Census 2022: The call of the Spirit in Contemporary Society

On the weekend of the Easter Holiday 2022, there was a particular potency in the air. Too many issues that particularly demanded attention lay heavily in the ether. Sitting in the church on Good Friday my mind was being pulled in various directions, for as one does in such contexts one’s thoughts are challenged to think deeply about the human experience and life's meaning. Beyond the walls of the church building, it was hard to forget that there was a war in Ukraine initiated by Russia for seemingly no truly good purpose. In Australia, we were two weeks into an election where the culture wars were being played out with the question of integrity, and climate change front and centre of the divide between parties. The global covid pandemic was lingering on, leaving us uncertain as to whether we should continue with caution or hasten to the once normal. 500 million cases and 6 million deaths across the planet have been the crux of the deepest question when evaluated against the loss of lifestyle, work, and income. Easter is a time of deepest reflection about what truly matters and plays a diminishing role across society. The once sacred call of Good Friday to evaluate what really matters has lost its persuasive call for many.

The traffic noise was heavy from the abutting highway with thousands making their way for an extended long-weekend holiday. The intrusive rumble was annoying competing against the angelic voice of the young soprano singing ‘Pia Jesu’. Each year the numbers in Church seem to slightly diminish while hinting at an aging gathering. They say that the call of the spirit is leading elsewhere with increasing numbers engaged now as SBNR – spiritual but not religious or the new NONES (NB. Not Nuns) - people who declare on the census form they have no religion. If those in church this weekend see it as an occasion to both offer their devotion to God in whom they believe, and a time for reflection, for them it is certainly a time of renewal. SBNRs and NONE’S have found different ways.

The new divisions here are described as different pathways of life, and the three groups referred to above, might be defined as religion, spirituality, and secularism.

The reasons for the declining Western interest in Christianity are generally attributed to its Institutional, authoritarian, doctrinal beliefs and very conservative traditional ways of behaviour, each deemed to result in the lack of a relevant life or any depth of spirituality.

Tradition Worship is described as merely a religious ritual couched in a traditional ceremony with little genuine ability to relate to contemporary spiritual needs generally sought in contemporary times. Like many approaches to life, assessment is rarely the full picture. Despite this negative opinion many still value the traditional worship environment and continue to grow spiritually in its context. Its foundation still rests on ‘archetypal’ concepts which many of those attending have found enriching for the soul.

Those Christian traditions who have attempted to change their environment and appeal to the contemporary culture, more likely the protestant leaning traditions – with high energised contemporary music and other creative practices, such as dance, mood-setting lights, or a range of other multi-media experiences – are making a significant attempt to address the problems of relevance, but still, they are also deeply entrenched in the traditional scriptures with a literal interpretation. They are outwardly contemporary but inwardly still very traditional and conservative. This has proved to have some appeal, particularly to the younger generation, but continues to fall short to those who expect faith to stand in the midst of contemporary understandings, and its intellectual scrutiny. The belief that the scriptures are ‘the inerrant voice of God’ remains at odds with those who are seeking a way of life that speaks to contemporary knowledge. Despite standing separately from the contemporary world it does not mean that such Christians will not find spiritual nourishment within their practice.

As I sat in the church conscious of the rumble of the passing cars, I could surmise that these were the cars of the SBNRs and NONEs that I have referenced. In terms of the Spiritual But Not Religious group of society, I would understand that they have found other practices more relevant and meaningful for their journey in life. The need to gather for public worship on the Easter weekend is not the story that shapes their experience. They march to a different narrative. Before reflecting upon the life of the SBNRs it may be helpful to reflect upon how this division has arisen.

Their stories are varied and speak of greater freedom of pursuit and desire for individual determination. Jean Gebser notes the significance of a change in society across the world that coincided very broadly in time with the French revolution. With the disruption to the autocratic structure of the society at that time great energy was released amongst the citizenry. He believed it coincided with other changes in various places around the globe evidenced in other civil wars over time. Nietzsche reflected a change in human consciousness when he proclaimed the ‘Death of God’ statement implying that the former Patriarchal concept of God no longer held a place in humanity's mind. Later in the 19th century, Darwin published his Origin of Species (1859) so shaking the foundation of belief in the Creation in 6 days by a Patriarchal God. The new science of Richard Bohr presented in 1913 spelled the arrival of the science that was to change the world to replace the lesser Newtonian view and so ushered in the Quantum world that birthed a new paradigm of understanding for the twentieth century and the Post-Modern era in which we now live. The horrors of the two world wars so shattered peoples’ lives that trust in God to protect humanity’s welfare fell to an all-time low and the developing trust in the new scientific way took pride of place as the concept of hope. The secular society built upon the Information Age of the twentieth century was free to refashion the future. The slate was cleared for a world of our own making. Affluence, education and knowledge, technology and people movement gave humanity the freedom to build a world of our own choice. Traditional Western Christianity no longer held any appeal to most, and the arrival of alternate faith traditions gave the dormant spiritual need a vast array of options. The new sciences of psychology opened the minds of people to an interior world locked away in previous centuries. Asian mindfulness that one could practice in one’s own time and place offered a satisfying experience and a sense of spirituality many had not known of through traditional churches. This Asian approach beckoned many. Over a number of decades, a new movement grew that has gathered in number and passion, even if not collectively shared, a spirituality we refer to as SBNR – (Spiritual But Not Religious.)

