I really enjoyed this and found your distinction between theist/atheist and Bound/Unbound fascinating. I think in the end everyone is Bound, whether a believer or not. We all have a thirst for meaning, a need for a ‘why’. The difficulty is in finding it after we leave religious dogma behind.
Nietzsche was right when he said God was dead, the Enlightenment and resulting Scientific Revolution has destroyed the possibility of the old notions of religious meaning. However, the dangers of nihilism are even worse than dogma, we each need to find our own whys to live fulfilled, meaningful lives.
Thanks so much for reading! I’m so glad you find the Bound/Unbound concept interesting.
I agree -- I think the “Unbound” position is ultimately an illusion. I think of the Bound/Unbound dichotomy as having to do with self-perception and identity, not necessarily what is in fact true about the individual. Everyone has guiding narratives that bind them, and it is a life’s work to examine those narratives and ensure that they are a force for good in the world.
Agree 100%. I think of a lot of the social unrest we’ve seen in recent time can be explained by people searching for their binding, their why. Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, BLM riots, far right getting crazier, social justice hysteria - all are people desperately searching for meaning and throwing themselves so vehemently into it
Mmm, I think there might be some truth to that. Human beings are parched for meaning. While I’m glad for the secularization of society -- it has been very kind to minorities like me -- I also worry about what happens when meaning-making institutions go into decline.
Sorry perhaps I should have been clearer - like Nietzsche, I think this loss of God is a good thing overall, but can have negative repercussions for those who are lost and seek meaning in the wrong places.
Rather than blanket meanings thrown over whole groups or societies (i.e. mass religions, political ideologies) which in order to fit the whole will inevitably chafe the individual, it’s better we have the choice to discover our own individual whys. Our own meanings, individual to each of us. However, this transition from prescribed whys to finding our own is difficult (also Nietzsche), hence why a lot people end up looking for them in bad places (stuff I mentioned above), and having all the negative repercussions that come with it.
We can’t go back to God now we’ve killed him, the only thing we can do is try to create an environment where we’re all able to find our own individual whys, while remain highly sceptical of group-level meanings.
(also, apologies for the really long comment but I’m two beers deep and just sort of got going on a roll here! 😂)
I completely agree. We can’t reverse killing God even if we wanted to, and I don’t think we should want to. But making meaning is incredibly hard and a lot of people are struggling with it. I think part of my goal for my writing/podcasting is to help people build their binding narratives in a way that is sustainable and compassionate.
My friend and parishioner sent me the link. Now I'm wondering how to subscribe to your blog. I am not too great with podcasts but loved reading your thoughts because they help me understand the trajectory of my own life: from Baptist preacher's kid to welfare worker, to Baptist home missionary, to junior-high school teaching and counseling, joining a Unitarian Universalist congregation in 1976 and ultimately becoming a UU minister. I maintained my Christian identity to maintain my relationship with more conservative family members, but as I grew spiritually, began to see myself as walking what I call the Jesus Path, open to Jesus' teachings yet understanding the miracle stories as meaningful fiction. I've recently retired as a UU minister after 24 years of joyous service and gradually understanding where my ethics and understandings had led me. UUism is friendly to Jesus' teachings but not to Christian nationalism and I never want to be associated with that abomination.
Thank you so much for sharing some of your journey. I will feature it in an upcoming feedback post. I love your phrase "meaningful fiction," and take the same approach to my religious path. The myths that scaffold my life are indeed myths, but are no less meaningful because of that fact.
This Substack is both my blog and podcast! You can subscribe by clicking on the "subscribe" button near the bottom of the page.
I really enjoyed this and found your distinction between theist/atheist and Bound/Unbound fascinating. I think in the end everyone is Bound, whether a believer or not. We all have a thirst for meaning, a need for a ‘why’. The difficulty is in finding it after we leave religious dogma behind.
Nietzsche was right when he said God was dead, the Enlightenment and resulting Scientific Revolution has destroyed the possibility of the old notions of religious meaning. However, the dangers of nihilism are even worse than dogma, we each need to find our own whys to live fulfilled, meaningful lives.
Thanks so much for reading! I’m so glad you find the Bound/Unbound concept interesting.
I agree -- I think the “Unbound” position is ultimately an illusion. I think of the Bound/Unbound dichotomy as having to do with self-perception and identity, not necessarily what is in fact true about the individual. Everyone has guiding narratives that bind them, and it is a life’s work to examine those narratives and ensure that they are a force for good in the world.
Agree 100%. I think of a lot of the social unrest we’ve seen in recent time can be explained by people searching for their binding, their why. Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, BLM riots, far right getting crazier, social justice hysteria - all are people desperately searching for meaning and throwing themselves so vehemently into it
Mmm, I think there might be some truth to that. Human beings are parched for meaning. While I’m glad for the secularization of society -- it has been very kind to minorities like me -- I also worry about what happens when meaning-making institutions go into decline.
Sorry perhaps I should have been clearer - like Nietzsche, I think this loss of God is a good thing overall, but can have negative repercussions for those who are lost and seek meaning in the wrong places.
Rather than blanket meanings thrown over whole groups or societies (i.e. mass religions, political ideologies) which in order to fit the whole will inevitably chafe the individual, it’s better we have the choice to discover our own individual whys. Our own meanings, individual to each of us. However, this transition from prescribed whys to finding our own is difficult (also Nietzsche), hence why a lot people end up looking for them in bad places (stuff I mentioned above), and having all the negative repercussions that come with it.
We can’t go back to God now we’ve killed him, the only thing we can do is try to create an environment where we’re all able to find our own individual whys, while remain highly sceptical of group-level meanings.
(also, apologies for the really long comment but I’m two beers deep and just sort of got going on a roll here! 😂)
Two beers deep is good!
I completely agree. We can’t reverse killing God even if we wanted to, and I don’t think we should want to. But making meaning is incredibly hard and a lot of people are struggling with it. I think part of my goal for my writing/podcasting is to help people build their binding narratives in a way that is sustainable and compassionate.
My friend and parishioner sent me the link. Now I'm wondering how to subscribe to your blog. I am not too great with podcasts but loved reading your thoughts because they help me understand the trajectory of my own life: from Baptist preacher's kid to welfare worker, to Baptist home missionary, to junior-high school teaching and counseling, joining a Unitarian Universalist congregation in 1976 and ultimately becoming a UU minister. I maintained my Christian identity to maintain my relationship with more conservative family members, but as I grew spiritually, began to see myself as walking what I call the Jesus Path, open to Jesus' teachings yet understanding the miracle stories as meaningful fiction. I've recently retired as a UU minister after 24 years of joyous service and gradually understanding where my ethics and understandings had led me. UUism is friendly to Jesus' teachings but not to Christian nationalism and I never want to be associated with that abomination.
Thank you so much for sharing some of your journey. I will feature it in an upcoming feedback post. I love your phrase "meaningful fiction," and take the same approach to my religious path. The myths that scaffold my life are indeed myths, but are no less meaningful because of that fact.
This Substack is both my blog and podcast! You can subscribe by clicking on the "subscribe" button near the bottom of the page.
You are singing my song, Stephen.
Thank you, friend! Always good to encounter a another bird of a feather! How did you find my Substack?