Religion is totally fascinating, but God seems really boring to me. Like, the idea just doesn't have any traction in my imagination, the way it seems to for others -- but even there I kind of suspect that it's the religion, not the God, that got to them first. And I suppose that is part of the success of Christ as a figure; that he is not quite so God-y as all that.
The whole atheism/agnosticism/gnosticism/theism thing, I dunno, it brings out a sort of callous dismissal in me -- like 'why would that even be an interesting thing to care about?' -- but probably just because it seems to have become so prominent in pop culture lately. Whereas the concept of Grace or the writings of St. Teresa or all of the things people have made religion into -- very interesting, and no feelings of dismissal at all. It's like everyone made this big mistake at some point, and got 'God' mixed up in something else that is actually relevant to the human condition.
Yeah for sure, with the whole Dawkins thing and Religulous and whatever else. It came up at the office today and I thought to myself that rational attacks on religion is sort of like beating up a five-year-old in the way that their belief isn't really up for rational dissection and debate. It's a feeling deep in the heart, not a provable fact.
But I also believe that art, science, and religion are all reaching for the same goal of understanding just what the heck is happening here.
But I also believe that art, science, and religion are all reaching for the same goal of understanding just what the heck is happening here.
Meh, I tend to find science fairly separable from the other two. Science makes predictions about what happens next, but it doesn't care what any of it means. Art and religion are fairly caught up in the question of it means, and what we should do about it. Science helps us understand what the consequences of 'what we should do' might be, it opens up new avenues of action for consideration, and it helps us do things of greater consequence. But it doesn't care to what end human beings apply themselves, and it offers no help whatsoever towards answering that question.
This kind of curious sentiment in regards to religion is very refreshing. The Dawkins crowd are just as tiring as the religious fundamentalists, without the draw of being ridiculously laughable. I suspect you and I are in the same ship.
You could say that we are, in fat, on a boat.
But anyway, I can't pretend to be anything other than an atheist, but like you I cannot shut my mind to all those who share in a belief I find completely foreign, yet are wiser and smarter than myself. To suggest that religion is all manipulation and age old arguments and myths is to do a disservice to everyone involved.
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Religion is totally fascinating, but God seems really boring to me. Like, the idea just doesn't have any traction in my imagination, the way it seems to for others -- but even there I kind of suspect that it's the religion, not the God, that got to them first. And I suppose that is part of the success of Christ as a figure; that he is not quite so God-y as all that.
The whole atheism/agnosticism/gnosticism/theism thing, I dunno, it brings out a sort of callous dismissal in me -- like 'why would that even be an interesting thing to care about?' -- but probably just because it seems to have become so prominent in pop culture lately. Whereas the concept of Grace or the writings of St. Teresa or all of the things people have made religion into -- very interesting, and no feelings of dismissal at all. It's like everyone made this big mistake at some point, and got 'God' mixed up in something else that is actually relevant to the human condition.
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But I also believe that art, science, and religion are all reaching for the same goal of understanding just what the heck is happening here.
I totally agree with your last sentence.
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Meh, I tend to find science fairly separable from the other two. Science makes predictions about what happens next, but it doesn't care what any of it means. Art and religion are fairly caught up in the question of it means, and what we should do about it. Science helps us understand what the consequences of 'what we should do' might be, it opens up new avenues of action for consideration, and it helps us do things of greater consequence. But it doesn't care to what end human beings apply themselves, and it offers no help whatsoever towards answering that question.
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You could say that we are, in fat, on a boat.
But anyway, I can't pretend to be anything other than an atheist, but like you I cannot shut my mind to all those who share in a belief I find completely foreign, yet are wiser and smarter than myself. To suggest that religion is all manipulation and age old arguments and myths is to do a disservice to everyone involved.
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