James Talarico

There is birth, death, rebirth.

Hindus would say reincarnation, right?

This pattern of reality is something that's recognized across traditions.

I say all this in response to your question because...

All of us in our faith start off with order, disorder, and then reorder, if we get to that last step.

All of us kind of inherited a faith from our parents.

It was usually pretty stable.

We didn't ask any questions and it was comforting, right?

You were childish in the best sense of that word, innocent.

You grow up, you have experiences, you meet new people, you're exposed to new ideas.

Suddenly you start to question all those things that you were taught.

And now you have disorder, disillusionment, right?

That maybe what I was told wasn't real.

Maybe this isn't right.

Maybe I've got to question everything.

And that's healthy and essential.

You need that crucifixion to break apart what was there before.

That third step of resurrection, reincarnation, rebirth, reorder, however you want to describe it, to me, it feels like that's what we're on the precipice of.

And it does feel like young people in particular are the ones that are asking these questions because young people have always, on every major issue, have usually been the ones who have been able to kind of think outside the box and see things anew.

But it does feel like they are waking up to how broken organized religion is.