All About Change

From the Animal Totem Tarot, the Polar Bear/Hierophant; from the Blum/Gern Rune Cards, Fehu:

It's hard not to compare the polar bear's shrinking ice floes to the shrinking affiliation with Christianity. The Pew Research Center found that Christians accounted for about 90% of the population 50 years ago, but as of 2020 that figure had slumped to about 64%. It is projected to continue its decline, which isn't a surprise. Rigid religious dogma doesn't work well in a world that is constantly changing even as our knowledge expands. Yet Fehu - a rune that represents material possessions - brings up an important point. Wealth and belongings can bring physical comfort and fleeting pleasure, but it doesn't create any lasting emotional or spiritual fulfillment. That doesn't mean we need to cling to organized religion; spirituality can be found in more places or experiences than a church.

It is quite strange that the religion founded in Jesus' name has been very resistant to change and has tended to love and protect the past and the status quo much more than the positive and hopeful futures that could be brought about by people agreeing to change. —Richard Rohr