Life as Spirit is back. Flanagan and Jupp have surveyed the place of spirit and religion in Europe and identified five ways that it has seen a renewal. Within the traditional domains of religion, they speak of ‘reclaimers’ and ‘innovators’. Reclaimers refer to those who are turning back to the traditional while ‘innovators’ refers to the group who are exploring new technological means. For the SBNR domain, the New Age, the Asian traditions, and a Healthy Life Style are the popular areas of development. It’s also worth noting that across the board, specific issues are proving stimulants to spiritual development. Common examples are ecology and feminist spirituality.

A brief note can be made of the NONES. They are those who have turned away from any notion of the spiritual. Their background tends to be grounded in their devotion to the scientific, materialistic, and couched in a humanistic philosophy of life. Those who see life purely in these terms are the foundation for the secular era of our times. It’s worth saying at this point, that no category mentioned is of a black and white nature and people can be experiencing much from across the spectrum of life’s possibilities.

The twentieth and twenty-first centuries mark a change in humanity unparalleled in all history. It is a time of flux, a melting pot of life, and referred to as the Post-Modern period. Because eras of history transition slowly from one to the other, for the purposes of this discussion and general simplicity, the post-modern can be equated to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

To make sense of this time of history a few primal traits need to be identified. It is an era referred to as the information age. The information available to virtually all people via the internet is exponentially growing at a rate beyond comprehension. No person or group of persons (including governments) can process this information in its entirety. Hence, it has also been spoken of as the of Post Truth era. There are facts subject to evidence and opinions that cover portions of knowledge but nothing that covers all perspectives claimed by people. Sociologists Charles Taylor and Gary Bouma have traced the story of truth since the year 1500 CE. In the year fifteen hundred, they indicate that truth was determined by the King or equivalent. By the 18 and 19 Centuries, the truth was determined by rational theory. By the latter decades of the 20 Century truth was assessed by personal feeling-opinion. Hence, we are living in an era where the concept of absolute truth has lost its relevance.

When it comes to discussing the subject of spirituality it is shaped by the balance of community and individuality. Traditionally it is representative of the communal. The notion of traditional religion is formed by the signs, symbols, sacraments, and scriptures to speak to the archetypal, universal experience of life. The Post-Modern era is spoken of by reference to various terms, the time of entitlement, the data age, or the era of Me-ism. It is the opposite of the communal. It is characterised by individuality. It has led to the diminishment of trust in the community or institutions. In the case of this disinterest in the communal nature of religious experience, it has contributed to the decline and marginalisation of Church life. On the other hand, it has opened the minds of people to the many individualised approaches to spirituality.

Christians are familiar with the notion of the spirit uniting, but we are dealing with a significant polarisation of approaches. The ‘Me’ factor divides, which when left on its own will contribute to the failure of humanity. However, I want to present the idea that this era of post-modern flux is offering something vital for re-setting the future. The traditional reminds us that the search for the archetypal, communal is fundamental to life. The variety of traditions across the globe, in whatever culture they have represented, each has something to offer, while on the other hand, the individualism of the SBNR responses is central to the call to all individuals that their contribution is essential. All people are responsible for the shaping of humanity into the future.

While the NONES have little interest in the notion of the spiritual, their contribution must not be ignored. Their life is grounded in the obvious sensory domain of daily life and its culture. It challenges the contribution of the Religious and SBNRs to be relevant, grounded, and practically informed. However, without the latter two, it provides a self-indulgent and ultimately a self-serving planet.

The way forward for a renewing of humanity is to be found in the description of those who speak of the mutational development of the mind which is taking place at the unconscious level of the human psyche during this post-modern period. It is being discovered by increasing numbers as we transition from the dominant rational function of the mind, typical of the 19 Century and earlier, to the integral perception increasingly emerging. This transition affects all domains of life, from the scientific to the arts. All is inter-relational. Nothing stands alone as a singularity, not even a spiritually orientated individual. Humanity must work together for the flourishing of the spiritually and humane based experience. Individual responsibility in the context of the community requires a cooperative approach. It needs to respect both the archetypal and the culturally relevant.

Humans are people of narrative. The traditional narrative, of the West, such as Christianity, has fallen short of relevance in the Information Age. New Age spirituality has not addressed the importance of any comprehensive narrative for a meaningful life to bring about a renewed humanity. For this purpose, some call for a second Reformation. Raimon Panikkar calls for renewal when he speaks of Jerusalem 2, which for him echoes the work of the First Jerusalem Council of Christian leaders gathered during the First Century (ACTS 1:15)

If humanity feels lost and unsettled in our era due to the extraordinary change across life on the planet, it is to be expected, for both Gebser and Wilber speak of their always having been crisis during times of massive change in past eras. But they also note that humanity has always found a way forward. I believe the emerging integral awakening and its relational attitude is the new pathway for humanity’s future flourishing for the good of all.