Why ‘Golly’ Isn’t Enough: Religion’s Role in Expressing Awe
In Episode #4165 of Day1, Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee and host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime the significance of language in expressing the sacred and profound. Dr. Byassee reflects on insights from Talal Asad and shares a meaningful story from Rabbi Steve Sager, exploring how religion provides the tools to articulate wonder in ways that go beyond casual reactions like "Golly!" Together, they delve into what it means for the secular world to be “untutored” in God’s presence and how faith traditions can equip us when encountering moments of majesty and mystery.
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Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee: Talal Asad is a secular Muslim scholar who describes secularity this way, "Secularity is just untutored bodies."
Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime: Untutored bodies.
Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee: People don't know what to do with their body in the presence of God, so I like untutored because it's not a shaming word.
You just haven't been taught. Like, I don't speak Latvian, I'm untutored in it. I don't feel bad about that, but if I wanted to I could... you see what I mean?
Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime: Yup.
Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee: So I use this story from Rabbi Steve Sager of Blessed Memory, about how he and his family were visiting the Grand Canyon. And he found himself fascinated by what all these other people said when they saw this majestic beauty.
They would say words from the bedroom or the bathroom, right? Or they would say things like "Holy cow!" Which is kind of religious, but it's someone else's religion.
And he said, Me and my family said The Jewish blessing in the presence of a natural wonder "Blessed art thou, O Lord God, King of the Universe, Thou has done great things on Earth and in Heaven."
What religion does, is it gives you language sufficient to bear those moments.
I don't want to be caught at the Grand Canyon saying something like, "Golly!"
Reflection
This conversation highlights how faith traditions equip us to engage with moments of wonder and awe. Dr. Byassee’s reflections remind us that religion offers the language and structure to make sense of the sacred. Without these tools, we may struggle to connect deeply with life’s most profound experiences.
For preachers, this is a call to share language that helps congregations articulate their encounters with God. For educators, it underscores the need to guide students in discovering how faith informs their understanding of the world.
Questions:
- How do you describe moments of awe in your own life?
- In what ways can you teach others to recognize and articulate the sacred?
Explore Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee’s full sermon from episode 4165 >>>
