Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Of course you are right — human beings have a tough time tolerating the ambiguity of not knowing the rules of the game, or the dress for the evening, or who-all is also going to the party. And there’s that individualism I mention, and you further discuss, so we are certainly not there yet and probably won’t be in my lifetime.

I remember the New Age movement, and I remember the scorn with which many religious establishments castigated those heterodoxies. Like many other artifacts of the Baby Boom, it appears that the momentum behind that movement did not cease entirely, though it has gone underground. Still, progressive seeds and influences and complementary efforts exist everywhere — in ecumenical coalitions, interfaith outreach, and in those growing numbers of “nones.” We have at least reached a stage in America where the hateful messages of institutions such as the Westboro Baptist Church are newsworthy, rather than normative.

So… we’ll see.

Thanks, and take care.