Do western people need something to believe in now that the Church has less influence and power in their lives? Would it help if the Church became more spiritual, less literal in their teachings, like Buddhists, say?
by 
katespana
ANSWERS: 1
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I think that the erosion of traditional religious authority has indeed raised the anxiety level for many people -- this is the postmodern angst that drives fundamentalism these days: "everything is chaotic, lets go back to that Old Time Religion to get some stability". However, as a Buddhist I would challenge the statement that people should become "more spiritual and less literal". Buddhism is about awareness, and getting untangled from fixed identities and viewpoints, including viewpoints about spirituality. From a Buddhist standpoint, what happens when those traditional authority structures erode is that humans are faced with the more fundamental challenge of taking responsibility for their own lives and choices: if God isn't really speaking to you and telling you what to do and who you are, you might just have to grow up a notch and start making those choices and being aware of the consequences, etc. That's "waking up": it's always uncomfortable, but potentially very satisfying. The last thing I would wish on anyone is more things to believe in to replace what they lost.
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