschanel) who said capitalism makes us soulless, and then sells us coaching and wellness to get our humanity back.
I think you are mistaking capitalism as a market function with the perfection of marketing as a psychological manipulation. Marketing is a science. The effects of advertising and marketing have been devastating to our culture and communities. We cannot cure greed, pride, wrath, lust, sloth, gluttony, or envy, or any of the horrible out comes of the soul disconnected from God. How do those previous seven words not describe our so-called culture today? Point being: as long as the human heart is detached from our creator, this is the outcome - economic models make no difference. Capitalism is the least agregious as it is left to the consumer to decide. No choice is slavery; what would be a better replacement?
Almost anything, capitalism enforce growth and makes it god by the process of commoditising money as debt from it's inception. The planet is the final mortgagee (mort-gage -deathgrip) At least crypto does not quite do this ( not that I have any). Capitalism is profit driven not sharing driven. A more communitarian approach would be better, we need to design it
This is the context I was looking for. The policies we have in place enforce and reward individualism. Reaganomics taught us to be selfish. We would be more willing to sacrifice and give for free it was modeled and not punished. We have to create a new world and the young are always the leaders of that.
J. Wynona, you bring up a significant point about capitalism. it’s true that capitalism can drive people to extremes and excess, often leading to feelings of emptiness. the relentless pursuit of profit and material success can overshadow deeper values and well-being.
wellness and manifesting trends can sometimes be seen as responses to the pressures of capitalism, but they can also become commodified and lose their essence. Your thoughts?
This desire to be bound to something beyond yourself which holds you to account is precisely the etymological meaning of religion. It comes from the Latin "religare" meaning "to bind" which became "religio" I.e. "obligation or bond". The Monastic world bound itself to a rule I.e. a set of instructions for a way of life which held them accountable to something beyond themselves. The members of such a rule then became a community united together by the bond of a common rule/religio hence our modern usage of religion
that's a fascinating insight into the etymology of religion, jamie. I just find that understanding the origins of the word "religion" helps us appreciate its deeper meaning and the sense of connection and accountability it fosters. thanks for sharing this enlightening explanation.
Digital life is IMO intrinsically religious. There's absolutely a ceremonial sense to the way we perform our lives online for affirmation. And cancel culture can be understood as a symptom of our not having a sufficient mechanism for dealing with the innate guilt and shame we all feel. In the social media age, we export that shame onto a scapegoat—the outgroup. Or, we literally cut into our own bodies to create out of them a sacrifice fit for public atonement (thinking of the lengths modern people go to to create a perfect brand for themselves).
The religiosity of digital life is an absolutely massive topic.
I agree that we're in the midst of a spiritual crisis and the therapeutic lens through which everything is filtered is harmful, but I don't think organized religion is necessarily the answer. Religions that encourage you to fear God's judgment, atone for your sins, work hard to make sure you'll go to heaven--they end up fostering a deep sense of shame in people and a desire to "do good" that is born out of fear, not love. And yes, as its the "opiate of the masses", religious people probably report better mental health, not least because they hold the extremely load-bearing belief that they will reach heaven in the next life. If we really want to foster cultures where people strive to do right by each other, that starts with our own interpersonal relationships. Finding or building communities where you experience what it's like to be responsible to other people, to care for each other, mess up, move through conflict, and forgive, where you truly feel both the blessings and challenges of interconnected living. That's where a sustainable, all-encompassing, impactful desire to be a "better person" comes from, one that's not rooted in the idea that if you fail to do so, you are not worthy and are damned to hell. I know there are some religious traditions and congregations that are more like this, that offer the best of community and ritual and transcendence without all the shame, but I guess I have no sense of how many are like that today.
This also read as quite dismissive of material conditions. Again, I do agree with you that our generation is contending with a spiritual void, but I'd argue that many of our material conditions played a large part in shaping that void. It's a reasonable reaction to be scared of what's happening politically, environmentally, and economically, or to be day-to-day stressed by some of the realities it presents, to the point that you have to numb yourself to keep going and aren't able to connect with yourself, others, or the divine. I think addressing spiritual and material issues go hand in hand, and tending to one enables the other. Social justice without a spiritual core (an acknowledgement of the deep interconnectedness of everything and a love for all of it) is similarly hollow.
Last thing: is polyamory less moral than cheating on your monogamous partner, which many people (religious or otherwise) do? Or is it just a framework for relationships that irritates you to hear about? That sentence felt scapegoat-y; I think you're correct to point out the many ways our generation avoids true commitment and love and how detrimental that can be to our well-being and social fabric. But I don't think polyamorous people, who have actually elected to put in a ton of work to meet several people's needs, are necessarily the poster children for uncommitted/unfulfilling/spiritually shallow relationships.
Would be curious to hear your thoughts about any of these!
I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. There's too much focus on hyperindividualism and not enough on interpersonal relationships or community building.
