Unless I radically change my mind, I don’t believe I’ll ever consider any religion to be the true, one and only. For me, religions are like languages; none is necessarily truer than the others. A chair is no more a chair than a chaise, or a silla, or a 椅子. Languages ​​don’t capture reality, but each allows us to interact with it. However, it’s important to master at least one, and for that, you have to practice it diligently, work on it, and study it.

For me, spirituality is one of the essential needs of human beings. It’s therefore important that everyone seeks the spirituality that resonates most deeply with them. There are non-religious spiritualities, and there are even spiritualities that deny being spiritualities or religions when they are in fact (as I move also in Leftist circles, I don’t see much difference between Marxism and a religion…). If we deny ourselves our need for spirituality, then we risk giving a religious character to something that shouldn’t be. It’s often not a big deal, but it can become one, and I see in this one of the roots of political extremism (my nation is a god, my race is a god, my favorite politician is a messiah, this book of political theory is sacred, this other nation is a devil, this other politician is a demon…).

The ideal, then, is to find a spirituality that suits us without ever essentializing it. We don’t all have the same level of spiritual need, and some fulfill their need by following a sports team. Good for them! But if we have a stronger need, then I think we should turn to a religion. Religions offer unparalleled depth, an opening to the unseen that makes the spiritual aspect of other human realities seem bland: someone very active in a religion can then go into politics, for example, keeping politics separate from religion.

Of course, the opposite is unfortunately also possible. Some movements are explicitly or implicitly both religious and political, but that’s a very bad idea. I ground my political action in theology, and I apply my political ideals to the way I participate in my church’s governing bodies, but I keep my affiliations separate. What must be avoided is thinking that one’s spiritual current holds the truth. But by practicing one’s religion as a truth, by practicing its full depth, then one can improve one’s life and the lives of others.