Here is a spiritually mature and persuasive article on the spiritual soul of the United States of America. It’s based on the notion that America’s founders were spiritual people who had aims and dreams beyond the materiality we often associate the U.S. with today.

Marrying Science and Spirituality is written by Stephen Dinan. Here’s a short extract:

“Instead of being solely the product of a tax-driven rebellion for independence from England, America was also a fulfillment of a much longer dream, one that traces back into history through a series of esoteric groups.

“This esoteric thread, when taken seriously, implies that America was founded not just for American citizens, but to serve as a beacon of light, hope, and justice for all humankind – a new template for human society. Francis Bacon, the English philosopher and scientist, publicly declared America to be the New Atlantis, a vision that inspired many immigrants to make the journey.”

Read the whole article.

Pope Benedict as a Cardinal.

The new Pope, Benedict XVI, is still something of an unknown quantity to many people, even within the Roman Church. As Cardinal Ratzinger, he was more associated with the running and politics of the Church than with its spirituality.

Now, he is urging “the spirituality of communion” among his Bishops. In an address last Saturday at his winter palace, Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, he encouraged them to reflect “ever more on the authentic spirituality of communion, which must characterize the presbyterial and episcopal ministry.”

Zenit.org reports on the meeting, in which even spirituality seems to attain a baffling density in a Vatican context:

In her opening message, Chiara Lubich, founder and president of the Focolarini, told the prelates from 51 countries that “deeper understanding of the mysterious sorrow of the abandonment of Jesus on the cross can become light for their path, a response to their ‘whys,’ a way to unity.”

The meeting’s point of reference was Benedict XVI’s encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est.” The bishops addressed a different aspect of the encyclical each day of the congress.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, emphasized that the spirituality of communion “supports bishops in their ministry and helps them see each person as loved by God.”

Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, stressed the special gift that movements, with their diverse charisms, constitute for the Church, as they are a “factor of evangelization, resource not only for the lives of the faithful, but also of the pastors.”

The Roman Church remains almost incomprehensible in its jargon and rich mosaic of movements, thought-streams, principles and organizations.

In the end, what has that to do with “spirituality”? Perhaps Pope Benedict can enlighten us.

The Dalai Lama has a well-documented interest in science and technology. In his early years at the Potala Palace in Lhasa he experimented with old cars, wireless equipment and many aspects of technology. One might even call him, without disrespect, a spiritual geek.

Who better then to give an inaugural address at a conference on Science and Spirituality in Modern India. Here’s an excerpt from that address, culled from Phayul.com:

I believe there is a genuine relation between modern science and internal spirituality. Our bodies are the platform for all pleasure and pain at the sensory level. At the same time, we have a sophisticated mind, which keeps track of things at the psychological level. Between these two, the experience of pain and pleasure on the mental level is superior. One could be physically ill but still be mentally happy and content. In fact, physical pain can be subdued by mental calm.

It is the basic right of all beings to achieve a happy, successful life. Today’s material world is a product of science and technology — both of which bring comfort to humanity. Advancement in science and technology is helping people remedy their problems. Which is why we need to be aware of both. But, can science and technology eliminate pain at the mental level? Unfortunately, modern machines can manufacture everything but a happy mind. And treatment on the physical level can’t change your mental disposition.

I would say, while science gets us physical comforts, spirituality brings us mental calm. With the ever-growing impact of science on our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play in reminding us of our humanity. There is no contradiction between the two. Each gives us valuable insights into the other.

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With the increasing blurring of the lines between spirituality, religion and politics by fundamentalists of many faiths, it’s perhaps necessary to forge a new “separation of powers” in our community lives.

The economics correspondent of the London Times, Anatole Kaletsky, has a powerful article in today’s edition, which reflects on the cartoon controversy of recent days, and ends with this solid piece of common sense:

Far from commanding any special respect or protection from the State, religions must be exposed to relentless criticism, like all non-rational traditions and beliefs. Some religions will survive this contest between tradition and modernity, between reason and revelation, as Christianity, Judaism and Islam have done for centuries. Others, such as Marxism and Scientology, will fall by the wayside. In America, the Constitution, with its prohibition against the establishment of any state religion and its absolute defence of free speech, demands a robust competition between faith and reason and among the religions themselves. And in the end, as America’s surprising piety clearly shows, it is not just society but also religion that emerges stronger from the refiner’s fire of competition, criticism and even insult.

We would go all the way with that view. Thank you, Anatole.