In the 17th century, a Spanish priest by the name of Miguel de Molinos (1640-1696) began promoting a form of religious mysticism within the Catholic Church that soon spread throughout Europe. Although some referred to this thinking as Molinism, it is probably better known to us today as Quietism. It was especially popular among the French aristocracy, embraced even by such a one as Madame de Maintenon, the wife of King Louis XIV. In essence, Quietism taught that one should utterly abandon all desires of self, putting to death one's own will and personal preferences in all areas of life, and become completely absorbed in the Divine Will. In its extreme forms it led to passivity and withdrawal from the affairs of the world. For such persons, nothing really mattered anymore -- and this was true not only of the affairs of the world, but also the dictates of the religious hierarchy. Needless to say, such a view did not go over well with the Catholic Church, and Pope Innocent XI condemned both Molinos and his teachings in 1687. This view of "Sancta Indifferentia" (holy indifference) to all things, whether of the world or of the church, also was opposed by most Protestant leaders. They simply could not accept the view that "nothing really mattered" since one's being had been mystically merged with God (rendering void the dictates of both the world and the church).
A modified, less extreme, form of this philosophy, however, has long been on the religious scene, and is embraced, at least in principle, by a great many disciples of Christ Jesus. It is known as "Adiaphorism" (from the Greek word adiaphora: "things indifferent"), which essentially teaches that a great many things, about which there may be much religious controversy and division, are just not important enough to warrant further debate. In other words, when it comes to our walk with the Lord, and our relationship and fellowship with one another, there are many things that simply don't matter. They are...