Hannah,I speak to you from my place in my local community,the place I have lived all my life,as the icon of sexual depravity and licentiousness. Over 50 years ago when I was 17 and just ONCE the sexual act happened with my "boyfriend " (enemy as it turned out) ,this was a "liaison dangereuex" situation,my mother warned me,but hey this was 1970,this was the new enlightened female empowered world,all those warnings about men are only after one thing,men will abandon you the morning after,all lies of The Patriarchy to keep women in their place. Next day this whoremaker went around telling everybody I was easy,I had no moral standards and it seems,a highly fictionalized account of the short,painful and grubby sexual bit. And 50+ years later no one's forgotten. Or if they dont know ,they know I am That One,the Different one,the Scarlet Letter one. So why should I,ME,I be expected to be accepting,sympathetic,to all mamner of sexual activity,agree that nothing is objectionable or depraved if someone needs to do that in order to express their full humanity. Judge not that ye be not judged. BUT YOU WILL BE JUDGED. Those very people YOU are being accepting and non-judgmental about are,you discover,saying the most appalling things about you. This is a report from THE REAL WORLD WHERE REAL PEOPLE LIVE REAL LIVES. And as for telling the whole world my sin and shame thats been out there for decades. If youve ever had a complete stranger hiss at you,"I know ALL ABOUT YOU" why worry then,as it's all out there. One attempt at a fuck and it set off a neutron bomb in my neighbourhood
That's wonderful and I don't doubt that some people experience religion in the way you're describing, though again, I really have no sense of how many. People leaving organized religion in droves paints a picture. My perspective is informed by the fact that I myself was raised Catholic and went to mass every week until I was 18. As an adult I am still untangling the things that were instilled in me through the church that kept me disconnected from my own sense of innate wholeness.
I walked that journey. I ended full circle as a devout follower of Jesus. It was largely Bible study that got me there - Catholicism does not teach the whole Bible in a historically relevant manner; or it's consistency. After I really began to understand, my life changed forever. My relationship with Jesus rocked my world - quite literally. God bless you and I hope that if he is still knocking at your heart, you let Him in.
How is it that each newsletter of yours seems like the best thing I’ve read? Thank you so much for putting your thoughts into this amazing work. I wish I could share it more, with non-English speakers here in France. Thank you Freya.
Speaking from my personal experience, she’s totally spot on. I was 100% living aligned with mainstream cultural norms, including the strong boundaries, not owing anybody anything, only participating in “what served me.” Then one day, after the life I had been building to serve myself didn’t turn out like I thought it would be, I realized how hollow it all wise. How selfish I had become, how disconnected I was, how quick to anger and offense I was, how unloving and unkind I was. What made the big difference and helped me to see all these errors in my ways was that I reconnected to my religion, which had fallen by the wayside. (I’m some sort of ecumenical Christian, if anyone was curious.) Once I reconnected with God, the exact changes India talks about happened. I was HUMBLED. And let me tell you, boy did I need it. And co-occurring in that humility was finding my purpose and my path and LIFE not in myself and the things that I took pleasure or rest or whatever else in, but in God, and by way of obedience, in others. Looking back to the way I was living before, I was socially and emotionally isolated (despite being very involved and active in my community—it didn’t mean anything and it wasn’t enjoyable because I was in it for me, and so I enjoyed it as long as it didn’t inconvenience me from whatever other self-serving pursuits I had. Which was not very often), I was depressed, I was without a clear purpose… I was missing, as one of my friends calls it, the Spark of the Divine.
It breaks my heart thinking of all the other people in the world desperately trying to find meaning or pacify the meaninglessness of their lives/worldview in a life/worldview that will never be able to give them that meaning. The resilience bit she mentions is important too—I don’t know if it’s the perspective difference that helps us get out of the moment we’re in, or the supportive community, or the structured belief system supporting the idea of a greater force working for our good, or all of these things, but I would love to see more studies done about what exactly is the differences that result in greater resilience in religious individuals vs. non-religious individuals.
Interesting. Could you share more about how you were able to get over yourself?
I'm on a similar path myself, reconnecting with religion, going to church, et cetera. Some days are better than others. I'm curious how others' paths have gone.
To be frank, a big part of it was my pride, which was broken down through some hard life circumstances that caused a lot of heartbreak. It completely destroyed any illusion of control I had, it didn’t make any sense to me, and I was confronted undeniably with the fact that God had moved in a way different than I thought He had. (I was a believer before, but I wasn’t very committed or devout.) To even make my circumstances something I could understand and view as something to live THROUGH, as opposed to live IN, I clung (and still cling) to the idea that God has a plan and He’s working it out, that He’s much greater than I, His words and thoughts far beyond my capacity for either. I became dependent on God again.
In these same circumstances, I came to realize that other people were the only thing that actually made me feel better—and not just like a “I feel good right now” and then feel like crap as soon as I’m alone (though I had some of those moments, too). But I also had moments after meaningfully connecting with people or investing in them as opposed to myself where I walked away thinking “It might be hard right now, but it will be okay. It will get better, because there will always be people I can love and help and invest in and open up my heart and home to.”
The last part, and the most significant part, in my opinion, is that I grew in my understanding of and intimacy with God. Once you realize how immeasurable and magnificent the Divine Creator is, you yourself feel pretty small. In my Bible I found a God who desires holiness, righteousness, love and justice…and when you realize the level that a perfect, magnificent, immeasurable being must execute things like holiness, righteousness, love, and justice, you (hopefully) realize how much you fail to execute those things. I became aware of the gravity of my wrongdoing in a way I never had before. It made me better understand how wonderful it is to have a Savior who 1) knows my worst sins, 2) humbled Himself to become a mere man, 3) sacrificed Himself to atone for my sins and reveal Himself to humanity in a way we could understand, and 4) loved me even in and through my very worst sins.
I am NOTHING compared to God. Yet He has given me everything. I can’t ever earn God’s goodness, grace, or love, but I can spend my life expressing my gratitude by obeying God’s callings, loving Him, and loving others.
