Desire for God is not enough
Religion refuses to fade away. Although secular observers continue to be surprised by the persistence of faith, quests for spiritual fulfillment are very much the order of the day. Even in a culture like ours so steeped in materialist values, ordinary people are somehow aware that the mundane matters of our day-to-day lives do not satisfy the human heart completely. They keep looking for something beyond.
"Built into the human makeup is a longing for more," explains Huston Smith, an internationally renowned teacher of world religions. "Sunflowers bend in the direction of light because light exists….The reality that excites and fulfills the soul's longing is God by whatsoever His name." And whatever fills the gap.
This aspect of the human situation is generally a good thing for Christianity. The Church exists as a place for spiritual seekers to find purpose and meaning, forgiveness and love in a reconciling relationship with the living God. Churches are, or are supposed to be, sanctuaries of worship and centres of mission that engage the most fundamental matters of life and human wellbeing.
But Christianity isn't the only option in the religious marketplace. Other of the world's great religions are becoming ever more firmly established on North American soil. And options abound. As a Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life research project conducted in 2009 makes clear, mixing and matching religious beliefs—picking, choosing from disparate spiritual traditions—is a widespread phenomenon.
"Americans are sampling from the vast smorgasbord of world religions and spiritual traditions," they report. "Spiritual mixing and matching is the norm for many." Consider this small sampling of their findings: Belief in reincarnation (24 per cent); belief in yoga as a spiritual practice (23 per cent); belief in astrology (25 per cent); belief in spiritual energy of physical objects (26 per cent); belief in spells and curses (16 per cent). In addition, the Pew Forum reports that some of the following experiences were commonly reported: been in contact with a deceased person (29 per cent); been in presence of a ghost (18 per cent); had a mystical or religious experience (49 per cent); consulted a psychic (15 per cent). None of this bodes well for secularism.
Misplaced devotion
But it's no shoo-in for Christianity either. We should be the first to realize that the innate desire for a relationship with God does not lead all seekers to Christ. In fact, religious activity may actually increase as genuine spirituality—authentic Christianity—declines.
God Himself seems to take very seriously the matter of people misdirecting their spiritual devotion, as the first two commandments make plain (no other gods; no idols). The Old Testament prophets often voiced similar concerns. The problem wasn't that people weren't religious; it was mostly that they were worshipping the wrong things. Micah, for example, rejected a litany of religious exercises as worthless in the absence of a practical relationship with a holy God (6:6-8).
And Isaiah made much the same point: "bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation—I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them" (1:13,14).
Again and again the prophets decry the capital sin of forsaking the dictates of the one true God and going after other gods. The altars, the totems, the rejection of God's rules for holy living…well, things haven't changed all that much. While the look of the idols may have changed, the gods and goddesses of old are as alive in human nature and social transaction as ever they were in the days described in the Bible.
Nonetheless, the imprint of God on human hearts is also ever present, and therein lies our hope. Through Jesus Christ, God reconciles everything (Col. 1:20). As long as souls continue to yearn for communion with the living God, He will work creatively to find ways to bring those who have been separated from Him into a harmonious relationship.
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