October 12, 2023 - 1:00pm
According to new polling, there has been a global and rapid rise in the number of people identifying as non-religious, especially among young adults. In the US, for example, 43% of 18-28-year-old Americans now identify as “nonbelievers”.
This raises a challenge for religious institutions: namely, how can they appeal to younger generations? One popular approach in recent years has been hosting more “modern” events in churches and cathedrals. In the UK, for example, Canterbury Cathedral recently announced its first ever ‘90s silent disco, featuring music from pop groups including the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls and Eminem. Last month Durham Cathedral welcomed the Hoosiers, while St James’s Church in Piccadilly regularly hosts drag nights. One cathedral even installed a 55-foot helter-skelter.
This isn’t just happening in the UK. Orthodox churches in Turkey have hosted techno raves. St Thomas Church in Berlin recently transformed into a “techno temple”. From Prague to Rome to South Carolina, places of worship are being turned into tourist attractions and concert venues. Portuguese priest Guilherme Peixoto even hosted a DJ set for over a million young people before Pope Francis gave final mass for World Youth Day.
It’s easy to see why the Church feels the need to “modernise” to attract younger members. But while it’s commendable to try and create a sense of community for Gen Z, is converting cathedrals into nightclubs really the solution? However well-intentioned, it’s unclear how church raves or DJ priests will inspire younger people to take these institutions and their values seriously. These events hollow out the depth and meaning of religion, turning it into a commodity. What should be a sanctuary for deep reflection instead serves fleeting pleasures, while the focus shifts from inspiring faith to making money.
We are a generation coming of age in a world where everything meaningful in our lives has been commodified, from friendship to intimacy to our mental wellbeing. Everything around us feels cheap and commercialised. Perhaps, then, the way forward isn’t cathedral nightclubs but, instead, keeping these spaces sacred.
Young people across the West are yearning for something deeper. In a 2019 survey, British teenagers ranked second-to-last in an international listing of how far young people felt their life “has meaning”, with nine in 10 of the 16-29 bracket saying they felt purposeless.
Few have tried addressing this crisis, but one example that resonated with many was Jordan Peterson’s “Biblical Series” — the academic’s YouTube lectures on the psychological meaning of the Bible stories — which attracted millions of views, sold out arenas, and reframed religion for thousands of young people. What Peterson did was focus on the cultural and historical significance of these institutions, myths and their enduring moral lessons — moving even those of us who weren’t religious.
Many Zoomers feel lost and disconnected. They have weaker ties to tradition, history and cultural identity compared to their forebears — despite the fact that strong cultural heritage can contribute to a sense of belonging, social cohesion, and better mental health. Converting historical monuments into entertainment venues will only deepen this disconnect.
Instead, we should be preserving the sanctity of these spaces as much as possible. Because, actually, the more the modern world continues to commodify everything, the more soulless and superficial everything else becomes. And as this happens, Gen Z might see the appeal of something more sacred.
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SubscribeOne should not put too much stock in potential Presidential candidate campaign statements. Things always look different once in the White House, especially as POTUS often able to exert more influence on foreign than domestic affairs.
What the US increasingly knows is that Cold War 2 is not just a contest in the South China Sea. Much as for Cold War 1 it is contested over all Continents. How the US/Western Allies behave towards Ukraine has meaning and message to many pondering whether to lean towards the CCP or back towards the West. This has to form part of the calculus.
There seems no doubt though that Europe, whilst more unified than many would have predicted, will have to step forward and provide a greater proportion of guarantees for the eventual peace in Ukraine. This will beg big questions, especially of the Germans and French. The Brits too. The Poles and Scandinavians we know will step forward.
Agreed. Presidential ratings will be hurt by any activity that condemns Ukraine to defeat. There may be a reduction in enthusiasm which could cause problems, particularly if that encourages the Russians.
The best hope is that the forthcoming Ukrainian offensive pushes the Russians back to their original borders and forces Putin to negotiate. At some point the Russians will realise they can’t conquer the entirety of the Ukraine and will have to talk.
What Ukraine actually needs to do is sever the land bridge to Crimea (the southern land corridor). Resupply of Crimea will then become far more difficult. Not necessary to recover territory in the East to do this. They only need to cut the long southern flank at one point and it’s over. At that point the Russians may have to seriously negotiate.
What Ukraine actually needs to do is sever the land bridge to Crimea (the southern land corridor). Resupply of Crimea will then become far more difficult. Not necessary to recover territory in the East to do this. They only need to cut the long southern flank at one point and it’s over. At that point the Russians may have to seriously negotiate.
The Russians will have little interest in guarantees from Europe, once Merkel and the Germans admitted they have been lying for years and have no real intension of implementing any negotiated settlement, the question will be solved on the battle field with the destruction of the Ukrainian army
Rather like it was solved on 24 Feb 2022.
Ingenious solutions lead to quite fascinating outcomes!
Rather like it was solved on 24 Feb 2022.
Ingenious solutions lead to quite fascinating outcomes!
Agreed. Presidential ratings will be hurt by any activity that condemns Ukraine to defeat. There may be a reduction in enthusiasm which could cause problems, particularly if that encourages the Russians.
The best hope is that the forthcoming Ukrainian offensive pushes the Russians back to their original borders and forces Putin to negotiate. At some point the Russians will realise they can’t conquer the entirety of the Ukraine and will have to talk.
