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Living in Religious Times

Not too long ago, many Americans had a checklist for determining someone’s trustworthiness that included a box for “person of faith.” If that box could be checked, it was seen as one indication that a person was solid – involved in one of the world’s major faiths and concerned about pursuing truth, justice, mercy and a purpose beyond advancing himself or herself.

It didn’t mean the person was perfect – mature people of faith understand how far they fall short of that mark – but it usually was thought to mean that he or she tried to approach life with humility, a spirit of service and a desire for excellence in thought, word and deed.

Somewhere, we lost that positive association with people of faith. In the Middle East, we saw wars and terrorist activity stemming from supposedly religious roots. At home, we saw Christians battling one another over basic life issues such as stem cell research, abortion and homosexuality. Everywhere, we’ve seen distrust build as people of the religious left and right traded a sense of humility for a conviction that they were on the side of heaven and those who saw things differently marched with the devil.

Still, a lot of good being done in our state and nation can be traced back to religious motivations. Head down to St. Vincent de Paul or the Salvation Army, where people of faith are touching lives with simple gifts of clothing, food and a helping hand. A visit to a synagogue, mosque or temple would find plenty of people helping other people deal with life’s problems.

All of which is to say that religion, in all its manifestations, is a dynamic force in our society and shouldn’t be ignored. As the name of this blog suggests, we live in Religious Times, and it’s time for more media to acknowledge it, report on it intelligently and try to help people understand how religion is affecting society for better and worse. The Zonie Report, through this blog and longer articles, will explore the impact religion is having in Arizona and the nation. Along the way, we’ll look for your thoughts. If there are any ideas you want to see pursued, send them along to peter.faur@gmail.com. I’m interested in hearing from you.