Ross Douthat on miracles, suffering and how to talk to atheists about religion

Host James Martin, S.J. welcomes New York Times Opinion columnist and podcast host Ross Douthat onto “The Spiritual Life.” They discuss:

00:00 Who is Ross Douthat?
2:15 Audience Question: How do I advance with my spiritual life when my church life feels stagnant?
5:50 Ross' spiritual journey through numerous christian churches
11:22 Is religion a crutch? How to understand transcendent experiences
14:37 How Ross' family became Catholic
20:18 The differences between charismatic Christianity and Catholic mystical experiences
23:52 How Ross' struggle with Lyme disease shaped his spiritual life and his perspective on suffering
34:28 Learning spiritual detachment from anger about Pope Francis and Donald Trump
41:17 Does God cause our suffering?
42:54 Speaking to agnostics and atheists about religion
48:14 Why people struggle to believe in miracles and the supernatural
52:50 Ross' regular spiritual practices and the importance of Catholic liturgical structures
55:44 Audience Question answered by Ross: How do I advance with my spiritual life when my church life feels stagnant?

Read Fr. Martin’s spiritual advice column about this episode here: https://www.americamagazine.org/podca...

Ross' podcast, "Interesting Times": https://www.nytimes.com/column/intere...
Ross' books:
"Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious": https://www.zondervan.com/97803103676...
"The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected]
---
America Media is the leading provider of editorial content for thinking Catholics and those who want to know what Catholics are thinking. To become a subscriber, visit https://www.americamagazine.org/subsc...
******
Sign-up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/2Ka4SOi
******
Follow us on Social Media:
• America Media on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Kal3Ll
• America Media on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2viJosZ
• America Media on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2Ka5q6O
******
Support more videos like this: http://bit.ly/2vgqm6A
Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe