Based on appearances and certain studies, it can be tempting to believe that humanity is losing interest in God. (See, for instance, Ronald F. Inglehart, Religion’s Sudden Decline: What’s Causing it, and What Comes Next? Oxford University Press, 2021.) It can even be tempting to believe that this is a trend that may continue until there’s no place left in society to even consider God. By many metrics, organized religion is on the decline, while the sciences appear to be gaining the thinkers who might have formerly sought out religious answers. The need to understand reality has not changed, but the methods and affiliations of those seeking this understanding appear to have shifted.

In the sciences, for example, “What is consciousness?” is an intriguing and enigmatic question. For me, this echoes the ancient religious question “What is the spirit or soul and how does it relate to the physical world around us?” 

Perhaps this quest to understand consciousness is a necessary step for human thought in its transition to something holier and more spiritual. If so, where does that leave those who still value religion and recognize humanity’s scientific research as a yearning for what only a deep relationship with God offers?