There are undeniable trends in the world of faith today, each leading to places that we may or may not appreciate. As one who makes his living in the field of religion, participates in two different religious traditions on a regular basis, and passionately studies what's happening among the spiritually mindful, I have an abiding interest in what follows. Wading hip-deep into these waters, the following are my opinions of where we may find ourselves nearly two years from now, as we look back on the year 2012.
1. The only American-born world religion will have its first resident in the West Wing, as the American people will send a Republican administration to the White House that includes the country's first Mormon President or Vice-President.
2. The Book of Mormon will be on the New York Times Bestsellers list throughout the Fall '12 campaign.
3. The Chinese government will completely de-criminalize being Christian, seeing this as a necessary step towards their goal of overtaking the USA as the world's top economic superpower.
4. Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims will begin to agree on at least one thing: that the Antichrist is living among us -- as a prominent, deceptive, spiritual man who pretends to bring hope for all of humankind.
5. As Pope Benedict XVI is about to turn 85 years old, there will be rampant speculation within the Catholic Church as to his future, his effectiveness, and whether or not he may retire. Pundits will continue to compare him to Celestine V, the Pope who quit in the 13th century.
6. If a papal election happens by the end of 2012, we may see for the first time a supreme pontiff whose first language is Spanish. The Honduran cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga is a strong possibility.
7. Church and synagogue attendance will drop by a full 10 percent in 2012, after holding steady or seeing slight increases over the previous two years.
8. People will begin to distinguish between attending "brick and mortar" religious services from "virtual" attendance.
9. Ministers, priests and rabbis will begin to embrace virtual ritual and observance. You can always make a minyan on-line.
10. More than 30 million residents of the USA, on average, will attend virtual religious services at least once a week by the end of 2012. Christians will take Communion. Jews will say Kaddish.
11. The spirituality of food will burgeon, just as food shortages begin to spark regional wars and conflicts in parts of the two-thirds world. Articles, books, blogs and conferences will be held by Christians seeking to develop traditions similar to Islam's halal and Judaism's kashrut.
12. One of the world's most popular evangelical Christian preachers will launch a virtual religious service as a new aspect of his weekly electronic ministry.
13. The winter solstice -- Dec, 21, 2012 -- will come and go and the world will not end, despite weeks of intense tabloid speculation that the Mayan calendar, constructed a millennium ago, foretells the apocalypse for that day.
14. The Mayan discussion will be seen as silly by most of us, but will nevertheless fuel a desire in millions of people to re-examine the meaning of life as the Gregorian calendar turns to 2013.
And that at least -- the renewed human desire for meaning -- never changes.
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If the age turns, the age turns, ....Whether or not there's a show about it doesn't mean it comes in a pamphlet.
At this point, people like to set dates and then reassure themselves nothing happened.
(Even if, like in the case of Y2K, a lot of actual people actually worked actually hard with actual old computers to actually *make* nothing happen.*)
Can be that way in the spirit-walking trades, really. Not to reinforce any normalcy bias, but it's a bad night when something *does* make the news.
So, like, the thing I'm looking forward to is a little while of people having run out of apocalyptic prophecies. ;)
See, here's what I think's gonna happen.
In 2012, Americans are going to figure out the difference between a 'wish' and a 'prediction,' a *religion* and a political party, and between a *theological/metaphysical discussion* and a *stump speech,* ...or else we'll all still be here talking about how could religion and politics possibly both go so badly-wrong.
That's what I think.
Also, what I think is that what is irate and self-righteous talk and denial now could be hysteria later, so if we don't want to prove darker ideas about Mayan calendars and Christian 'tribulations' *right,* the time is *now* to start getting along and maybe even fixing some stuff. ;)
Top news stories of 2012?
Well, since a lot of people are trying to persecute soothsayers from Romania to Massachusetts, these days, how bout we ask:
What will you *make* the top religion news stories of 2012, friends?
You can still choose.
He may not be the *worst* of the candidates up, but he sure isn't as pure as his teeth and pictures in the Herald on religious matters, either.
Prop 8. Forgotten, obsolete, and overtly racist 1917 law against miscegenation used against LGBT people. Dug up by Romney and enforced cause he did not keep his word when elected. No triumph for 'Mormons being great' there.
Right now, we're hoping for a 'Look back and laugh through the mess' situation, and hopefully not, 'Yep, see, these Godsforsakin' people are still maniacs!'
*Mayan prophecies* about it talk about a turning of the ages of the world as they reckoned, and the less-spectacular versions of that are actually a lot creepier. A lot about Nature and the works of Man turning against them.
Nothing so tidy or Calvinist or Catholic as an 'end' though.
Careful what you believe from people who destroyed most of the evidence, sis. We only *have* that calendar cause the Conquitstadors burned up as much of the local equivalent of croabha as they could.
Christianity destroyed Africa. I hope till my dying breath that you dominionist never get your wish.
