30th June

30th June.  A hideous week full of reports of terror attacks: shootings, beheadings and bombings; thousands fleeing civil and military conflict or desperate poverty in Africa and Asia.  To our anguished “What are we to do?” the headline in my paper today shouts “We must crush ISIS”, quoting our Prime Minister.

Hmm, … is it that simple?   

I have been listening again to a series of talks given by Fr. Laurence Freeman about the forces of change in our world today.  He speaks of globalization – a globalization of consciousness – where cultures which had once been largely ignorant of each other, now rub shoulders.  The oppressed and dispossessed in refugee camps and barrios see through the media and youth culture how others live. They may have aspirations for themselves or their children (wouldn’t you?).  They may feel anger at the injustice of it all or angry because they feel their cultural or religious traditions are being threatened.

This brings us to another of his forces of change:  the re-evaluation of religious and moral certainties.  Now everything is being challenged: the hegemony of the Church, the literalism of Scripture, the place of women, marriage, same-sex relationships, abortion, assisted dying.  For a majority of people, at least in this country, the old certainties are gone, ambiguity reigns, and we are left to make up our own minds.  And where do we get advice now? – from spin doctors, newspaper editors and the social media.

Fundamentalism, according to Fr.Laurence, is one response to the dizzying pace of change  – “a modern response to modern mess”.  Fundamentalism says: let’s create an artificial environment in which nothing will change, in which we re-invent old certainties and protect them fiercely against anything which will threaten them.  It is dangerous because it is exclusive, one might say tribal, (my religion is better than yours, my truth is The Truth and I am God’s representative on Earth) and it is marked by intolerance and a tendency to violence.  We see it masquerading in all the world’s religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, even in Buddhism.

So, how do we react to change?  It is a huge challenge for all religions with roots in the past – to look into the eyes of modernity, to remain relevant and continue to find expression in modern living.  Do we bury our heads in the sand, even if we call this sand “tradition”?  Or are we open to change?  Do we say, with Fr.Laurence, “Life is about change - life is growth - and by the time we get to the end of our journey, pray to God we have grown!”