Go to Religion in the Modern World
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- Go to THE FUTURE OF RELIGION ON THIS PLANET--- IT WILL EVENTUALLY DISSAPEAR
That's what happens when I don't comment often enough...
blogarreah! Sorry about the length, feel free to delete if needed. If I could, I'd trim it back .
I've actually quoted my biology teacher a few times on this in the past.
The blog that would be interesting is analyzing the current state of affairs through Frank Herbert's "Dune" and it's inherent philosophy, predictions and observations as to Muslim and Bedouin/fanatic societal/historic facets. S it is, I'm starting in on "The Age Of Holy Terror" by two members of President Clinton's National Security Agency (recently run by Ms Condaleeza Rice, and who refused all assistance in the writing of the book). These guys were in on the opening shots of al Qaeda's camapign.
posted by
majroj
on June 1, 2005 at 8:18 PM
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sometimes you feel lonely
when you throw yourself out there and all you get is the pablum of the established religion
At least the rest of us are now coming out of the woodwork to stand with you.
posted by
Xeno-x
on June 1, 2005 at 12:02 PM
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majroj -- your second comment would make an even better post
As a matter of fact I think I may just do that and respond as a post when I have time.
posted by
gomedome
on June 1, 2005 at 11:52 AM
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majroj -- we haven't seen the last of societal purification attempts
Somewhere, someone is beginning to believe that they are the second coming or that they have a unique destiny or whatever. Your comment covered a lot of ground.... it would have made a good post.
posted by
gomedome
on June 1, 2005 at 11:49 AM
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empty_handed_painter - You are correct in assuming so.
I was raised in a strict religious setting. The information you speak of and other like revalations
are readily available if one knows where to look. Before the age of computers it was at the library in the acheology or mythology sections.
Centuries of censure and revisionism did not bury the entire truth. However, the people that typically should be exposed to these realities are cloistered in their segregated congregations lapping up the homogenized versions of the truth.
posted by
gomedome
on June 1, 2005 at 10:58 AM
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And as my high school biology teacher once said
(as I often quote):
"It really burns me up that people think God couldn't come up with something as subtle and ordered as genetics and evolution", or words to that immediate effect.
Bill DeBruhl, said it, I believe it, and that's that...unless y'all have another input?
posted by
majroj
on June 1, 2005 at 7:57 AM
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Two words: "Butlerian Jihad"
Frank Herbert was onto the zeitgeist we are experiencing now, which is that science and technology will reach the point that people feel threatened and be threatened, and will rebel against it. The parts that warlords and mullahs feel are useful will be preserved, but most others will be destroyed. It may be piecemeal, but it will be a trend.
It's happened here and now in Cambodia (Khmer Rouge reformation), Afghanistan (Taliban fedayeen backlash), China (Red Guard movement), Iraq (wahabi emphasis on crippling domestic infrastructural repair), and various sites in Africa ("land reforms" in Zimbabwe, scouring of rural districts of their farmers and villages to create refugee camps in Sudan, "Army of God" in central Africa, various tribal conflicts at various times, recent opposition to polio immunization by religious and tribal leaders in Africa, Idi Amin Dada's reign in Uganda, the Duvaliers' reign in Haiti)...where progress, including effective and efficient agriculture (not necessarily mega agribusiness) and basic civil engineering, are targeted and their experts killed or persecuted.
What has this to do with religion? Religion or its surrogate (animism, voodoo, fundamentalist whatever, and the government in areas where The State takes on the social functions of religion) provide answers for people who cannot keep up with change, and who want concrete answers or principles rather than the ongoing, fluid and ethics-less pursuit of fact called science.
Lest we shovel all this outside our borders, let's consider challenges to stem cell research and anti-evolutionary legislation in the U.S. How about Canada?
posted by
majroj
on June 1, 2005 at 7:54 AM
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giving Jesus a chance
If I'm correct, you already have.
That Jesus is a construct. Check out my History of the Christian Religion for one link to one site that helps some to demonstrate that the New Testament is one.
And that is what is contributing to the end of religion as we know it. Easily available information that definitely refutes the ages-old explanations.
Another thing is that people adhere to those explanations and broadcast them in the fact of evidence that demonstrates the invalidity of their explanations.
Salvation is in knowledge -- discovering the more valid explanations.
I'll have to post (others probably will too) on what I perceive to be the destructive aspects of clinging to the old, invalid explanations, both to the adherent and to those who have received and rejected such.
