It’s an odd thing to be the nonbeliever in the crowd. People jump right from “you don’t believe…” to “…therefore, you are an atheist.” And by that they mean, an anti-theist.
Which I’m not.
I have nothing agin’ your religious beliefs, so long as you don’t try to force-feed them to moi. We could have a heated argument about the separation of church and state, but I find it tiring these days. People inevitably make the specious argument that the founding patriarchs were believers and therefore, the country was founded on their beliefs.
(I want credit for the mother perfect paragraph I deleted here, lest I be accused of arguing the argument I told you I wouldn’t argue.)
Anyway, and back to the point, I’m not an anti-theist. I don’t deny the existence of a supreme being. And given the facts that: a) I have seen many evidences of the existence of evil; and b) that if there wasn’t some equal and opposite mojo going on, we’d all have ended up like Cedric Diggory by now, well, there must be something going on.
I just don’t find it likely that a supreme entity such as many of you envision is truly envisionable. Not by the likes of us, at any rate.
I don’t think it’s a good use of time to try to figure out the unfigurable and define a god to whom we can then direct worshipful gazes. Which is not to say I don’t care about good and evil and all that. Majored in ethics, did I. The ongoing attempt to design philosophical tools that will allow us to determine ultimate good and ultimate not so good is fascinating to me. I don’t toe to anyone’s particular mark, but I do like to think and argue about the various constructions. Don’t get me going on Utilitarianism. Talk about your slippery slopes! I’m more of a Categorical Imperative guy, I suppose. Until something more compelling comes along.
I guess the when it comes right down to it, I’m Lucasian. I have this gut feeling, inchoate and certainly unprovable, that we’re all linked somehow in a huge cosmic web. When someone kicks off or changes direction and does something evil, boing-ing-ing - it moves the center of the web a bit off center. Humans spend their lives trying to regain and maintain that center.
We all need to feel that we understand – something. But I’m not sure which something that is.
For now, I’m sticking with Lucas.
The Force be with you.
Sorry, haven't read all of this yet. I'm just jumping on that early paragraph. Of course the Founding Fathers were believers. So WHAT? It wasn't some revisionists judges who made the First Amendment start right off with the exclusion clause (that's the fancy word for separation of church and state). It was THEM, the Founding Fathers. So enough already on that point.
ReplyDelete(Not you, Michael. I'm with you.) - Bill
More from Bill:
ReplyDeleteOne of my embarrassments is to acknowledge that I am a Christian, both by nurture and by choice. I'm not embarrassed by my faith, but by the behavior of so many others who also claim the title. I'm often appalled by the ... oh, come on, Bill, there must be some adjective to describe it that doesn't come out nasty. Hmm. Nope.
So that's that. :S
So agree with you on that cosmic web. My "gut feeling" is that our "essence" is constantly rejoining the cosmic web in some new form and that's why I believe it's so important to die with grace - so our essence remains positive. It just my personal theory, I'm sure - but I believe all those "souls" or "essences" that died so unprepared and unexpectedly on 9/11 have really sent the cosmic web atremble. Not blaming the victims! Please don't misunderstand! In my thinking, this goes beyond the individual ego that thinks we can control any of this vast, cosmic energy and how it responds. Still... I believe that a graceful, prepared death contributes more positively to the whole than a violent one. To be brief - war is not the answer. Thanks for listening. Rev Sindy (tee hee)
ReplyDeleteBill, I think we agree regarding Christians which is not to say I wish to denigrate Christians.
ReplyDeleteSindy, I think you take what I've been pondering a step further. I need to get into a discussion group. Maybe UU, we'll see. But I do need the discussion.
(And yes, this is Michael, too lazy to just sign in.)
I have to believe in the ever after. When Rachel was a little girl her big fear was that mommy would die so I promised her I would live forever. Of course, I never explained how or where I would "live" other than in her heart. But I do intend to haunt Mike...
ReplyDeleteMary