You're onto something here, Freya. Sociologists and historians have been writing about this for a minute - see Philip Rieff's The Triumph of The Therapeutic https://amzn.to/45bZUve or Carl Trueman's Strange New World https://amzn.to/3VthhEA ...and theologians like my old pastor Tim Keller. When he spoke at Google, he talked about how fragile identity is in modern secular culture compared to traditional/religious frameworks: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4uIvOniW8xA&t=1607
I’m glad you pointed to sociologists and historians because I do think that Christianity or any particular religion isn’t necessarily THE answer to this generational identity crisis of sorts. I’m glad everyone found Christ in these comments, but I think that’s missing the point.
I think the issue described in the essay is secular: people are looking for a framework of moral value to believe in. Religion can provide that but my God, there are other options — you can find purpose and meaning and direction without Jesus, too.
I think the overall issue has more to do with shifting economic pressures on nuclear family units (which were never traditional anyway, but all we can remember as a generation); with unprecedented exposure to the sheer diversity of social norms and ideas. I think the digital revolution has much to do with this generational angst and the solution isn’t to cling to the past or the traditional (religion). It isn’t to simply crawl within, either. I do think there is much reward to be had in making human connections and seeking out a life that invests in humanity as opposed to forced participation in a system that simply exploits virtually everything for profit.
The thing that's missing from any of the new religions is absolution - sure there's affirmation and encouragement, but very little "go forth and sin no more" after being granted forgiveness for your sins by a recognized sin-forgiving authority.
I was very aware that God absolved me and gave me Grace,I've lost my way lately,but the hard bit,was all my neighbours didn't. Trouble for me was God wasnt living in all the houses around me,vindictive people were,so even though I knew God had healed me like Natasha in War and Peace,all the people around me saw the same old person on the outside,should I have glowed with inner light.
I loved this read, as I do with all your posts, and truly concurred with your thoughts. The thing that I kept being reminded of was a quote from Russell Brand on the Diary of A CEO podcast that went something along the lines of “religion becomes easier to understand once you realise that hell isn’t some place you go to when you die, it’s a very real state of mind that one finds oneself in when you repeat certain behaviours.”
Around that time I had been noticing, through listening to people like Andrew Huberman and reading the work of Johann Hari, that increasingly, science has been vindicating all the warnings that religion had been giving us for millennia. For example, the detrimental effects of watching pornography on our mental state.
Even when I had six weeks off between jobs over the 2022-2023 Christmas/New Year period, I noticed the negative effects of too much of seemingly healthy behaviour. I would go to the gym every morning and go to the recovery centre every lunchtime for an ice bath and sauna session. I quickly found myself on the hedonic treadmill. Self care had become self indulgence and it left me feeling flat. It seems that idle hands do, in fact, do the devils work.
It seems to me that killing off this religious framework, that had previously kept a coherent and functioning society, has opened the door for purveyors of vice to grab a hold of us. Everywhere you look hedonism and sexual perversion is sold to us as perfectly natural and healthy, the tools of addiction and compulsion are sold to us as harmless fun. And then when we find ourselves in the pits of hell; depression and anxiety, there’s always some face or corporate entity that is ready to capitalise on showing us the way out.
They lead us to hell and then charge us for salvation.
I’ve recently found that living as though one were religious, not necessarily subscribing to any particular creed or doctrine, but living as though someone or some higher power is watching, can be quite helpful. Avoid lustful thoughts and behaviour, do not engage with the tools of addiction and compulsion. Try to act for the community, rather than the self, wherever possible. All these teachings that have been universally taught through all of the worlds major religions are just as relevant now in this seemingly more enlightened time.
Live on the straight and narrow path for a while and then dip your toes into whichever vice ails you from time to time, you’ll be in a better position to see how the concept of the devil came about.
Interesting perspective on how self-cafe became self-indulgence. I had not considered that. One benefit of religion is that it provides meaningful in-person community - potlucks, helping people move, babysitting people's kids for free, holding hands and praying together, giving people rides to the airport, etc. It allows people to act for the community because it can give people real community to serve - which is sadly lacking for many today.
Hi Alissa, thanks for respectful response. Yeah, I truly feel that we’ve been enslaved by our own pursuit of comfort since the dawn of the agricultural revolution. Sure, it’s great to take a rest once in a while, but if you remove all the friction from your life, you remove all the peaks and valleys from your life as well. We’re meant to solve problems, we’re meant to feel pain. We’re meant to climb mountains and cross oceans. Comfort is a slow, painful death and a poor substitute for fulfilment.
As for the church, I believe it has its merits, but it’s another artificial creation, a proxy to appease our tribal nature. It’s one of the great paradoxes of human nature. We yearn to return to the garden of Eden, to our hunter gatherer lifestyle, but we’ve progressed too far, we’ve grown too comfortable and too distant from our animal instincts to ever return, not to mention how many would have to die before we could return to Eden, so our only hope is to progress further and further. Problem is, the further we progress, the further we get from where we’re meant to be.
oh my god this was incredible thank you for writing this. as someone who grew up going to church next sunday as more of a way to connect with others and remind us the importance of serving our community i really miss that aspect! the catholic church is ~deeply~ troubled however i think a lot about how much i gained from it
I converted to Catholicism as an adult. Praying the rosary at least weekly, going to mass at least weekly and listening to Hildegard’s chants is how I practice my faith. It’s a beautiful faith despite the troubles of the church. I also found a lot of value in trying to understand theology, specially from the female doctors of the church, Pope John Paul’s theology of the body, and the catechism.
I don’t value Latin masses, if I had gone to one during my reintroduction to the faith I would not have returned.
I’m a regular modern woman, in a happy marriage, I have a career and live in an urban area.
