‘Californian’ Spirituality?

The alleged weirdness of Californians, the subject of many jokes, may be scientifically measurable, according to Wade Clark Roof, president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Roof, who is also a professor at University of California-Santa Barbara was quoted in the Los Angeles Times April 25 saying that it's the peculiar quality, not the quantity, of religion in California that's different.

“Because of the region's diversity of religions, the frontier psychology, its great individualism, this part of the country has never had a religious establishment,” the paper quoted Roof saying.

For instance, nearly a third of self-described Christians in California believed in reincarnation in a study Roof conducted in 1988.

“The West Coast's heritage lends itself to the playful cultivation of an inner life through concentration and contemplation, in its quests for the divine, in its belief in spiritual growth, and in its dialogue between Western and Eastern religious themes,” Roof said.

Influences such as immigration from Asia are found elsewhere in the country. But, said Roof, in what may itself be a peculiarly Californian turn of phrase, “West Coast entrepreneurs are second to none at popularizing and commodifying spirituality.”

Drugs, Shrinks, and God in Hollywood

Many newspapers have recently noted that Hollywood seems to be rediscovering religion. But an April 24 report in the Philadelphia Inquirer also noted another phenomenon: Hollywood more often treats therapy and drugs as religion. The report cited several examples:

l Good Will Hunting, in which “a young genius struggling with the responsibilities of his intellectual gifts attempts to sort out his problems by consulting with a psychologist.”

l As Good as It Gets, in which “a mean-spirited loner (Jack Nicholson) becomes a sweet, generous man almost overnight. Later, we learn that in order to court a woman, he started taking the medication that had been prescribed by his psychiatrist, and this accounts for his improved disposition.”

To emphasize the trend, the report said, “When movies challenge or examine these prevailing beliefs, they can seem downright subversive. So it was with The Sweet Hereafter and The Ice Storm, two of last year's most remarkable movies.”

“The Sweet Hereafter questioned whether secular remedies (like civil litigation) provide an adequate way of dealing with the kind of unfathomable tragedy (a school-bus crash with multiple fatalities) that visits a small town.”

“The Ice Storm pointed to a collapse of spiritual authority as part of a cultural malaise that helped destroy families amid the social upheaval of the 1960s.”

Returning to the Church

Eight-year-old Kevin Windle received his first Communion at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Columbus, Ohio, this month carrying a small prayer book in his pocket. His grandfather had carried that same book to the altar rail 58 years ago when he made his first Communion.

The Columbus Dispatch reported the story April 27, pointing out that many American families — like the Windles — are returning to the Church after an absence. Kevin Windle was baptized that same day.

A hunger for spirituality is bringing adults back to the Church, said Father Larry Hemmelgarn, a diocesan spokesman, according to the article. Consumerism makes Americans long for something “more than ourselves … and that leads to a rise in the practice of organized religion.”

“Each time, I'm reminded of my own [first Communion] and the joy I had, and I see the joy they have,” said Father Carmen Arcuri, of the Windles’ parish. “It's the highlight of my year.”