PrintFebruary 5, 2012
America's One True Religion
"Tell old God that the last man you saw on earth was Quantrill."
America is a Christian nation, or so some would like to believe. But, just as in Europe, traditional religion is losing its sway in America, and a substitute religion is taking hold. This new religion, however, doesn't have much to do with God.
Nowadays, America's real faith is the "religion of self." As the late poet R. P. Dickey once observed, "[p]eople walk around acting immortal." They sashay about as though they were gods. If fewer folks celebrate Mass, then they certainly celebrate themselves.
But if they don't celebrate themselves, they celebrate other mortals. We call these other mortals "celebrities." Indeed, America has a culture of celebrity. Some of our celebrities are celebrated for nothing more than their celebrity; they're "famous for being famous," and they seem to have no redeeming qualities. We're celebrating the wrong celebrities....(Read Full Article)
