Qui plume a, guerre a
To hold a pen is to be at war.
Voltaire
After accepting the rare opportunity to blog with Beliefnet, I have named this blog L’Ordre. This is French for The Order, because the main topics I’m going to be addressing here relate to religion, society and politics – the established order. These subjects are going to be addressed from a futurist perspective – the same perspective that my readers are used to receiving from me at several other well-known publications.
This is a faith website, and for that reason my concerns and works here will be neither pro-religious nor anti-religious, but my posts will be composed with the utmost respect for all religious traditions. I consider myself to be writing from a secular standpoint – the scholarly approach I was taught in the Religious Studies discipline while at university.
Religious Studies differs from Theology as a discipline for reasons that few are aware of. In Religious Studies, the subject is religion itself, rather than God. Different faiths are given equal consideration and time, and a sound analysis of their impact on society is our main focus rather than the spiritual truth claims being put forward. It is possible, however, for Religious Studies as a discipline to evaluate the truth claims of religious doctrines in a pluralistic sense. Unless some special need for this arises, it will not be the purpose of my statements posted here.
Religion is of interest to me due to the spectacular growth of religiosity and religious-related crises occurring in modern society. I believe that humans are religious creatures, and that religion will outlive the state as we know it. This was one of the first cases that I made at Beliefnet in my article, Does Religion Hold the Key to World Peace? Reflected in this analysis is a realistic consideration of the most likely social future and our choices it presents, rather than a Utopian or politically slanted interpretation of things to come.
I am authoring this blog for the same reasons that I have authored at other publications: I have a strong interest in the course of humanity’s future. I have seen a growth of interest in this future among internet users and technically-minded movements in particular. These users and movements have a vital role to play in positive social change, so I hope to use my valuable relations with them to represent them here as best I can.
If you are as drawn to speculation on the future, faith and society as I am, I am pleased to say that we have both been gifted with the most excellent juncture and network through which to satisfy our mutual interest.