When I was younger, I thought the God of the Old Testament was rather self-absorbed. A narcissist. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." As I've gotten older, I realize more and more why this is the first commandment -- because we will all worship something. It's inevitable. Something will be held up as the ideal, as the most important quest, and the one we serve above all else. And the greatest danger of all is that without God, there is an inevitable turning to worshipping the self. And self-worship always ends badly.
“I’m not saying we should all be religious. But I do believe we all worship something. We all serve somebody. And the bitter irony is, the best way to protect your mental health is to be damn sure it isn’t yourself.”
You touch upon a crucial cornerstone with this essay. My husband Peco and I discussed this very topic on one of our evening walks last week: what will the "new" religion look like? We agreed that with the increasing focus on self, our spiritual lives are utterly distorted.
Peco recently wrote in one of his essays:
"Anchoring a story primarily within ourselves or within a hall of mirrors—whether internet, books, words, or any other medium designed to represent reality—risks being distorted by our own passions or by somebody else’s. The anchor for the Amish and Mennonites is a God who points them back to their marriages, children, family, work, and land. All of these things are all objectively real reference points outside the self. They have the power to correct distorted cognitions about reality, as they themselves are real, not merely representations of the real."
This is a theme that deserves much unpacking, as the tendency is to view religion as "outdated" without recognizing that worship is part of our human fiber.
I loved this. It reminds me of a David Foster Wallace quote - “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.”
"You gotta serve somebody!" - Bob Dylan
One of my favourite songs of all time!
I have a deeply personal connection to this song, the album Slow Train Coming, and Bob Dylan's conversion to Christianity. The fact that this is one of your favorite songs makes you even more intriguing.
Fun Fact: Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame was the guitarist on Slow Train Coming, and his bandmate Pick Withers was the drummer.
Great album from my Spotify Library... The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan by The Gospel Chapel Band https://open.spotify.com/album/3ieT5ZtiBHCRD9fYLdTPZv?si=7iwS327ITuaDejij8oidyQ
"I’m not saying we should all be religious. But I do believe we all worship something. We all serve somebody. And the bitter irony is, the best way to protect your mental health is to be damn sure it isn’t yourself." What is the hesitation to say that we should all be religious when you spent an entire article basically arguing that point? If we worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving God then are we not left with something that will eventually 'eat you alive'?
Religion means millions of things to billions of people. I've often joked that everyone should make up their own religion and then keep it to themselves. There's danger in large masses of people being manipulated into doing evil things when they all think in lockstep; indeed that's half of history. The point is to find spirituality with other like-minded people that helps you be a better person, not to sign on to a cookbook belief system that lets you follow your baser instincts while telling you it's okay - which is sort of like this Gen Z religion Freya talks about, among other better-known religions.
Thanks Tom for the comment. I think we are beginning from different starting lines and must establish some type of neutral grounding if we are to have a discussion. I think our points on contention are: 1) I don't view all 'religions' as equal. Thus someone making up randomness means very little to me, regardless of how many people believe it. 2) There have been wars in the name of religion and atheism. Not sure getting into a game of who was more evil is really the point. 3) Religion at some point has to answer questions about truthfulness. So whether like-minded people get together to become 'better,' what does 'better' even mean absent an objectivity that can weighed and measured for its verity? 4) I'm not sure what a religion having an all-good, loving, powerful God has to do with instincts and cookbooks. Your feelings, instincts, and decisions are irrelevant if God exists and is true. Irrelevant meaning He exists and is true regardless of what you do, not in the sense that any proposed duties and actions will not have consequences. Which leads to my original question, "If we worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving God then are we not left with something that will eventually 'eat you alive'?" And seemingly, you agree that if God is less than all-good, loving, and powerful, then we are signing 'on to a cookbook belief system that lets you follow your baser instincts while telling you it's okay.'
Which wars are you thinking of that were fought in the name of atheism?
Thanks Alistair. Fair question that is pointing out the imprecise nature of my two sentence summary addressing a complex topic. My quick summary 'there have been wars in the name of religion and atheism' was in response to, "There's danger in large masses of people being manipulated into doing evil things when they all think in lockstep; indeed that's half of history." Neither statement is actually fair 'wars in the name of religion' nor 'wars in the name of atheism.'
I should have said something more along the lines of, in the same way people have used religion for evil, people can use the absence of religion or god to do evil... the common denominator being people. To answer your question and for the sake of brevity, I would summarize to say that one of the few uniting principles or points of consensus of atheism is 'no god.' This has often been radicalized to say that all religion is bad. And has been radicalized even further to be hostile to organized religion, particularly in totalitarian political systems. These systems have often brought about a lot of evil in the attempt to eradicate religion based on the worldview that atheism is best for the individual and state.
Drexel, you’ve highlighted an important point about the complexity of these issues. it's true that both religion and the absence of religion can be used to justify harmful actions. the common thread is human behavior and how ideologies, regardless of their nature, can be twisted for evil purposes. atheism, with its principle of 'no god,' can indeed be radicalized, leading to hostility against organized religion, especially in totalitarian regimes.
Like accepting that it's a good thing to bomb Russia. And an even better thing to bomb Gaza people
All-good? Come on. You know that is neither true nor logical. At least not if we go by the Bible, and the physical causes of misery in the world. Still you have a point, if you allow it all to be imaginary.
Hi, Drexel. I have just worked out how to reply at the right sub level, I believe. Don’t be impatient: I am seldom here more than a few minutes over morning coffee.