Yes, there needs to be a new explanation (back to San Francisco) - I'll post.
posted by
Xeno-x
on June 1, 2005 at 7:09 AM
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MandaLee -- That is a little bit funny but a I sense a sincere tone in your
comment. Can you possibly imagine someone who will never believe that Jesus Christ was anything more than just a mortal man? Not the son of God. This takes nothing away from his message and the example he provided for us but there are other paths to follow as well as other examples.
posted by
gomedome
on May 31, 2005 at 6:23 PM
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Gome, Sorry for messing up your name. Have you ever thought
about giving Jesus a chance?
posted by
Amanda__
on May 31, 2005 at 6:06 PM
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empty_handed_painter --- I run everything through my industrial duty
Norton Anit-Virus before setting it up for download. The web server has utilities in place as well but always run a virus scan on everything you download. You may find some very useful things in the eBook, certainly a lot of things to play with.
posted by
gomedome
on May 31, 2005 at 10:04 AM
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Wordwizard -- I have to agree with the premise you outline
A belief in a higher power is definately a human need.
posted by
gomedome
on May 31, 2005 at 10:02 AM
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No, religion will not disappear!
Religions will change, though. New ones will appear on the scene and there will be a choice of which God one can follow, worship, adhere to. Not unlike the days of ancient Greece when one could be an adherent of Hera or Zeus or anyone else.
Why?
Because most people need something or someone to lean on, to assure them that they're okay.
posted by
Wordwizard
on May 31, 2005 at 9:55 AM
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okay
i clicked on your link for the freelist
better be clean (without viruses, etc.)
posted by
Xeno-x
on May 31, 2005 at 9:09 AM
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avant-garde -- it's good to see you back
Is there a revolution as you describe it? There may well be but at the same time we are seeing a fundamentalist revival. The latter cannot be a good thing in this day and age.
posted by
gomedome
on May 31, 2005 at 7:11 AM
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empty_handed_painter - I think what ultimately surprises me is that
it has gone on for so long. Most people understand that magic and fairy tales are not real yet will vociferously defend an absurd idea such as a person parting the Red Sea with a magic stick. In any other field of study other than religion, discovery and reality have molded perception. Religious belief seems impervious to reality. People don't rise from the dead, the fact that some form of resurrection was presented as a recurring theme within numerous differing cultures prior to Jesus' little trick seems to fall on deaf ears. Mankind needed a God and set out to manufacture one. Where the construct of faith served mankind in years past, what purpose does it serve to develop the ability to perpetuate a delusion over understanding and redefining God based on what we know today?
posted by
gomedome
on May 31, 2005 at 6:48 AM
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yes, gomedome
i know kooka
and you're no kooka
but back to the subject
it is frustrating to see people hold on to the old ideas in spite of ever increasing evidence to refute such.
but I do believe that many in the polls probably don't ascribe definitely to stated religious beliefs -- they just don't know, haven't weighed all the evidence.
once the evidence is presented, I believe they would move to a more enlightened state.
posted by
Xeno-x
on May 31, 2005 at 6:12 AM
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MandaLee -- Don't you hate standing in the wrong line?
You finally get up to the front to receive your food stamps and the nurse gives you a flu shot instead.
posted by
gomedome
on May 30, 2005 at 9:14 PM
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gome
people are tired of being scared into compliance with something we can't see. there will be a revolution, in fact it already is happening, where people are declaring that God is within man. He need only awaken to it. That would mean leaving judgments aside, and deal with life honestly. by the way, i decided to return.
posted by
avant-garde
on May 30, 2005 at 5:52 PM
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Kooka, I respect your difference from me. I was just
wondering if you've ever given Jesus a try.
posted by
Amanda__
on May 30, 2005 at 2:52 PM
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Gomedome
I whole heartedly agree....but what was the question? :)
posted by
Numinous
on May 30, 2005 at 2:21 PM
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empty_handed_painter -- I have the 45 by Scott Mackenzie
"With flowers in their hair etc." .........but back to the point. Does it not cause you concern that so many people today are still caught in the same trap of trying to make an ever redundant dogma fit an ever expanding knowledge base? It eventually becomes an exercise of refusing to see reality instead of an exercise in faith that people claim it to be.
posted by
gomedome
on May 30, 2005 at 8:54 AM
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yes, eventually
I agree.
eventually people will accept new explanations as the old explanations are found to be wanting.
but, judging from how many in the U.S. believe at the moment (at least according to the polls [wonder how many did NOT respond]), it will take quite a bit in order for this to come about in our country at least.
but there is a younger generation seeking a new explanation (hmmm -- sounds like a song -- If You Come to San Francisco -- ) but maybe the ideas spawned at that time are finally taking root. dunno. looks like it though.
hope so.
we need real salvation.
posted by
Xeno-x
on May 30, 2005 at 7:48 AM
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