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Spiritual Evolution and Godless Unitarian Universalist “Church”

In reviewing the book “Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith,” by George E. Vaillant (psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry), Marc Galanter, M.D., wrote:

“George Vaillant…defines spirituality as ‘the amalgam of the positive emotions that bind us to other human beings-and our experience of ‘God’ as we may understand Her/Him’ (p. 5) and goes on to include positive feelings, such as love, hope, joy, forgiveness, compassion, faith, and gratitude, as central to its character…”1

This is interesting in that this definition mirrors the generic definition of “religion” that I quoted in consideration of The Godless Church of Unitarian Universalism (part 1, part 2). Unitarian Universalist Rev. Rod Richards’ definition is “that which inspires and guides our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to all of life.”

Marc Galanter further notes that George E. Vaillant,

“…points out a distinction between religion and spirituality in that religion embodies formal doctrines and behavioral requirements that may be characterized by ‘authoritarianism’ and ‘intolerance,’ which is in contrast to spirituality, which is ‘more likely to be democratic’ and ‘tolerant’…

While George E. Vaillant was defining “spirituality” and Rev. Rod Richards was defining “religion” we see that in this way we see precisely what we saw in virtually all pseudo-syncretistic movements: the intolerance of the self-appointed tolerant.

Did you catch it?

Spirituality is tolerant-not like that mean, nasty, authoritarian and intolerant religion.

Believe me, I will be the first to besmirch authoritarian and intolerant “religion” but this does not excuse the logical and theological fallacies of authoritatively and intolerantly pitting the supposed tolerant against the supposed intolerant as doing so placed the pseudo-tolerant into the intolerant camp.

Just how far does the pseudo-tolerance of the pseudo-syncretistic go?

“Vaillant supports his point by (conveniently) designating individuals who are often identified with religion, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi, as spiritual mentors rather than ‘religionists’…”

Get the point?

Since “religionists” have already been defined as authoritarian and intolerant it illogically follows that any “religionists” who is not maliciously authoritarian and is tolerant cannot, simply cannot be religious. Thus, parsing betwixt the two spirituality maintains its unspotted purity while religion looses some of its shining lights-yet, this is a purely artificial construct.

Lastly, we may note that Marc Galanter hits the nail on the head in noting,

“I might, however, question some of Vaillant’s perspectives. For example, he maintains that spirituality is a trait that has been percolating over the course of human evolution, but in fact the term as currently employed has come into general use only relatively recently as a product of contemporary ecumenical thinking and openness to Eastern religious philosophies.”

Indeed, in my essay Monophobia I quoted Ravi Zacharias to this effect,

“We are living in a time when sensitivities are at the surface, often vented with cutting words. Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not claim it to be true.Morally, you can practice anything, so long as you do not claim it is a ‘better’ way.Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ into it.

If a spiritual idea is eastern, it is granted critical immunity; if western, it is thoroughly criticized.”2

Ravi Zacharias followed by noting:

“Hinduism and Bahaism have long challenged the concept of a single way to God. The Hindu religion, with its multifaceted belief system, vociferously attacks such exclusivity.Jesus also stated that God is the Author of life and that meaning in life lies in coming to Him.This assertion would be categorically denied by Buddhism, which is a nontheistic if not atheistic religion.Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God who led the way to the Father.Islam considers that claim to be blasphemous. How can God have a Son?Jesus claimed that we can personally know God and the absolute nature of His truth.Agnostics deny that possibility…

Buddha was a Hindu before he rejected some of Hinduism’s fundamental doctrines and conceived in their place the Buddhist way.”3

C. S. Lewis wrote:

“If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through.If you are an atheist you have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake.If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth.

When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view.”4

Thus, from The Bahh&#a1;”&#ad; Faith to Islam, from the “religion” of the Unitarian Universalist to the “spirituality” of George E. Vaillant’s evolutionary psychiatrics, and from atheism to theism-exclusive claims are made by all and pretending that we all believe the same or attempting to re-label luminaries as, in reality, pertaining to our particular transcendent preferences is certainly self-serving but fallacious.

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