The enormous difficulty of pain, suffering, and evil remains, heartache lingers, and there are certain wounds of the spirit that will never close. Unfortunately, organized religion is often of little help in times of spiritual crisis. In fact, it often makes matters worse. Any brand of religion that focuses exclusively on the supernatural and makes breezy pronouncements about the afterlife offers no comfort, consolation, or solidarity in our present suffering. The arrogance, rigidity, and blazing enthusiasm of religious fanatics who see in every hurricane and cosmic upheaval a sign that we are at the brink of apocalyptic catastrophe only alienate the shipwrecked and heartbroken.
-Brennan Manning
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