Cupitt writes that:
When Matthew Arnold’s poem Dover Beach was published in 1867 it expressed the sense, common at the time among the intelligentsia at least, that the ancient supernatural world of gods and spirits which had surrounded mankind since the first dawn of consciousness was at last inexorably slipping away.
Twenty years before Nietzsche in Germany was announcing the death of God, and eight years after the publication of The Origin of Species here at home it was becoming apparent that the English social and religious order could no longer hold out against the encroachment of unbelief; the long rear-guard action was being lost.
Cupitt continues:
However, despite all the predictions of its inevitable demise in the West, Christianity has refused to lie down and die. Liberal Christianity may be arguably fighting for its life, but Fundamentalist versions of the faith, bolstered by huge cash donations from wealthy sponsors who have a vested political interest in seeing it spread, appear to be stronger than ever – especially in the Americas and in parts of Africa.
Now what exactly do we mean by ‘religion’? As Cupitt points out: ‘The root of the word, via the mediaeval French, is thought to come from the Latin religare – to bind (back). It seems, therefore, to have more to do with ‘belonging’ – to the extended family, the tribe and the demographic group sharing the same language and culture – than with ‘believing’. There is mutual benefit to be derived for the individual from belonging to a group.’ Now to my own observations: Being a religious adherent is, needless-to-say, a far more complex matter than being born into a practising religious family, or deciding in adulthood to stay in the same religious group or to join one from choice.
Firstly, there are those who exhibit what might be termed a ‘religious’ or loosely ‘spiritual’ outlook. They may eschew organised or institutional religion, and may or may not practise anything that might be construed as formal religious observance. Such people indeed are often temperamentally unsuited to any sort of collective religious practice. They may well be able to live a disciplined contemplative life, often in a regular worldly setting but foregoing the support of a regular religious community.
Then there are those who rate ‘religious experience’ particularly highly, by which they presumably mean a heightened emotional response to life. They all-importantly interpret this experience for themselves as that of being in a close relationship with what they describe as ‘the Divine’, or as feeling a strong sense of oneness with the universe. Such an interpretation of course is determined by the fine balance of cultural tradition, language and religious understanding that the individual has acquired from the society and social group in which he or she has been nurtured and the breadth of education he or she has received.
To get to the bottom of why religion persists inevitably requires us to find out what makes a religious person tick.
What does a religious person value? What does a religious person do that he or she regards as important, or is prepared to go along with as part of the price of belonging to a religious group? A religious person may or may not directly experience a strong sense of the sacredness or ultimate value of life and all that springs from it, in the area of relationships, guiding principles or sense of purpose. One suspects that many – perhaps most – religious adherents are prepared to accept the received wisdom of their tradition more or less uncritically and to go along with its customs, rites, rituals and other cultural codes and practices as an acceptable part of the deal. Temperamentally some of the more ‘spiritual’ adherents may find themselves moving into opposite camps: some to go unquestioningly further and deeper into traditional practices, others to sit lighter to the tradition and to follow a more individual and less conventional path.
On approaching adulthood, those brought up in a faith reach a watershed. They will find themselves continuing to value it, choosing to reject it outright, or losing interest in it altogether. Those who continue in the tradition are usually those for whom the whole package still makes sense, or for whom the package itself may no longer be meaningful but some aspect of the belonging experience – for example, the vibrant and supportive youth culture to be found there – continues to be important. Strong social and emotional relationships formed with particular clergypersons, church officials or fellow lay-members can sustain a person in a religious community long after intellectual and aesthetic nourishment from the place of worship has ceased.
It should also be borne in mind that the upheaval of taking a stance and moving away, turning one’s back on familiar habits and people, is often a step too far. The desire for such a move may be hard to articulate and frankly, for many people, older as well as young, I guess it is easier to stay in and not to rock the boat than to move on. Indeed, The StainThatWon’tWash Out:
The Persistence Of Religion In Our Cultural Fabric Penny Mawdsley gave this talk to the Chester Humanist Group on 21st July 2008. there are many, particularly in older age groups, for whom sitting attentively in a pleasant church building, old or new, and enjoying the aesthetic delights of the surroundings and the familiar liturgy, listening to beautiful and good memoryinducing music and (more rarely these days) hearing the rich language of earlier centuries read aloud, is of exquisite value.
