In response to an increasingly secularized culture, the Institute for Human Ecology (IHE) hosted "The Weird Future of American Religion" on Oct. 18 at Heritage Hall. Tackling “spiritual” fascinations like UFOs, exorcisms, artificial intelligence, and witchcraft, the panel gathered thought leaders to discuss these phenomena.
IHE Fellow and New York Times Columnist Ross Douthat moderated a panel consisting of author Tara Isabella Burton, Plough senior editor Susannah Black Roberts, and Archdiocese of Washington exorcist Monsignor Stephen Rossetti. Each guest provided insight into the dangers of the active “re-paganization” of contemporary culture.
Burton observed that many people believe that society is headed toward a secular, atheistic future, but she disagrees.
“About 72% of self-reported religious ‘nones’ say they do believe in a higher power. About 20% of them say … they believe in the ‘God of the Bible,'” said Burton. “Something clearly a little bit more interesting and weird than straightforward secularism is going on.”
The spiritual landscape of America is one of relativistic standards. Individuals self-identifying as atheists or non-religious are often picking and choosing practices and details from a variety of belief systems, all for self-actualization and self-improvement rather than the communion of an organized religion.
Monsignor Rossetti believes there are dangers of such influences on people.
Monsignor Rossetti elaborated on his experience as an exorcist, offering anecdotes from all types of people seeking his assistance. There has been increased public interest in exorcisms, witchcraft, and the occult over the past few years, which has proven to increase the number of demonic cases dealt with by exorcists.
Speaking about a book called Satan’s Trap by former occultist Ross Miller, Monsignor Rossetti said, “In Christianity, you discern and do God’s will … it’s just fundamental. In the occult and witchcraft, he [Miller] said, we try to create our own future.” The aversion to obedience in the modern age has reverted people to seeking spirituality within, rather than looking to God for truth and guidance.
When asked whether it is possible to be a happy “pagan” or non-affiliated spiritual person, Roberts explained how early pagans believed what they did out of a desire to pursue a life of personal glory. They searched and waited for answers to questions like “What is the good?” and “How do we have life?”
“They weren’t happy pagans, they were waiting pagans,” said Roberts. She further explained that it would not be a smart idea to return to that ideal as a society, as those questions have been answered through God within Christian doctrine, but individuals simply do not want to accept His response.
“A lot of people in our generation do not recognize the baseline good in themselves, and they think that they have to make themselves good,” said Veronica Smaldone, a second-year student in the University’s M.A. in Human Rights program. She added that it makes her sad to see these individuals try so hard to create a false sense of goodness, rather than trying to discover goodness in itself.
Monsignor Rossetti mentioned that those who look to God “radiate pure joy” amid a world of pseudo-religious practices, which was an overarching theme of the event. The full livestream can be accessed here.