The Rebirth of Religion for the 21st Century . . A new project is nearing completion; all of the foundational work -which is important in its own right- has been finished and will be sent in a sequence of e-mails. This means about 3/4th of the project. What remains to be written should not require a lengthy exposition, only a final "part" -or chapter. . However, it would be best to think through the final part as carefully as possible. Everything else has been written with care but my "conclusion" needs to be written with even greater care. . The project -short book is what this amounts to- poses a question: What do we need for the rebirth of religious faith for the future of America? For the future directly ahead of us? . The objective is to answer this question thoughtfully, not leaving out any issues that deserve attention, yet with as few words as possible. The necessary research has been carried out for the final chapter and it is a subject that I have wanted to develop in detail for several years. However, the idea is to "get it right" the first time, and not say things that will need revision later. That may happen anyway, but as close to right as feasible. . This said, maybe others will have plausible ideas toward an answer to the question; probably not, but if so this is a good time for anyone with a new approach to express himself. Or herself if there is a woman someplace who wants to make her ideas known. In any case, here is an opportunity for anyone with an interest to try and answer the question in a fresh and original way. . Some of the project focuses on visual arts -to discuss culture or religion requires discussion of imagery, of paintings and other creative work. Accordingly, use is made of pictures of various kinds clustered in two sections of the project, within the first two 'chapters.' However, the 'book' is written in such a way that no visuals are necessary. Visuals, you may agree, enhance the message greatly but it did not seem like a good idea to wait for permissions for the visuals, which might take weeks to obtain and some might be out of reach, so, for now, sets of images will be sent separately via e-mails as, in effect, attachments to private correspondence. . Most of the discussion of art occurs in Part # 1. This was written partly in response to a thoughtful e-mail written by my friend Barry. . Much of the balance of the project was written as my response to Ross Douthat's 2012 book, Bad Religion -How we became a nation of heretics. I recommend this volume highly; it carefully analyzes the religious situation in modern-day America with genuine insight. It is also well written and a pleasure to read. . For those who would like a preview of Ross Douthat's thinking it might be mentioned that if you access Youtube via Google and type in "Ross Douthat" and "Bad Religion" there will be maybe 50 choices of lectures, discussions, and so forth to choose from. Douthat is also a good speaker (even if he does say "you know" far too often) and he makes his points effectively. In any case, perhaps the best of his lectures is the one published at Youtube on October 19, 2012 and delivered at Elmhurst College. . The issues raised by Douthat are basic to any discussion of religion in the United States in the 21st century and I tried to untangle several Gordian knots he outlined in the course of his book. That, and of course, explaining my own views as thoroughly as possible. . In the hours ahead the completed parts of The Rebirth of Religion for the 21st Century will be sent to people on my private mailing list. Any comments, criticisms or suggestions would be welcomed. I have no idea when the concluding part will be completed. . . . Billy Rojas Eugene, Oregon August 31, 2016
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