Ross Douthat, a columnist for The New York Times and author of 'Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious', dives into the transformative power of faith. He discusses the positive impacts of religion on well-being and navigates the complexities of maintaining beliefs in a divided political landscape. Douthat shares his personal faith journey and the shifting dynamics of Christianity, while advocating for a thoughtful engagement with institutional faith. The conversation also touches on contemporary interest in spirituality amidst skepticism, exploring faith's renewal in modern culture.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Engage Opposing Views Charitably
Strive to engage with and understand the best arguments of opposing views with humility and charity.
Recognize that both political or religious sides often have partial truths and appreciate the humanity of their adherents.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Ross's Faith Journey
Ross Douthat experienced charismatic Christianity intensely as a child but personally did not have mystical experiences like speaking in tongues.
His faith eventually rooted in intellectual Catholicism, blending reason with mystical elements.
insights INSIGHT
Disenchantment's Myth and Persistence
Disenchantment of the natural world has been overstated; mystical experiences persist even within modern secular contexts.
Official knowledge excludes supernatural elements, but cracks have appeared, allowing for renewed fascination with the mystical and unexplained.
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In 'The Abolition of Man', C.S. Lewis delivers a defense of objective value and natural law, originating from his Riddell Memorial Lectures at the University of Durham in 1943. Lewis argues that education should be conducted within the context of moral law and objective values, which he terms the 'Tao'. He criticizes modern attempts to debunk these values, warning that such actions could lead to a dehumanization of society, resulting in what he calls 'Men without Chests' – individuals whose emotions have not been trained to conform to reason. The book emphasizes the universal nature of traditional moralities across different cultures and warns against the dangers of moral relativism and the reduction of human beings to mere objects of scientific analysis[2][4][5].
The Silver Chair
C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair is the fourth published book in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series. It follows Eustace Scrubb, who returns to Narnia along with his classmate Jill Pole, on a mission from Aslan to find Prince Rilian, the son of King Caspian. The story involves their journey through the underground world of Narnia, facing various dangers and encountering the Lady of the Green Kirtle, who has enchanted Prince Rilian. With the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, they manage to break the curse and free Rilian, leading to the defeat of the Lady of the Green Kirtle and the return of Rilian to his father's kingdom.
Believe
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Ross Douthat
Ross Douthat is a columnist for the New York Times and the author of 'Believe: Why everyone should be religious'. He joins Belle and Justin to talk about why religion is good for us, and to give some pointers for how the average agnostic may be able to find their way to faith.
For Ross Douthat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Believe-Why-Everyone-Should-Religious/dp/0310367581
For Seen And Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/
If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com
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