An Altar in the World [antikvár]

Iiitroductioii If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, "I would not call myself a religious person, but I am definitely spiritual," then I might not be any wiser about what that means—but I would definitely be richer. I hear the phrase on the radio. I read it in interviews. People often say it to my face when they learn that I am a religion professor who spent years as a parish priest. In that context, people are usually trying to tell me that they have a sense of the divine depths of things but they are not churchgoers. They want to grow closer to God, but not at the cost of creeds, confessions, and religious wars large or small. Some of them have resigned from religions they once belonged to, taking what was helpful with them while leaving the rest behind. Others have collected wisdom from the four corners of the world, which they use like cooks with a pantry full of spices. Plenty of them are satisfied, too, even as they confess that they are sometimes lonely. I think I know what they mean by "religion." It is the "spiritual" part that is harder to grasp. My guess is they do not use that