Associates’ Work/Study Week: “I’m Spiritual, But I’m Not Religious” … Really?
with Don Grayston
SUNDAY, MAY 6 – SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012
How often do we hear the comment “I’m spiritual, but I’m not religious”? Yet if we ask the speaker what is meant by “spiritual,” the response is usually pretty vague.
So why do people say this? Many reasons: One is distaste for the negative public image both current and historical of institutional religion – residential schools, sexual abuse, even the Crusades and the Inquisition. Another is the desire of many, the young especially, in this post-modern (or post-post-modern!) time to keep all their commitment options open as long as possible. Another is the influence of science, believed by many to have demolished religious (especially Christian) credibility. Think Richard Dawkins!
Associates’ Week will give us an opportunity not only to reflect together on what people mean or feel when they make this statement, but also what the words “spiritual” and “religious” mean for us. We will do this by considering not only what this comment says about the spiritual journey of our society, but also how our own spiritual journey is going.
DON GRAYSTON is a priest in the Diocese of New Westminster. He had the privilege, during Jim Cruickshank’s sabbatical in 1969–1970, of working at Sorrento Centre with Ruth Hall Jefferson. Since then he has worked in parishes, taught Religious Studies for 15 years at Simon Fraser University, and been president of the International Thomas Merton Society. He continues to be active in Merton-related work, and with Building Bridges Vancouver, a public education program showcasing the work of those attempting to bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
Course Fee: by donation
Sponsored by Sorrento Centre
For more information please visit the website.