Our New Religious Creed: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
As Christianity Today explained in “Death by Deism,” Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton “discovered [this] newly dominant creed that they dubbed Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” after years researching the religious life of American teenagers. In their 2005 book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers,” Smith and Denton identified five underlying beliefs professed by the more than 3,000 teenagers they began interviewing in 2002:
1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.
From his public comments about religion, Zuckerberg, who came of age at the same time as the subjects of “Soul Searching,” seems to subscribe to a similar belief system—one founded on a creed of kindness.
For instance, in 2015, Zuckerberg, who was raised Jewish and later identified as an atheist—a view he has since renounced—posted a picture of himself praying at a Buddhist temple. In his post, Zuckerberg noted that “Buddhism is an amazing religion and philosophy.” Facebook has also integrated the “Buddhist-inspired concept of compassion” into its anti-bullying efforts. Zuckerberg likewise had kind words for Pope Francis, telling him how much he “admire[d] his message of mercy and tenderness.”
It would seem only natural, then, that Zuckerberg would view Facebook as the church incarnate. What better way to satisfy humans’ supposed central goal in life—“to be happy and to feel good about oneself”—than by sharing pictures and posts of joyful occasions? Or, as is more likely the case, by posting perfectly posed pictures of themselves, their vacations, and their food?
Mark Zuckerberg Is Clueless About Church If He Thinks Facebook Can Replicate It
As Christianity Today explained in “Death by Deism,” Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton “discovered [this] newly dominant creed that they dubbed Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” after years researching the religious life of American teenagers. In their 2005 book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers,” Smith and Denton identified five underlying beliefs professed by the more than 3,000 teenagers they began interviewing in 2002:
1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.
From his public comments about religion, Zuckerberg, who came of age at the same time as the subjects of “Soul Searching,” seems to subscribe to a similar belief system—one founded on a creed of kindness.
For instance, in 2015, Zuckerberg, who was raised Jewish and later identified as an atheist—a view he has since renounced—posted a picture of himself praying at a Buddhist temple. In his post, Zuckerberg noted that “Buddhism is an amazing religion and philosophy.” Facebook has also integrated the “Buddhist-inspired concept of compassion” into its anti-bullying efforts. Zuckerberg likewise had kind words for Pope Francis, telling him how much he “admire[d] his message of mercy and tenderness.”
It would seem only natural, then, that Zuckerberg would view Facebook as the church incarnate. What better way to satisfy humans’ supposed central goal in life—“to be happy and to feel good about oneself”—than by sharing pictures and posts of joyful occasions? Or, as is more likely the case, by posting perfectly posed pictures of themselves, their vacations, and their food?
Mark Zuckerberg Is Clueless About Church If He Thinks Facebook Can Replicate It