I will think about you suggestion that I write about my notion of truth ( your note seems to have slipped into some black hole: I’m new to the mechanics of this platform.) But I don’t want to make this too complex, nor adversarial: if one takes your bible at face value, the old testament has numerous example which I suspect even you would not label as emanations from an entity described ( in human terms) as all good. Nothing heavier than that. The all-good designation may apply to a later deity construct. Just wondering why you use that all-good descriptor. Gods may have moral imperatives different than tge merely human, anyway ( I thought).
incomplete quips? Ouch. Just noticed that. Not every demurral from a thesis needs to be an essay. But indeed, they should promote thought, actual thought. Sorry if that one did not.
Not really following you Evan as it seems you aren't really saying anything. You didn't answer my question. You assumed I was referencing the God of the Bible and immediately started attacking His character. Did you engage with the article at all? Do you agree? Disagree? My original question remains, if you worship something less than an all-good, all-powerful, all-loving God then will it not be self-destructive? If you have answer, by all means, lets engage. If you are only here to attack with incoherent and incomplete quips, then have a great day.
Peter, that's a powerful quote from david foster wallace. it captures the idea that everyone has something they prioritize or hold sacred, whether it’s a god, a belief, or something else entirely. i find that choosing to worship something spiritual can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, whereas other forms of worship might consume us in ways we don’t anticipate. it’s a thought-provoking reminder to be mindful of what we value most in our lives.
The spiritual part can be a struggle for people, especially in this day and age. Wallace himself had a hard time with the “Higher Power” part of AA. To me, the point of that quote (And Freya’s piece here) is that you need to be focused on something outside of yourself and your own desires, whether that’s God, your community or your family.
He's iconic, his "this is water speech" moved me 👌👌
Check out his novella “Something To Do With Paying Attention.” It’s essentially that speech but in fiction form. My favorite thing he ever wrote.
Thank you I will 👌
I am surprised that the word "capitalism" wasn't mentioned here as a possible root (it was briefly mentioned in "cost of living crisis"). Capitalism pushes people to extremes and excess (that's why "wellness," "manifesting," etc, has gotten so out of handy). Capitalism is just manifesting (pun not intended) into different forms, but it will always leave us feeling soulless.
I wish I could repost this comment. I completely agree. We are living in a society that encourages us to devalue community and embrace individualism in the pursuit of material gain. The problem is systemic and maybe it’s being amplified now given the availability of certain technology, but the issues highlighted here have a lot to do with human behavior in a capitalist society.
It has do with an economic model that needs to commodify everything in order to continue "perpetual growth". We need a collective awakeing from this, if we are to have a more sustainable or even better perhaps, a regenerative future.
And I think you are right with how it all is amplified by technology. Becuse now we are all commodites for the Capitalist Growth System.
I agree. The extractive ways and the need to commodify everything that is inherent in Capitalism and an economic growth model leaves us soulless because we have to commodify / sell / buy needs that are inherently human. Like spirituality, care and creativity.
We are so disconnected from Nature today, the root of what we are it can only lead to dis-ease, and illness.
There is a YouTuber I follow (I think it's Broey Deschanel) who said capitalism makes us soulless, and then sells us coaching and wellness to get our humanity back.
Sounds true. Says me who works in the helping industry. The author Mark Garvan writes about the commodification of Care in his book Care.
Yes, exactly. We serve corporate overlords, one way or another. All of us do.
Neo-cons like Freya will never admit that capitalism is inherently anti-Christian
This was the comment I was waiting for!
I think you are mistaking capitalism as a market function with the perfection of marketing as a psychological manipulation. Marketing is a science. The effects of advertising and marketing have been devastating to our culture and communities. We cannot cure greed, pride, wrath, lust, sloth, gluttony, or envy, or any of the horrible out comes of the soul disconnected from God. How do those previous seven words not describe our so-called culture today? Point being: as long as the human heart is detached from our creator, this is the outcome - economic models make no difference. Capitalism is the least agregious as it is left to the consumer to decide. No choice is slavery; what would be a better replacement?
Almost anything, capitalism enforce growth and makes it god by the process of commoditising money as debt from it's inception. The planet is the final mortgagee (mort-gage -deathgrip) At least crypto does not quite do this ( not that I have any). Capitalism is profit driven not sharing driven. A more communitarian approach would be better, we need to design it
This is the context I was looking for. The policies we have in place enforce and reward individualism. Reaganomics taught us to be selfish. We would be more willing to sacrifice and give for free it was modeled and not punished. We have to create a new world and the young are always the leaders of that.
J. Wynona, you bring up a significant point about capitalism. it’s true that capitalism can drive people to extremes and excess, often leading to feelings of emptiness. the relentless pursuit of profit and material success can overshadow deeper values and well-being.
wellness and manifesting trends can sometimes be seen as responses to the pressures of capitalism, but they can also become commodified and lose their essence. Your thoughts?
I'm late but I totally agree with your assessment!
Thanks! :)
Your are free to worship or not under capitalism. It’s a market system that you give too much power. You still have freedoms to choose.
This desire to be bound to something beyond yourself which holds you to account is precisely the etymological meaning of religion. It comes from the Latin "religare" meaning "to bind" which became "religio" I.e. "obligation or bond". The Monastic world bound itself to a rule I.e. a set of instructions for a way of life which held them accountable to something beyond themselves. The members of such a rule then became a community united together by the bond of a common rule/religio hence our modern usage of religion
that's a fascinating insight into the etymology of religion, jamie. I just find that understanding the origins of the word "religion" helps us appreciate its deeper meaning and the sense of connection and accountability it fosters. thanks for sharing this enlightening explanation.
