Where Will ‘Spiritual, Not Religious’ Americans Lead Us?

This points to a potential problem the growth of non-religious spirituality might pose to American society, generally. These Americans don’t buy into secular rationalism, but they also don’t have the intellectual and moral discipline that a set of defined (and often time-tested) religious beliefs might encourage. And they aren’t necessarily being driven by their world-view to act as part of a community, either. Sure, they don’t back the fundamentalist religious movements that menace our society with fiercely-held intolerance, demands for theocracy, and hostility to egalitarian principles. But the spiritual-not-religious may also be difficult to engage, much less mobilize, to defend their religious and irreligious fellow-citizens from today’s authoritarian threats.