Religion and Nothingness
The conversation was framed around Keiji Nishitani's idea that the concept of "God is dead" can be an opportunity for religious awakening rather than nihilism.
Topics explored included the Golden Rule as a unifying ethical framework, the tension between organized religion and personal spirituality, the search for meaning and community, and the impact of personal experience on one's religious perspective.
The dialogue featured reflections on existential questions, the role of consciousness and ego, and the challenges of engaging with differing beliefs.
What We Discussed
God is Dead as Religious Awakening
The Shift in Perspective: The struggle is not necessarily with religion itself, but with the way that religion is interpreted, practiced, and handled in people's lives. Attending church out of an obligation won’t give you what you’re looking for and might ultimately turn you off.
Ego and Practice: The issue with religion may be "how we're practicing it, how we're interpreting it, how we're putting our ego into it".
This re-framing suggests that the "awakening" is achieved when one moves past self-centered interpretations or formalized, dogmatic adherence, instead seeking broader connection, love, and truth.
Individual Perspectives on Religion
We must flip our perspective from "what can I get from it versus what can I give to it," viewing our existence not as a "ticket to heaven" but as our "admission to the world community". The answer to existential questions is not the selfish "why am I here?" but the collective "What can I offer?".
The journey involves accepting that the problem often lies in how we introduce our ego into religion and the reality that people holding rigid beliefs may be motivated by a fear of a rapidly changing world. The consistent theme is the pursuit of genuine connection and truth, whether through traditional means, philosophical questioning, or physical self-expression like dance.
The different paths discussed resembled tributaries flowing into a river—they start in distinct, often restricted, geographical locations (Catholicism, Adventism, Atheism, Presbyterianism), but the core pressure on each individual is the same: to move past the narrow banks of established dogma and find a wider connection, flowing toward the collective ocean of connectedness, love, and truth.
Engaging with Different Perspectives
The discussion framed engagement as a delicate negotiation where the drive for critical self-reflection must be balanced with respect for the emotional and existential needs (peace, comfort, community) that fuel others’ established perspectives. Engagement must aim to bind people together (re-ligere), focusing on collective humanity rather than individual ideological victory.
Read the notes, review the deliverables, and listen to the Deep Dive podcast in the Notebook.
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