Excellent.
Digital life is IMO intrinsically religious. There's absolutely a ceremonial sense to the way we perform our lives online for affirmation. And cancel culture can be understood as a symptom of our not having a sufficient mechanism for dealing with the innate guilt and shame we all feel. In the social media age, we export that shame onto a scapegoat—the outgroup. Or, we literally cut into our own bodies to create out of them a sacrifice fit for public atonement (thinking of the lengths modern people go to to create a perfect brand for themselves).
The religiosity of digital life is an absolutely massive topic.
This is hilarious. I was about to comment here and recommend your book Digital Liturgies. Then I saw who wrote the comment .. 😂
Samuel, cancel culture, as you mentioned, can be seen as a way to project and manage collective guilt and shame.
This scapegoating mirrors ancient practices of atonement.
I agree that we're in the midst of a spiritual crisis and the therapeutic lens through which everything is filtered is harmful, but I don't think organized religion is necessarily the answer. Religions that encourage you to fear God's judgment, atone for your sins, work hard to make sure you'll go to heaven--they end up fostering a deep sense of shame in people and a desire to "do good" that is born out of fear, not love. And yes, as its the "opiate of the masses", religious people probably report better mental health, not least because they hold the extremely load-bearing belief that they will reach heaven in the next life. If we really want to foster cultures where people strive to do right by each other, that starts with our own interpersonal relationships. Finding or building communities where you experience what it's like to be responsible to other people, to care for each other, mess up, move through conflict, and forgive, where you truly feel both the blessings and challenges of interconnected living. That's where a sustainable, all-encompassing, impactful desire to be a "better person" comes from, one that's not rooted in the idea that if you fail to do so, you are not worthy and are damned to hell. I know there are some religious traditions and congregations that are more like this, that offer the best of community and ritual and transcendence without all the shame, but I guess I have no sense of how many are like that today.
This also read as quite dismissive of material conditions. Again, I do agree with you that our generation is contending with a spiritual void, but I'd argue that many of our material conditions played a large part in shaping that void. It's a reasonable reaction to be scared of what's happening politically, environmentally, and economically, or to be day-to-day stressed by some of the realities it presents, to the point that you have to numb yourself to keep going and aren't able to connect with yourself, others, or the divine. I think addressing spiritual and material issues go hand in hand, and tending to one enables the other. Social justice without a spiritual core (an acknowledgement of the deep interconnectedness of everything and a love for all of it) is similarly hollow.
Last thing: is polyamory less moral than cheating on your monogamous partner, which many people (religious or otherwise) do? Or is it just a framework for relationships that irritates you to hear about? That sentence felt scapegoat-y; I think you're correct to point out the many ways our generation avoids true commitment and love and how detrimental that can be to our well-being and social fabric. But I don't think polyamorous people, who have actually elected to put in a ton of work to meet several people's needs, are necessarily the poster children for uncommitted/unfulfilling/spiritually shallow relationships.
Would be curious to hear your thoughts about any of these!
I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. There's too much focus on hyperindividualism and not enough on interpersonal relationships or community building.
Hannah,I speak to you from my place in my local community,the place I have lived all my life,as the icon of sexual depravity and licentiousness. Over 50 years ago when I was 17 and just ONCE the sexual act happened with my "boyfriend " (enemy as it turned out) ,this was a "liaison dangereuex" situation,my mother warned me,but hey this was 1970,this was the new enlightened female empowered world,all those warnings about men are only after one thing,men will abandon you the morning after,all lies of The Patriarchy to keep women in their place. Next day this whoremaker went around telling everybody I was easy,I had no moral standards and it seems,a highly fictionalized account of the short,painful and grubby sexual bit. And 50+ years later no one's forgotten. Or if they dont know ,they know I am That One,the Different one,the Scarlet Letter one. So why should I,ME,I be expected to be accepting,sympathetic,to all mamner of sexual activity,agree that nothing is objectionable or depraved if someone needs to do that in order to express their full humanity. Judge not that ye be not judged. BUT YOU WILL BE JUDGED. Those very people YOU are being accepting and non-judgmental about are,you discover,saying the most appalling things about you. This is a report from THE REAL WORLD WHERE REAL PEOPLE LIVE REAL LIVES. And as for telling the whole world my sin and shame thats been out there for decades. If youve ever had a complete stranger hiss at you,"I know ALL ABOUT YOU" why worry then,as it's all out there. One attempt at a fuck and it set off a neutron bomb in my neighbourhood
That's wonderful and I don't doubt that some people experience religion in the way you're describing, though again, I really have no sense of how many. People leaving organized religion in droves paints a picture. My perspective is informed by the fact that I myself was raised Catholic and went to mass every week until I was 18. As an adult I am still untangling the things that were instilled in me through the church that kept me disconnected from my own sense of innate wholeness.
I walked that journey. I ended full circle as a devout follower of Jesus. It was largely Bible study that got me there - Catholicism does not teach the whole Bible in a historically relevant manner; or it's consistency. After I really began to understand, my life changed forever. My relationship with Jesus rocked my world - quite literally. God bless you and I hope that if he is still knocking at your heart, you let Him in.
How is it that each newsletter of yours seems like the best thing I’ve read? Thank you so much for putting your thoughts into this amazing work. I wish I could share it more, with non-English speakers here in France. Thank you Freya.
Wow that's so kind thank you!
