Why this is where everyone ends up.

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The myth of secularism

Back in the early 1970s, when I was in high school and college, we were confidently told by our self-appointed cultural architects that science would lead us into the promised land and the really smart people were either atheists or at least secularists, meaning that the important issues of life – economic, government, relationships, personal meaning and freedom were now divorced from dependency on religious influence.  This is the downstream effect of taking God out of our public schools.  Life was now ‘secular’.  We had outgrown Christianity, the experts told us.

Fast forward 40-50 years and we see some strange things happening in our culture.  First, Christian sexual morality was banished from the entertainment world and the public educational system.  Then, strangely, all the while claiming we no longer needed religion, a new one took its place.  The new morality took on a religious significance.  Defending the newest victim class became like a religious crusade, with heretics being swiftly punished.  A life of unrestricted self-gratification leaves a moral and spiritual void that demands to be filled. 

A number of recent authors have described religion, or worship, as that which gives our life meaning, or significance, or creates a sense of awe.  Author Steven D. Smith, whom I quote in my book, demonstrates how modern atheists actually become pagan because they make part of God’s creation sacred, while denying the God who created these things.  Michael Shellenberger has an excellent article on Substack called “Why Wokeism Is A Religion.”  This is why the modern pagans make global warming or social justice issues a religious cause, for which they are not even willing to debate or discuss, because these causes are filling a religious and spiritual void in their lives.  I go into a good bit of detail on this as well in my chapter on “The Religion of Paganism” in my book Modern Paganism. 

If the atheists are right, we shouldn’t need meaning or significance.  Animals only have material needs.  Because humans are spiritual and not just material, we have needs beyond the material.  We need meaning and purpose beyond survival.  We need to feel like we are ethical people.  We travel long distances to view beautiful scenes of nature.  We find inspiration and awe in nature.  We find inspiration and awe in beautiful cathedrals or imposing castles.  We find inspiration and awe in the faces of our children or in the beauty of a lifelong marriage.  These needs and desires and reactions do not fit into a materialistic view of life, which says that we are only biochemical beings. 

For many people, what gives their lives a sense of significance and meaning is their achievement of success, or that they are giving their kids a better life, or that they believe themselves to be ethical people because they contribute to the well being of others.  They are willing to sacrifice for these goals.  It is a goal beyond just meeting material needs.  To the extent that these goals become their reason for being, they fall into the category of worship.  Worship is giving yourself to a transcendent purpose or Person. 

The word sacrifice comes from the same root Latin word as the word sacred.  It was originally a religious exercise, an offering to God.  People who no longer worship the God of the Bible still strangely find themselves giving offerings for goals that don’t meet their immediate material needs.  Their sacrifices are still acts of worship, just to a lesser god.  It could be self-esteem, or the approval of peers, or the appreciation of family members for whom we sacrifice.  Some people worship personal freedom so much they will sacrifice everything – relationships, responsibilities, morality, etc., to get and keep it.  To the degree these things become ends in themselves, and not services offered to God they can become false gods or idols.  One way or another, the verdict is in.  Each one of us will end up worshipping something or someone. 

The incredible freedom of worshipping the right God.

I criticize modern paganism a lot, which is why I wrote the book.  But I am not judging, only warning.  I lived that life for many years.  I know what it is like to love nature, be inspired by it, but always feel there’s something more.  I know what it is like to want and work for the good things of life while also not having any assurance of a divine plan that was bigger than me.  Like other pagans, I ended up worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.  Everyone ultimately wants to believe there is something they can be a part of that is bigger than them and is worth pursuing.  The evidence is very strong that we were made for that.  We were literally made to worship and will end up doing a version of it, to some god.  What each of us has to decide is what god we serve, believe in, and look to for our marching orders. 

For those of you to whom the idea of worshipping and serving the God of scripture seems like mere drudgery or just man made rules, I submit to you that you have probably never met Him.  If you are talking about a boring or uninspiring God, you are not talking about the God of the Bible.  Just read the Bible for yourself.   You are probably dealing with a caricature of Him, a shell of the real thing.  Many “churches” today have quit teaching scripture, and are offering a man-made salvation of good works, mirroring their pagan counterparts.  They negate the cross of Christ.  The Holy Spirit is not there, only mysticism or tradition, which was condemned by Jesus (Mark 7:9). 

The first two commandments in the Ten Commandments deal with false gods.  The condemnation of idolatry that prevails throughout scripture is not because God is insecure or egotistical.  It is because these (false) gods can never deliver.  Success will never seem like enough.  Self-esteem is fleeting as is the approval of your peers.  Your latest social justice cause will no longer suffice because a new victim class has been discovered.  The family you sacrifice for may or may not appreciate it and love you back.  Many of these goals are good in themselves as an expression of worship to the one true God.  They are terrible substitutes.  When our consecration is to Him, we are freed from the need for the approval of others. We only need only His. 

The appeal of idols throughout the Biblical record was an attempt to fill the worship void without moral boundaries.  This is why Paul explained the appeal of false gods in Romans 1.  But a life without moral boundaries becomes not only restless but destructive.  I love serving and worshipping God, even when there is some sacrifice involved.  The real God replenishes and inspires me.  The false gods drain me.  I now love His creation even more – nature, mankind, even the works and accomplishments of men.  They all inspire me more than ever, now that I am no longer asking of them what only He can give. I now know where to direct my worship.