Such people have a high boredom threshold. They are not easily put off by listening to an endless repetition – over a life-time for many people – of a limited number of ‘approved’ Bible passages, of dull sermons devoid of intellectual challenge or stimulation, by banal hymn words espousing questionable theology, or by singing samples from a growing repertoire of ‘happy-clappy’ tunes. Moreover, they are prepared to put up with being told repeatedly how sinful, unworthy and inadequate they are, and, by the same token, how dependent they are on the grace and mercy of a beneficent God-out-there for their well-being and that of those they love. They readily accept a regular invitation to make supplication and ask for intercession to this Remote Being, and to give Him thanks and praise. They buy into the assurance they are given that God loves and forgives them their shortcomings. To them, this is a package worth buying into.
We know from numerous surveys conducted over the last fifty years that regular church and chapel attendance now only involves about 4% of the population, and that more indigenous Britons spend Sunday shopping or attending football matches than filling pews. However, the surveys often pick up a guilty response from those who express a residual ‘belief in God’ – a lazy and vague notion of ‘something out there’, which one is tempted to interpret as pure superstition, and which, if pressed, the more thoughtful respondent believes accounts for there being Something rather than Nothing. Many non-church goers who might be labelled nominal Christians own to having ‘lost their faith’, and infer that it would be nice if they could find it again. One suspects that some of these people feel vaguely uneasy about pursuing worldly goals and living an excessively materialistic and libertarian lifestyle, and that the more conscientious among them recognise that somehow they have lost contact with any sort of moral compass.
Although we Humanists are happy to declare our contentment with a lifestyle based on living, responsibly and to the full, ‘the one life that we have’, when we attempt to promote this more widely in society we have limited success. We know that it is perfectly possible to live a moral life without some sort of supernatural underpinning or ultimate goal, but others are not convinced. Clearly it is much easier to follow commandments or scriptural injunctions unquestioningly, than to plot an ethical path for oneself, thinking things out and being sensitive enough to revise and customise one’s response in the light of specific situations. This applies equally whether people live in the go-getting affluent West with its many distractions, or in conditions of hand-to-mouth existence in the developing world.
One reason that religions persist, I suggest, is because sufficient numbers of people simply aren’t persuaded or haven’t the energy to contemplate living outside them. In every generation there are enough people who have been brought up happily within families who practise religion, and for whom this religion has been fully integrated into their lifestyle by the time they reach adulthood. It is usually the moral constraints of the traditional religions, especially in the area of sexual behaviour, that determine the break away. It is rare for young people only to rail against the intellectual anomalies and shortcomings of their religious background. It is the mature adult who is more likely to lose patience with some aspect of church dogma or fashionable religious practice, and to take more active measures to leave the religious fold.
I now turn to look rather more closely at what the Christian package has to offer to its customers. What does the serious adherent get for his money – or put another way, what does he or she value in the Christian tradition so highly that he would really miss it if he left it behind? I’m firstly going to postulate a number of basic aspects of Christianity (some of which are common not only to various Christian denominations, but also to other mainstream religions as well), which with a bit of imaginative effort could possibly find acceptable replacement within Humanism:
A sense of belonging and identity, sharing a common history.
A sense of awe and wonder (a deep appreciation of the evolving natural world could replace a primitive reverence for the supernatural).
A wealth of stories with an inspiring and relevant moral component; inherited wisdom.
A moral compass (one can learn to be convinced that no supernatural underpinning or Authority is necessary).
Aesthetic stimulation from religious buildings, artefacts, music, liturgical language or drama, religious art and literature (one can continue to enjoy all these things outside the fold).
A long established framework for key rites of passage (Humanist celebrants and BHA members can work together to create truly meaningful ceremonies without the dubious theological underpinning). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Humanist Logo designed by SoF member, the late Margaret Chisman All religions have the capacity to change and adapt, and most have done so many times.
