We must find our own community

Religion was society’s glue, so we need to somehow replace it, writes Charlotte Mortlock

THE demise of religion has left a hole in society that we are yet to figure out how to fill. I’m not religious but I do think, as a whole, we are worse off without it.

Forgoing a North Star, people have questioned their purpose and their identity more than ever before. And, without a community, some are left flailing around in the far-flung corners of the dark web, searching for anything that feels like home.

For decades people hated to be boxed into a category. We fought just to be ourselves without judgment. And now, in an unsurprising overcorrection, individuals are obsessively and maniacally seeking a small niche of society to fit into.

Considered superficially, this obsession with ourselves may present as overindulgent narcissism, however I believe it is actually an underlying and constant yearning for a sense of community.

I question whether if we had faith, that would be enough to give us an intrinsic connection to others.

Today we are increasingly siloed. We only want to speak to others in the same box as us. However I think the ubiquitous undertone is that most are actually deeply deprived of a greater sense of connection with those outside of our box. And that would have been faith.

Religion provides a physical place (important that it’s not virtual) where people who have nothing in common other than this one belief meet face-to-face and connect.

Conversations following services are diverse and people don’t always agree but there’s a level of respect because you understand one another on a deeper, spiritual level.

In the modern world, some have taken to politics so fervently that it feels like religion. Worse yet is that others have turned to conspiracy theories. And that’s not such a surprise.

We all need to take some responsibility on this front. We need to reconcile and be wary that the more we ostracise people for their “outlandish” views, they are less likely to come closer to the fold – and more likely to go to deeper, darker, more radicalised places.

Perhaps in the past those modern day misfits would have found solace in religion.

But now they’re finding solace in places where not only people don’t laugh at them for thinking differently — they’re applauded and encouraged to go further.

I am not sure religion is making a comeback. So how do we fill the void? I believe we must find and commit to new communities. Whether it is a netball team, a book club, a men’s shed or a twitcher crew.

We need to find places where we have one thing in common and nothing else. We need to expose ourselves to people that are as vastly different to us as possible, and then appreciate that one thing we share.

That mutual understanding and human connection is the only way to fill the void of religion with love and solidarity instead of hate and division.