Sunday, June 6, 2010

James Martin S.J. and The Colbert Report on Spirituality


CNN, which can’t get much ratings lately because it reads the news it prints on the Internet and the novelty of that has worn off, is trying something different in an articles about the so – called new SBNR (spiritual but not religious) movement taking shape globally and independent of any organized religion groups.

Like any news group aimed at a mainstream ratings approach, they start by quoting head up his ass Jesuit James Martin S.J.(society of Jesus) about all this personal blending of what fits personally and spiritually as “egotism”. Martin’s only claim to fame are a few books, talking on catholic radio and making a few appearances on Stephen Colbert’s faux news program.

But the article like the whole of spirituality and religiosity is not about him (thank God).

Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'?
"God and the devil were walking down a path one day when God spotted something sparkling by the side of the path. He picked it up and held it in the palm of his hand.

"Ah, Truth," he said.

"Here, give it to me," the devil said. "I'll organize it."
The above quote is from a Huffington Post blogger, BJ Gallagher, the Huffington Post for Christ’s sake, and wants to label this new movement of personal spirituality as “Burger King Spirituality” (have it your way). Everyone wants a piece of the action and to get credit for naming a movement with clichés they had nothing to do with including that of their own spirituality or lack of it.

I started this blog as the result of the insult of Joe the Pope’s visit to New York City in 2008 and his spin doctors throwing out their favorite insults to the masses such as “Cultural Catholic” or “Cafeteria Catholic”. Of course then, 2008, the Vatican and their PR spin doctors were still in control of the Pedophiles hidden under the Carpet deal.

What have you or your church done lately Joe to hug the average Christian???  Hugs are important to humanity believe it or not.  Jesus never mentioned hugs or did he?

Many people, of all recognizable faiths past, are searching and gleaning other faiths and beliefs, and picking the best things and merging them together in individual personal belief systems under the umbrealla concept of Spiritual and not Religious. Isn’t life and freedom and the new age dawning great!

Fundamentalists will wear the ink off the pages of the bible, their idol, rather than look up and live their lives in accordance with simple principles set out by Jesus. This hemming and hawing and wanting every period and comma to mean something puts too much nothing out of nothing into the world.

Father Martin ends in the last paragraph quoting with one word about how all the deep, sincere, prolonged search for spirituality is worthless and just basic “Laziness”. Only meal ticket religion and vested perks interest the Father Martins of this world and the hard work to get and horde those perks minus the human factor I fear.

When Catholic clerics waste eight years in the seminary worshiping their idol of the Catechism as a substitute for real living, real mistakes and real redemption, they miss the point and miss the boat in most critical junctions of life thereafter and into the hereafter.

Somewhere in the pea soup of Christianity is a cloudiness that defies present explanation and few should try to label it for the sake of a daily blog headline.

The future of spiritual man will reveal itself in time and purpose along the global timeline.