In 2012, Americans are going to figure out the difference between a 'wish' and a 'prediction,' a *religion* and a political party, and between a *theological/metaphysical discussion* and a *stump speech,* ...or else we'll all still be here talking about how could religion and politics possibly both go so badly-wrong.
That's what I think.
Also, what I think is that what is irate and self-righteous talk and denial now could be hysteria later, so if we don't want to prove darker ideas about Mayan calendars and Christian 'tribulations' *right,* the time is *now* to start getting along and maybe even fixing some stuff. ;)
Yes, the Gods *are* Paying Attention. And this American land hears and feels *everything we do here.* (Even if some Mormons claim to be 'the only truly American religion' and all that noise. You know that ain't true from *two* continents, don't let them define your actions *here.* )
All this hears your anger, also hears you wanting to *grow up.* I'm sorry, sister, that you've been hurt. So much and so many have. But ; 'the Christians,' and the like, they're just the younger kids right now, even if they're bigger and kind of aggressive.
What they claim is 'strength' will of course fail. It always does.
And, yes, hurt a lot of people, not to mention the land and future in the process.
But they. Own. Nothing. Understand? Least of all *you.*
If Pagans stand for something, it's the very Earth we stand upon and the people in it. These are our kin, however... well. Disconnected.
Healing. Not being doormats, not being silent, soft, or complacent, but *healing.* Even the warriors. Even some of us more than a little burnt on human suffering and arrogance in the name of books supposedly about 'God.'
Whatever these taught you about Gods, this ain't about 'righteous.' They want a 'war,' and 'righteous end.' We stand for *home.* Just home. The rest comes in time.
We have a responsibility to the land, and the people, particularly *healing* the relationship of the people and the land, ourselves, each other... and if that doesn't include monotheists, They didn't fill *me* in on that point, so I've been operating on other assumptions all this time.
Everything is a 'war' to these Abrahamics. Whether it really is one or not. We're not them.
Yeah, if war comes, we know what to do, too. But our Gods give us lots more than that.
What are you doing to 'stand up' by talking like *that?*
If you don't like the idea of interfaith relations, you're talking on the wrong freakin' forum.
If you want to be isolationist, get building.
Pretending it does any good to talk as you often do here, as though the very people you don't believe actually define all possibilities, doesn't help on *any* count.
Yes, Pagan people are peaceful. This does not mean *pacifist.* It also does not mean that 'metaphorical war' makes everything OK. Or that claiming 'Gods of War' mean there's any bloody *war* to be won or that's advisable even if there were.
These things do not make you stronger. Being factually *wrong* sure doesn't make your *arguments* any stronger.
I'm actually suggesting you spend some *time* with some Pagan people till you understand this. And preferably contextualize what you're saying.
I'm *saying* it's OK. Yes, there are politics all over. This doesn't mean you speaking as you often do is helping you, or the situation, or anything in particular.
You're talking division, even from those you claim to represent, and expecting that to be a winning equation politically. For what?
Christians, bad guys or not, we have spiritual home of our own. You're allowed to be there.
"Warrior" posturing
"Maitreya has now given a series of 29 television interviews, and more are expected to take place in the Americas, Japan, Europe and the rest of the world. His open mission in the world has begun. As Maitreya himself has said: “Soon, now very soon, you will see my face and hear my words.”"
This is the story which time will validate and be seen as the greatest even of our time.
Nevertheless, "a desire in millions of people to re-examine the meaning of life" and "the renewed human desire for meaning" will continue to lead 'elsewhere' and outside existing traditions which more and more are seen to have failed in this purpose. One 'elsewhere' spreading on the web, which may succeed where tradition has failed and have profound implications for the future is called "The Final Freedoms" which could shake the status quo to its core?
"The first ever viable religious conception capable of leading reason, by faith, to observable consequences which can be tested and judged is now a reality. A teaching that delivers the first ever religious claim of insight into the human condition that meets the Enlightenment criteria of verifiable, direct cause and effect, evidence based truth embodied in experience. For the first time in history, however unexpected, the world must contend with a claim to new revealed truth, a moral wisdom not of human intellectual origin, offering access by faith, to absolute proof, an objective basis for moral principle and a fully rational and justifiable belief! "
As more and more people test and confirm the efficacy of this new moral insight, as I am doing now, nothing short of a religious revolution will be under way! http://www.energon.org.uk
"Chloroform in print". -- Mark Twain
Hail Odin the all father.
Hey, my fairy tails are just as viable as yours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqjKnnDxRUc&playnext=1&list=PL66622BB0671CF0D5
Science is useful. Claiming that one commands it by belief or disbelief tends to not be.
The Christians have been waiting for someone to live down to their insistence that atheism is science is some kind of rival religion, and just as you're angry, so are many atheists.
Of course, neither Paganism nor science are *actually* wrapped around Christian vanities: it just takes a while for that to sink in. ;)
I also predict that Christians will use science and technology to denounce science and technology.
Finally I predict that the May 21, 2011 rapture folks will not be putting up signs saying "We were wrong" on May 22, 2011.