Speaking from my personal experience, she’s totally spot on. I was 100% living aligned with mainstream cultural norms, including the strong boundaries, not owing anybody anything, only participating in “what served me.” Then one day, after the life I had been building to serve myself didn’t turn out like I thought it would be, I realized how hollow it all wise. How selfish I had become, how disconnected I was, how quick to anger and offense I was, how unloving and unkind I was. What made the big difference and helped me to see all these errors in my ways was that I reconnected to my religion, which had fallen by the wayside. (I’m some sort of ecumenical Christian, if anyone was curious.) Once I reconnected with God, the exact changes India talks about happened. I was HUMBLED. And let me tell you, boy did I need it. And co-occurring in that humility was finding my purpose and my path and LIFE not in myself and the things that I took pleasure or rest or whatever else in, but in God, and by way of obedience, in others. Looking back to the way I was living before, I was socially and emotionally isolated (despite being very involved and active in my community—it didn’t mean anything and it wasn’t enjoyable because I was in it for me, and so I enjoyed it as long as it didn’t inconvenience me from whatever other self-serving pursuits I had. Which was not very often), I was depressed, I was without a clear purpose… I was missing, as one of my friends calls it, the Spark of the Divine.
It breaks my heart thinking of all the other people in the world desperately trying to find meaning or pacify the meaninglessness of their lives/worldview in a life/worldview that will never be able to give them that meaning. The resilience bit she mentions is important too—I don’t know if it’s the perspective difference that helps us get out of the moment we’re in, or the supportive community, or the structured belief system supporting the idea of a greater force working for our good, or all of these things, but I would love to see more studies done about what exactly is the differences that result in greater resilience in religious individuals vs. non-religious individuals.
Interesting. Could you share more about how you were able to get over yourself?
I'm on a similar path myself, reconnecting with religion, going to church, et cetera. Some days are better than others. I'm curious how others' paths have gone.
Absolutely!
To be frank, a big part of it was my pride, which was broken down through some hard life circumstances that caused a lot of heartbreak. It completely destroyed any illusion of control I had, it didn’t make any sense to me, and I was confronted undeniably with the fact that God had moved in a way different than I thought He had. (I was a believer before, but I wasn’t very committed or devout.) To even make my circumstances something I could understand and view as something to live THROUGH, as opposed to live IN, I clung (and still cling) to the idea that God has a plan and He’s working it out, that He’s much greater than I, His words and thoughts far beyond my capacity for either. I became dependent on God again.
In these same circumstances, I came to realize that other people were the only thing that actually made me feel better—and not just like a “I feel good right now” and then feel like crap as soon as I’m alone (though I had some of those moments, too). But I also had moments after meaningfully connecting with people or investing in them as opposed to myself where I walked away thinking “It might be hard right now, but it will be okay. It will get better, because there will always be people I can love and help and invest in and open up my heart and home to.”
The last part, and the most significant part, in my opinion, is that I grew in my understanding of and intimacy with God. Once you realize how immeasurable and magnificent the Divine Creator is, you yourself feel pretty small. In my Bible I found a God who desires holiness, righteousness, love and justice…and when you realize the level that a perfect, magnificent, immeasurable being must execute things like holiness, righteousness, love, and justice, you (hopefully) realize how much you fail to execute those things. I became aware of the gravity of my wrongdoing in a way I never had before. It made me better understand how wonderful it is to have a Savior who 1) knows my worst sins, 2) humbled Himself to become a mere man, 3) sacrificed Himself to atone for my sins and reveal Himself to humanity in a way we could understand, and 4) loved me even in and through my very worst sins.
I am NOTHING compared to God. Yet He has given me everything. I can’t ever earn God’s goodness, grace, or love, but I can spend my life expressing my gratitude by obeying God’s callings, loving Him, and loving others.
You're onto something here, Freya. Sociologists and historians have been writing about this for a minute - see Philip Rieff's The Triumph of The Therapeutic https://amzn.to/45bZUve or Carl Trueman's Strange New World https://amzn.to/3VthhEA ...and theologians like my old pastor Tim Keller. When he spoke at Google, he talked about how fragile identity is in modern secular culture compared to traditional/religious frameworks: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4uIvOniW8xA&t=1607
I’m glad you pointed to sociologists and historians because I do think that Christianity or any particular religion isn’t necessarily THE answer to this generational identity crisis of sorts. I’m glad everyone found Christ in these comments, but I think that’s missing the point.
I think the issue described in the essay is secular: people are looking for a framework of moral value to believe in. Religion can provide that but my God, there are other options — you can find purpose and meaning and direction without Jesus, too.
I think the overall issue has more to do with shifting economic pressures on nuclear family units (which were never traditional anyway, but all we can remember as a generation); with unprecedented exposure to the sheer diversity of social norms and ideas. I think the digital revolution has much to do with this generational angst and the solution isn’t to cling to the past or the traditional (religion). It isn’t to simply crawl within, either. I do think there is much reward to be had in making human connections and seeking out a life that invests in humanity as opposed to forced participation in a system that simply exploits virtually everything for profit.
People like talking about "the Universe" because it doesn't make the moral demands of them that God does.
Until they accept that they have to let go of unabashed hedonism, they won't find what they're looking for.
The thing that's missing from any of the new religions is absolution - sure there's affirmation and encouragement, but very little "go forth and sin no more" after being granted forgiveness for your sins by a recognized sin-forgiving authority.
I was very aware that God absolved me and gave me Grace,I've lost my way lately,but the hard bit,was all my neighbours didn't. Trouble for me was God wasnt living in all the houses around me,vindictive people were,so even though I knew God had healed me like Natasha in War and Peace,all the people around me saw the same old person on the outside,should I have glowed with inner light.
