First Things editor R.R. Reno writes that when the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu spoke together at a “Peace Summit” in Vancouver, they shared an ideology that was perfect for those who like the idea of God but not the commitment of religion:
The Dalai Lama’s negations make him a lead blocker, opening up a wide
hole for Archbishop Tutu to run through. God respects our autonomy, the
Christian leader says; God regrets our misrepresentations of his
teachings. “God is not a Christian,” he announces, “God allows us to
misunderstand her.” The audience in Vancouver erupts with applause.
The Dalai Lama is a very astute and capable politician who has done a
masterly job of securing support for Tibet in its ongoing struggle
against Chinese domination. I suspect he’s sometimes cynical in his
spiritual pronouncements. He must know that the applause does not
indicate appreciation or even understanding of Buddhism. Its negations
are meant to humiliate and overcome what we so dearly love, which is our
self. That’s never something that brings applause.
“God allows us to misunderstand her.” Who’s to say which religion is
true? Isn’t God too big for any one religion? These and other negations
make Church, sacraments, Scripture seem less certain, less reliable,
less authoritative. We don’t experience this as unpleasant or
disorienting. On the contrary, it’s a delicious doubt. We want
“organized religion,” which in the West means Christianity, to loosen
its grip over culture, politics—and our souls. For our goal is neither
enlightenment nor salvation, but instead to live by our own lights and
on our own terms.
And so our age applauds the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and other
adepts of negation and critique. God without priests. Churches without
authority. Faiths that are optional. It’s wonderfully liberating. The
divine can’t get his hands on us anymore! Now we can be spiritual
without being religious. It’s the luxury good human beings have always
wanted: bespoke worship, idols made to spec.
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