Member-only story
The value of the sacred
The 12th post defending some select Christian beliefs, not from a truth perspective but for the value they provide to those who believe them. The proposition in this 12th post in the series on the good of Christian belief defends this proposition:
It is better to believe in the sacred than to believe that everything is profane.
It is perhaps an unintended consequence of our secular culture that we have largely done away with the idea of the sacred and profane. How can anything be held to be distinctive, better, “special”, or even “holy” when there is no reality beyond the random accumulations of bits of energy floating in a state of uncertainty — the bits of energy we call particles of matter.
To avoid confusion, let’s define the words sacred and profane. In the typical definition there are two uses of the word profane. One is to separate it from anything relating to religion. It is “not holy because it is unconsecrated, impure or defiled.” The second to actively debase or defile what is considered holy or reverent or sacred. I use the term profane in a broader sense which is that it is anything that has no basis in being considered sacred. It is not bad stuff, it is just ordinary, everyday stuff with nothing special from a spiritual standpoint about it.
