Day 128
A guest post, by Jordan, on religion. This was a response to the Day 126 entry. I'm hoping to respond tomorrow or the next day. Have a read!:
"...religion cannot 'thrive' by exploiting human weaknesses (it universally seeks to remedy them), in the same way that governments do not thrive by way of constant fear mongering and Marshall Law. One might call that 'surviving', but 'thriving'? Thriving by way of others' weakness is a purely Darwinian endgame that manifests on the frigging food chain, not as a human social ideal. More importantly, it is totally unclear what ideas are and are not embraced by the phrase "weaknesses in our minds". Do these weaknesses include 'succumbing' to an environment of mutual trust, faith, and friendship between people who hold a set of shared values, thereby fostering our oft-impeded desire to relate to others on a level higher than that selfish want and malicious impulse? What about providing a community committed to self-awareness, the physical and psychological needs of others, and the rigorous recognition of deeply idiosyncratic devotional response compelled by profound experience of beauty, meaning, compassion, justice— voices that might otherwise go completely unrecognized and unheard of in an increasingly fragmented, frantic, specialized, insular society such as ours? What about taking advantage of the ‘imaginative gullibility’ of our minds to awaken us to new possibilities of thinking and feeling and to recast our private experience in a new light, by encouraging us to contemplate historical and mythological parallels? I'll take those weaknesses any day, insofar as they don't attempt to smother my capacity for individual rational inquiry and emotional integrity.I believe a specific religion thrives because it is renewed again and again by the efforts of individuals who intentionally cultivate a spiritual relation, with the aid of institutional conventions and forms, to the mystery of their existence, with every fiber and facet of their being: senses, emotions, intellect, will—what have you. These efforts give rise to transformative insights, such as the understanding that each of our lives is absolutely unique and possessing of inexpressible valuable; that none but ‘God’ can ever know a person in his or her entirety (including oneself!). This evokes respect for our limitations and reverence toward the incredible mystery that is other human beings. It also shows us that we are each blessed with unique talents, which it is our joy to cultivate and our sacred duty to use them for the good of all beings. Furthermore, the attitudes of compassion, joy, forgiveness, hope, perseverance, honesty are attitudes that make our lives meaningful, renewable, and thus livable. That being said, I find the totalizing use of the term 'religion' in the context of your post inexcusable; it constitutes the lazy assumption of some undifferentiated, monolithic, malignant force that we are all expected to be familiar with as well as in tacit agreement as to its 'true' nature, which is ridiculous."
"...religion cannot 'thrive' by exploiting human weaknesses (it universally seeks to remedy them), in the same way that governments do not thrive by way of constant fear mongering and Marshall Law. One might call that 'surviving', but 'thriving'? Thriving by way of others' weakness is a purely Darwinian endgame that manifests on the frigging food chain, not as a human social ideal. More importantly, it is totally unclear what ideas are and are not embraced by the phrase "weaknesses in our minds". Do these weaknesses include 'succumbing' to an environment of mutual trust, faith, and friendship between people who hold a set of shared values, thereby fostering our oft-impeded desire to relate to others on a level higher than that selfish want and malicious impulse? What about providing a community committed to self-awareness, the physical and psychological needs of others, and the rigorous recognition of deeply idiosyncratic devotional response compelled by profound experience of beauty, meaning, compassion, justice— voices that might otherwise go completely unrecognized and unheard of in an increasingly fragmented, frantic, specialized, insular society such as ours? What about taking advantage of the ‘imaginative gullibility’ of our minds to awaken us to new possibilities of thinking and feeling and to recast our private experience in a new light, by encouraging us to contemplate historical and mythological parallels? I'll take those weaknesses any day, insofar as they don't attempt to smother my capacity for individual rational inquiry and emotional integrity.I believe a specific religion thrives because it is renewed again and again by the efforts of individuals who intentionally cultivate a spiritual relation, with the aid of institutional conventions and forms, to the mystery of their existence, with every fiber and facet of their being: senses, emotions, intellect, will—what have you. These efforts give rise to transformative insights, such as the understanding that each of our lives is absolutely unique and possessing of inexpressible valuable; that none but ‘God’ can ever know a person in his or her entirety (including oneself!). This evokes respect for our limitations and reverence toward the incredible mystery that is other human beings. It also shows us that we are each blessed with unique talents, which it is our joy to cultivate and our sacred duty to use them for the good of all beings. Furthermore, the attitudes of compassion, joy, forgiveness, hope, perseverance, honesty are attitudes that make our lives meaningful, renewable, and thus livable. That being said, I find the totalizing use of the term 'religion' in the context of your post inexcusable; it constitutes the lazy assumption of some undifferentiated, monolithic, malignant force that we are all expected to be familiar with as well as in tacit agreement as to its 'true' nature, which is ridiculous."
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