The Russians will have little interest in guarantees from Europe, once Merkel and the Germans admitted they have been lying for years and have no real intension of implementing any negotiated settlement, the question will be solved on the battle field with the destruction of the Ukrainian army
One should not put too much stock in potential Presidential candidate campaign statements. Things always look different once in the White House, especially as POTUS often able to exert more influence on foreign than domestic affairs.
What the US increasingly knows is that Cold War 2 is not just a contest in the South China Sea. Much as for Cold War 1 it is contested over all Continents. How the US/Western Allies behave towards Ukraine has meaning and message to many pondering whether to lean towards the CCP or back towards the West. This has to form part of the calculus.
There seems no doubt though that Europe, whilst more unified than many would have predicted, will have to step forward and provide a greater proportion of guarantees for the eventual peace in Ukraine. This will beg big questions, especially of the Germans and French. The Brits too. The Poles and Scandinavians we know will step forward.
Americans have learned this, but our ruling class remains quite enamored with them. Any why not? Using tax money to buy bombs and missiles made by friends you play golf with so you can blow up stuff halfway around the world is fun and makes you look strong.
Suspect Russia has also learned lessons about the futility of trying to control borderlands where people universally hate them.
Or rather, maybe they haven’t…
Suspect Russia has also learned lessons about the futility of trying to control borderlands where people universally hate them.
Or rather, maybe they haven’t…
Americans have learned this, but our ruling class remains quite enamored with them. Any why not? Using tax money to buy bombs and missiles made by friends you play golf with so you can blow up stuff halfway around the world is fun and makes you look strong.
Logically China and other enemies of the West would want to prolong this conflict as long as possible. Exhausting the West’s resources and reaching the point where the cost and compassion fatigue for what seems like an interminable war has turned public opinion against further support, the USA, Britain and Ukraine’s other supporters would once again be forced in to a shameful cut and run just like they were with Iraq and Afghanistan.
China and our other geopolitical enimies would assume – probably quite rightly – that after yet another humiliatng retreat, there would be no appetite to commit resources to defend Taiwan or any other target our enemies have in their sights
I imagine, then, that China and others will be assisting Russia with sufficient finance and armaments to ensure that Russia is not defeated. With the US presidential elections taking place next year, and a sceptical Republican president a strong probability, there is additional incentive to keep Russia in the fight for the next 18 months.
With new military and economic alligiances centred on China created and he West: humilated, exhausted, conflict wear and engaged in a cultural nervous breakdown, it is not hard to imagine that the the long touted fundamental shift in the geopoliical balance of power could finally happen.
Russia has to win its first victory before any of that can happen.
Backing incompetents is not China’s style.
Whereas stealing Russia’s erstwhile clients in Central Asia is. Nice to see that their new railway also totally bypasses Russia.
Maybe they know something about Russia we don’t?
Russia has to win its first victory before any of that can happen.
Backing incompetents is not China’s style.
Whereas stealing Russia’s erstwhile clients in Central Asia is. Nice to see that their new railway also totally bypasses Russia.
Maybe they know something about Russia we don’t?
Logically China and other enemies of the West would want to prolong this conflict as long as possible. Exhausting the West’s resources and reaching the point where the cost and compassion fatigue for what seems like an interminable war has turned public opinion against further support, the USA, Britain and Ukraine’s other supporters would once again be forced in to a shameful cut and run just like they were with Iraq and Afghanistan.
China and our other geopolitical enimies would assume – probably quite rightly – that after yet another humiliatng retreat, there would be no appetite to commit resources to defend Taiwan or any other target our enemies have in their sights
I imagine, then, that China and others will be assisting Russia with sufficient finance and armaments to ensure that Russia is not defeated. With the US presidential elections taking place next year, and a sceptical Republican president a strong probability, there is additional incentive to keep Russia in the fight for the next 18 months.
With new military and economic alligiances centred on China created and he West: humilated, exhausted, conflict wear and engaged in a cultural nervous breakdown, it is not hard to imagine that the the long touted fundamental shift in the geopoliical balance of power could finally happen.
The War will be over by summer.
The War will be over by summer.
The far more consequential fact right now is that Putin is walking an impossible tightrope.
He’s creating a quite psychotic cocktail inside Russia, by forcing people like Medvedev, and TV presenters like Solovyov, to make insane statements about “totally destroying Ukraine.”
It’s designed to convince both Russians and westerners that he is the only sane ruler for Russia.
But the far more likely outcome is that this will only embolden the real psychotics in Russia to overthrow a weak and cowardly Tsar.
We’ll soon see a civil war between psychos like Prigozhin, against the (much weakened) Russian Army and oligarchs.
Looks like 1917 all over again. Just the inevitable outcome of Muscovy’s 800-year old culture.
The sure sign that someone is wrong is when they can’t even think of a reply.
The sure sign that someone is wrong is when they can’t even think of a reply.
The far more consequential fact right now is that Putin is walking an impossible tightrope.
He’s creating a quite psychotic cocktail inside Russia, by forcing people like Medvedev, and TV presenters like Solovyov, to make insane statements about “totally destroying Ukraine.”
It’s designed to convince both Russians and westerners that he is the only sane ruler for Russia.
But the far more likely outcome is that this will only embolden the real psychotics in Russia to overthrow a weak and cowardly Tsar.
We’ll soon see a civil war between psychos like Prigozhin, against the (much weakened) Russian Army and oligarchs.
Looks like 1917 all over again. Just the inevitable outcome of Muscovy’s 800-year old culture.