Small "r" religions like Jewish Renewal, for example, are dedicated to individual spiritual transformation. They cannot, nor do they claim to, drive vast social movements. They are entirely voluntary which means they don't have the power to hold people in institutional prisons like large, demanding fundamentalist groups. To be born into a fundamentalist Religion and decide to leave it is an enormous decision. People engaging with small "r" religions can come and go freely which means the Religion has much less power and influence over their lives.
This may be a little off-center from this fabulous discourse but I see some parallels that might be revealing. In North Carolina over the past 40 years, the number of registered Democrats has plumeted, the number of independents has risen, and the number of republicans has remained the same. The departure of democrats to independents parallels the departure of people in big R religions to the independent category (e.g., "I'm not religious but I am spiritual." ) If it is true what Blaise Pascal said (“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” we have a huge influx of wanderers in both politics and religion. This is a big leap, but I see evidence that decline of classical education have left these wanderers without the intellectual armorment to construct a cohesive, community-making, infrastructure to wrap themselves around.
I do think that perhaps the majority of Americans like their religion big, the way they like their cars and houses. But small religion is in the water, so to speak. I wish more people realized that they were drinking it, or felt compelled to weigh in and say that it tastes good enough to drink!
Hi, Rabbi Michaelson. Great piece. I love your work. Thank you. One data point that you might already know: John Vervaeke and Jordan Peterson have been in dialogue (multiple times?), and I haven't heard JV challenge any of the many deeply, and often angry, anti-feminist things that Peterson regularly shares with his vast audience of (mostly) men. Sigh.
Small "r" religions like Jewish Renewal, for example, are dedicated to individual spiritual transformation. They cannot, nor do they claim to, drive vast social movements. They are entirely voluntary which means they don't have the power to hold people in institutional prisons like large, demanding fundamentalist groups. To be born into a fundamentalist Religion and decide to leave it is an enormous decision. People engaging with small "r" religions can come and go freely which means the Religion has much less power and influence over their lives.
Shabbat shalom
Amazing text. You are certainly a guiding voice to so many seekers.
This may be a little off-center from this fabulous discourse but I see some parallels that might be revealing. In North Carolina over the past 40 years, the number of registered Democrats has plumeted, the number of independents has risen, and the number of republicans has remained the same. The departure of democrats to independents parallels the departure of people in big R religions to the independent category (e.g., "I'm not religious but I am spiritual." ) If it is true what Blaise Pascal said (“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” we have a huge influx of wanderers in both politics and religion. This is a big leap, but I see evidence that decline of classical education have left these wanderers without the intellectual armorment to construct a cohesive, community-making, infrastructure to wrap themselves around.
I do think that perhaps the majority of Americans like their religion big, the way they like their cars and houses. But small religion is in the water, so to speak. I wish more people realized that they were drinking it, or felt compelled to weigh in and say that it tastes good enough to drink!
Hi, Rabbi Michaelson. Great piece. I love your work. Thank you. One data point that you might already know: John Vervaeke and Jordan Peterson have been in dialogue (multiple times?), and I haven't heard JV challenge any of the many deeply, and often angry, anti-feminist things that Peterson regularly shares with his vast audience of (mostly) men. Sigh.