{"id":2978,"date":"2026-05-14T05:59:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/?p=2978"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:59:55","slug":"forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget the dusty books: Theology is about the gamble of being alive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve been sold this idea that theology is just for people in robes arguing about stuff that happened two thousand years ago. It sounds like a total drag. But if you actually look at it, theology is just the &#8220;big league&#8221; version of the questions we all ask. Why am I here? Is there a point to the struggle? Is it all just random noise? It\u2019s about that spark\u2014that thing in your chest that tells you life isn&#8217;t just about paying taxes and then disappearing. It\u2019s about finding meaning in the mess, and that\u2019s a very modern, very human problem to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive\/#The_rush_of_the_absolute_%E2%80%9Cnow%E2%80%9D\" >The rush of the absolute &#8220;now&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive\/#The_Evolutionary_Architecture_of_Gossip\" >The Evolutionary Architecture of Gossip<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive\/#Fun_is_Not_Distracting_%E2%80%94_It_Is_the_Point\" >Fun is Not Distracting \u2014 It Is the Point<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/forget-the-dusty-books-theology-is-about-the-gamble-of-being-alive\/#We_Cant_Do_This_Alone\" >We Can\u2019t Do This Alone<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_rush_of_the_absolute_%E2%80%9Cnow%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>The rush of the absolute &#8220;now&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most religious talk focuses on what happens after you&#8217;re dead, which is honestly kind of boring. The most interesting part of spirituality is how you handle the &#8220;right now.&#8221; It\u2019s about being fully present when the stakes are high and the outcome isn&#8217;t guaranteed. We crave that feeling of being on the edge. You see it in the way people obsess over sports\u2014that raw, vibrating tension of a game that could go either way. It\u2019s why<a href=\"https:\/\/tonybet.ca\/live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> live betting<\/a> has become such a huge part of the experience for so many. It isn&#8217;t just about the money; it\u2019s about the adrenaline of being totally synced up with the pulse of the moment. That\u2019s a spiritual high, whether you\u2019re in a cathedral or a sports bar. It\u2019s the thrill of witnessing fate happen in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Evolutionary_Architecture_of_Gossip\"><\/span><strong>The Evolutionary Architecture of Gossip<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our desire to learn about the lives of the famous isn&#8217;t solely based on boredom but rather the result of our evolutionary history. Keeping tabs on those who are higher up in the social ladder, historically, served as a survival tool (a means of understanding the hierarchy within which one existed and navigating complex relationships within tribes without putting oneself directly into harm&#8217;s way). Modernly, that basic instinct has merely been directed toward a television show or toward social media. While examining both the ascension and downfall of a prominent person provides insight into advanced forms of social mapping\u2014using their obvious successes and failures to guide our internal sense of morality and social expectation\u2014it is essentially a complex, psychological endeavor masked as entertainment. This illustrates that nearly every habit that seems to be &#8220;non-thinking,&#8221; in essence, is linked to an innate need to decipher humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fun_is_Not_Distracting_%E2%80%94_It_Is_the_Point\"><\/span><strong>Fun is Not Distracting \u2014 It Is the Point<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There exists a false notion that in order to be spiritual, one must be either depressed or unsmiling throughout their day. This is absolute nonsense. Many deep thinkers have believed that games and laughter represent sacred acts. As long as you&#8217;re engaged in activities such as laughing, playing a game, or losing yourself in an enjoyable moment (free from the burden of responsibility), you&#8217;re at your most authentic. You no longer exist as part of a machine. You exist freely. When taking risks, experiencing nervousness during a large event, or simply appreciating the nature of life itself \u2014 it is through these experiences that we remain sane. It&#8217;s about being able to appreciate the ride while it lasts \u2014 realizing that the &#8220;unknowns&#8221; of life provide reason enough to get out of bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_Cant_Do_This_Alone\"><\/span><strong>We Can\u2019t Do This Alone<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, theology reminds us that we are fundamentally social beings. We realize our most &#8220;god-like&#8221; selves when we connect with others. Consider the collective energy felt by a group of fans when something extraordinary occurs \u2014 a last-minute score or a shared win. That is a genuine collective heart beat. That is the social bonding agent that prevents us from disintegrating in isolation. We require these moments of collective excitement. We need to know that there are many other people experiencing the same elation we are experiencing. At the end of the day, it is not about possessing all the answers nor about perfection. It is about remaining in the game \u2014 continuing to keep your eyes open \u2014 and participating in the drama of the human experience with everybody else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve been sold this idea that theology is just for people in robes arguing about stuff that happened two thousand&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2978"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2980,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2978\/revisions\/2980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}