I loved this read, as I do with all your posts, and truly concurred with your thoughts. The thing that I kept being reminded of was a quote from Russell Brand on the Diary of A CEO podcast that went something along the lines of “religion becomes easier to understand once you realise that hell isn’t some place you go to when you die, it’s a very real state of mind that one finds oneself in when you repeat certain behaviours.”
Around that time I had been noticing, through listening to people like Andrew Huberman and reading the work of Johann Hari, that increasingly, science has been vindicating all the warnings that religion had been giving us for millennia. For example, the detrimental effects of watching pornography on our mental state.
Even when I had six weeks off between jobs over the 2022-2023 Christmas/New Year period, I noticed the negative effects of too much of seemingly healthy behaviour. I would go to the gym every morning and go to the recovery centre every lunchtime for an ice bath and sauna session. I quickly found myself on the hedonic treadmill. Self care had become self indulgence and it left me feeling flat. It seems that idle hands do, in fact, do the devils work.
It seems to me that killing off this religious framework, that had previously kept a coherent and functioning society, has opened the door for purveyors of vice to grab a hold of us. Everywhere you look hedonism and sexual perversion is sold to us as perfectly natural and healthy, the tools of addiction and compulsion are sold to us as harmless fun. And then when we find ourselves in the pits of hell; depression and anxiety, there’s always some face or corporate entity that is ready to capitalise on showing us the way out.
They lead us to hell and then charge us for salvation.
I’ve recently found that living as though one were religious, not necessarily subscribing to any particular creed or doctrine, but living as though someone or some higher power is watching, can be quite helpful. Avoid lustful thoughts and behaviour, do not engage with the tools of addiction and compulsion. Try to act for the community, rather than the self, wherever possible. All these teachings that have been universally taught through all of the worlds major religions are just as relevant now in this seemingly more enlightened time.
Live on the straight and narrow path for a while and then dip your toes into whichever vice ails you from time to time, you’ll be in a better position to see how the concept of the devil came about.
Interesting perspective on how self-cafe became self-indulgence. I had not considered that. One benefit of religion is that it provides meaningful in-person community - potlucks, helping people move, babysitting people's kids for free, holding hands and praying together, giving people rides to the airport, etc. It allows people to act for the community because it can give people real community to serve - which is sadly lacking for many today.
Hi Alissa, thanks for respectful response. Yeah, I truly feel that we’ve been enslaved by our own pursuit of comfort since the dawn of the agricultural revolution. Sure, it’s great to take a rest once in a while, but if you remove all the friction from your life, you remove all the peaks and valleys from your life as well. We’re meant to solve problems, we’re meant to feel pain. We’re meant to climb mountains and cross oceans. Comfort is a slow, painful death and a poor substitute for fulfilment.
As for the church, I believe it has its merits, but it’s another artificial creation, a proxy to appease our tribal nature. It’s one of the great paradoxes of human nature. We yearn to return to the garden of Eden, to our hunter gatherer lifestyle, but we’ve progressed too far, we’ve grown too comfortable and too distant from our animal instincts to ever return, not to mention how many would have to die before we could return to Eden, so our only hope is to progress further and further. Problem is, the further we progress, the further we get from where we’re meant to be.
oh my god this was incredible thank you for writing this. as someone who grew up going to church next sunday as more of a way to connect with others and remind us the importance of serving our community i really miss that aspect! the catholic church is ~deeply~ troubled however i think a lot about how much i gained from it
I suggest looking for a traditional Latin mass and giving it a try.
I converted to Catholicism as an adult. Praying the rosary at least weekly, going to mass at least weekly and listening to Hildegard’s chants is how I practice my faith. It’s a beautiful faith despite the troubles of the church. I also found a lot of value in trying to understand theology, specially from the female doctors of the church, Pope John Paul’s theology of the body, and the catechism.
I don’t value Latin masses, if I had gone to one during my reintroduction to the faith I would not have returned.
I’m a regular modern woman, in a happy marriage, I have a career and live in an urban area.
When I was younger, I thought the God of the Old Testament was rather self-absorbed. A narcissist. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." As I've gotten older, I realize more and more why this is the first commandment -- because we will all worship something. It's inevitable. Something will be held up as the ideal, as the most important quest, and the one we serve above all else. And the greatest danger of all is that without God, there is an inevitable turning to worshipping the self. And self-worship always ends badly.
I think this is the best thing that I have read in the last year. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Thanks so much Liza!
“I’m not saying we should all be religious. But I do believe we all worship something. We all serve somebody. And the bitter irony is, the best way to protect your mental health is to be damn sure it isn’t yourself.”
Hear, hear.
You touch upon a crucial cornerstone with this essay. My husband Peco and I discussed this very topic on one of our evening walks last week: what will the "new" religion look like? We agreed that with the increasing focus on self, our spiritual lives are utterly distorted.
Peco recently wrote in one of his essays:
"Anchoring a story primarily within ourselves or within a hall of mirrors—whether internet, books, words, or any other medium designed to represent reality—risks being distorted by our own passions or by somebody else’s. The anchor for the Amish and Mennonites is a God who points them back to their marriages, children, family, work, and land. All of these things are all objectively real reference points outside the self. They have the power to correct distorted cognitions about reality, as they themselves are real, not merely representations of the real."
This is a theme that deserves much unpacking, as the tendency is to view religion as "outdated" without recognizing that worship is part of our human fiber.