An outlet for charitable and philanthropic engagement (there are plenty of outlets for charitable and philanthropic engagement as a Humanist).
Guidance from experienced leaders and a wealth of literature (Humanists are not short of either).
Jesus as teacher of wisdom who challenged pomp, cant and religiosity (so far as we know, we Humanists can accept Jesus as an authentic wise Rabbi, albeit limited by his own cultural worldview).
Comfort and support from fellow members in times of illness and bereavement.
Next, I will attempt to compile a list of other aspects and dogmas connected with the Christian faith, for which it may be more of a challenge to find Humanist substitutions, and which, if push comes to shove, are likely to cause the religious devotee to think more carefully about renouncing:
A (received) overarching single meaning to Life (to praise the Creator). It purports to answer the Big Questions we all have about existence and to provide a range of coping mechanisms for life A (guided) sense of purpose and ultimate goal for the individual’s life.
Jesus as a named individual to follow.
Belief in Jesus as a divine Second Person of the Trinity who has won final victory over death and sin and can intercede actively on their behalf.
A sense of having received the gift of unconditional love and acceptance (Grace – a ‘free gift’ to the believer for whom redemption has been bought by Jesus dying for humanity’s sins).
Forgiveness and absolution. The facility of confession.
Many people feel that they can’t ‘move on’ until they are satisfied that they have been forgiven by a Higher Power.
The Mass/Eucharist/Communion Service. For many this is a very real blessing. They have learned to value highly the repetition of the liturgy of this service (the words, symbolic actions and drama are powerful even if there is no belief in the ‘Real Presence’) and they genuinely feel emotionally (‘spiritually’) nourished by it.
Spiritual discipline generally: Sabbath and Holy Day Observance. Daily Bible reading Programmes, etc. – These appeal to the ascetic and puritan streak in many people.
Spiritual comfort from scriptures and clergypersons in times of distress and bereavement.
Someone to address thanks to for the good things we have received in life.
Hope that ‘all shall be well; all manner of things shall be well’ (Julian of Norwich).
An appreciation of one’s talents by the Church community – be the gifts very simple and those who display them ever so humble! 7. 8. 9. 10. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
A promise of Life after death (an extended traditional interpretation of ‘Eternal Life’).
The Communion of Saints. For Catholic and Orthodox believers ‘those who have gone before’ can be called upon to intercede for them.
The Last Judgment. Justice will ultimately be done. The good/God-fearing will be rewarded and the wicked will be punished. A comfort to decent people to whom bad things have happened.
As I draw to the end of this overview, I find myself concluding that:
Whether we like it or not, religions are likely to persist into the foreseeable future; They all have the capacity within them to change and adapt, and most have done so many times already in response to the economic, cultural and political changes round about them; They have the potential to be a force for good, to inspire and motivate; ‘Religious’ wars are rarely what they purport to be; religion has been a thin veneer for Greed, for ambitious men to win glory, and an excuse for aggression which has distracted people from economic difficulties on the home front; Religions are bad when they disseminate poetic truths as literal, historical and unassailable and immutable scientific truths; Religions are bad when they fail to support human rights and suppress dissidents; Religions are bad when their adherents are able to claim power and privilege over others; The rational, stoical life-stance that we have so far managed to project to the world seems, for many people and for a number of different reasons, unacceptable and unattractive; We should encourage the religions of the world to use their wealth of stories to re-enchant our increasingly hard bitten materialist cultures; and finally We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater… I’d just like to add a brief postscript concerning the Sea of Faith Network (UK), of which I am a past Chair and of which I have been a member since its first conference in 1988. It is a place of sanctuary for people who are interested in exploring religion as a thoroughly human creation. I would be happy to answer any questions about it, and would like to take this opportunity to recommend that you visit its website (www. sofn.org.uk) where you will find a lot of stimulating material.
Please accept a back issue of one of our recent magazines and a leaflet about us as a souvenir of my talk.
Penny Mawdsley is a retired teacher and a former Chair of SoF Trustees. Nurtured in the SoF fold from the first conference onwards she has now also joined the BHA.