Santa May Be the Only Safe Belief
A Culture Ruled by Someone Named Universe
There was a definite spiritual element at a recent business conference I attended. There was a lot of talk about yoga and meditation and references to various popular spiritual gurus. The Bible was quoted a couple of times without attribution. Most of the focus of spirituality was on something named “Universe.”
Participants were looking to become more united with the Universe. They wanted to please the Universe. They wanted blessings from the Universe.
And therein lies the problem faced by modern religion. God, going by the name of God, just doesn’t fit in anymore. We need a euphemism for God if we are to escape the critical eye of modern culture. At the same time we long for a personal connection. We want to be noticed. Privately, please.
The God who knew us before we were born is something to hold closely. We don’t want to offend or proselytize. We accept spiritual lives lived on tiptoes — partly so we can all get along.
Enter Universe—the new God without a name, without expectations or demands. The new God with no baggage or history—the new god that won’t embarrass us or cause us to be ostracized or labeled.
Oh, divine Universe, grant that we might prosper and thrive. Don’t ask too much of us —help us to fit in with the rest of the . . . well, universe.
It’s sort of like Santa . . . someone everyone believes in with a wink of an eye and a twist of a head and only for about one month of the year.
It’s so easy to get lost in this big universe. Kind of lonely down here.
Oh, Universe, please send us some kind of sign, something we can understand. We just want to know you are real.
Happy Advent.