[October 2000 journal entry]
In the 30 April 1944 letter, Bonhoeffer calls attention to the inconsistency of those “who honestly describe themselves as religious”. I would go further and say it is not possible to be consistently ‘religious’ and participate fully in a modern, scientifically shaped/informed society. I would also go further and note, with considerable dismay, that most “who honestly describe themselves as religious” seem not to be existentially disturbed by living lives that contradict their ‘religious’ language. But then, I remind myself that the resolve to center on the ‘outer line’ and to be fully engaged in the present situation is a ‘non-religious’ resolve, not a ‘religious’ resolve. Those “who honestly describe themselves as religious” seem – to use Bonhoeffer’s terms -- content with ‘partiality’ or with ‘compartmentalizing God’.
In the 30 April 1944 letter, Bonhoeffer calls attention to the inconsistency of those “who honestly describe themselves as religious”. I would go further and say it is not possible to be consistently ‘religious’ and participate fully in a modern, scientifically shaped/informed society. I would also go further and note, with considerable dismay, that most “who honestly describe themselves as religious” seem not to be existentially disturbed by living lives that contradict their ‘religious’ language. But then, I remind myself that the resolve to center on the ‘outer line’ and to be fully engaged in the present situation is a ‘non-religious’ resolve, not a ‘religious’ resolve. Those “who honestly describe themselves as religious” seem – to use Bonhoeffer’s terms -- content with ‘partiality’ or with ‘compartmentalizing God’.
