Glen, none of what I wrote was about me.
Pavlovitz had comments paywalled, you shared the link, so your thread was the only place to respond to the ideas. Seems I hit a nerve by being critical of the article you shared. That is your ego, go sit with that

He’s grieving the gap between idealized spirituality and the real thing. But instead of descending into the depths where faith is forged, he’s naming frustrations from the shoreline.

“The results are mixed.”
Yes. Because humans are mixed. Beautiful. Terrible. Conflicted. Sacred. Compromised. Faith magnifies what’s already inside you. If it looks messy, that’s because we are.

“Religion as an experiment isn’t working.”
He says this as if he is standing outside it. But he is the data point. The experiment fails when the participant refuses the conditions.

“By and large, that doesn’t seem to be happening here.”
He’s right. But he tells it like a disappointed customer instead of someone willing to enter the fire. Spirituality isn’t retail. You don’t get to return it because it didn’t match the packaging.

“Shouldn’t faith leave in its wake a trail of goodness and peace… justice… wholeness?”
Yes. But only when the practitioner is willing to be dismantled. Faith that doesn’t cost you anything won’t give you anything. He keeps describing outcomes while skipping the transformation that produces them.

“Shouldn’t religion make things better?”
Religion doesn’t make anything. People do. When the vessel cracks, the water leaks. Blaming the pitcher while refusing to examine your own hands is theological escapism.

“Isn’t God supposed to be that beautiful, invisible force that compels us to bring healing and hope and light?”
He’s describing a celestial mood board God as ambiance. God as fragrance Nothing wrong with longing for beauty The problem is skipping past the shadow work that actually produces the light

“Isn’t spirituality supposed to be a balm for humanity?”
No. Spirituality isn’t lotion. It’s work. It’s discipline. It’s the slow demolition of the ego. A balm comes after you’ve done the hard part. He wants the effects without the effort.

“As a deeply spiritual person…”
Whenever someone has to tell you they’re deeply spiritual, they’re not talking to God. They’re talking to the mirror, waiting for applause.

“Some days, I’m afraid that I’m losing faith in Faith.”
This isn’t insight. It’s a mood. A vibe. Faith isn’t a houseplant that dies if you forget to water it. If it evaporates this easily, it wasn’t faith. It was emotional weather.