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Politics, gods, and comments...
Posted by Eruesso • 3/01/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: Belief, God, religion
These discussions seem to repeat themselves, and I'm looking for something new and interesting. I admit my personal blog is about God (more as a concept than a deity) and religion. But 99% of the religion/God discussions relate to belief in God or if he exists. To me neither really matters. What matters to me is how these beliefs, ideas, and concepts shape our interactions with one another. I don't care for questions that stereotype an entire religious system (ex. why do Muslims hate freedom?) or a discussion on how Atheists are immoral because they don't believe in God. If you're an Atheist/Christian/Sikh/Buddhist/Mystic how does this shape your character? But more importantly I would like to hear new interesting ideas and concepts on Blogcatalog. Something better than "Why practice religion" or "what is evil". I'm not trying to build a large thread (or draw attention) but would like to learn of new ideas and concepts. I want this to be a constructive discussion, but I'm not holding my breath.
Bottom line, give me something worth thinking about.
User Comments
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To me it seems virtuous to display acts of kindness, courtesy and compassion through an understanding of universal ethics. This is far more virtuous than a person who would perform the same acts (or simply possess the same approach) through fear or simple obedience to some deity.
Sorry to deviate somewhat from the topic at hand but this also applies to, for example, a person who would consider it a virtuous or noble act to be an honest taxpayer.
There truly is little or no virtue in performing an act that you are being coerced into performing, either through the threat of physical violence or the eternal torments of some hellish afterlife.
If I dive in front of a speeding truck to save a small child because there is someone pointing a gun at me demanding I do so, then can this really be considered a courageous or noble act?
I've seen a few individuals who proclaim to have freed themselves from Christianity when all they've done is jumped from that cult to the cult of 'atheism'.
I wouldn't like to label myself a part of any of these 'cults' because life, in all its mystery, is too enigmatic to be accurately understood by even the greatest of minds - we are crudely charting out new territories of cognition with each new age, be it through religious liberation, scientific breakthrough or any other medium of human growth and development. -
This is not a deviation at all. I merely wanted to stir the discussion waters with something other than polarizing discussions. So how would you explain universal ethics to someone who is part of a religious system? A better question might be how do we secularize (or divorce) ethics from the concept that it must originate from a divine source? Do we have something already that defines what is universally ethical?
Maybe something similar to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/hrphotos/declaration%20_eng.pdf -
Let me start off by saying i don't judge people for their religion/beliefs. Personally, my trust in god has helped me through many experiences. For example, the golden rule (in Christianity Matthew 7:12) is not just a concept/verse written in the bible, it has been seen,read, heard,and printed in many places unrelated to religion. I try to carry that concept into my personal life and it has been very helpful in my relations with other humans (even unbearable ones). phew. im hungry... -
I agree. So if the Golden Rule (and variations) is our foundation stone to universal ethics what becomes the next step? What do we build on our foundation of reciprocal ethics?
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I am interested in knowing your "concept" of god...-
My concept of God has recently (in the last 2 years) become fluid. I try to approach what we term the "Divine" from all angles.
You can find a more detailed description here.
agod-sizedpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/11/as-my-first-blog-on-blogger-i-hope-th...
I leave myself open-minded because I've come to accept Man's limited knowledge and fallibility. For the time being I consider myself a monotheist but I might take on an eastern approach to God in 5 years or I may even become an agnostic. Who knows.
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Eruesso, you know I don't judge people by the faith they follow or there absolutes. I think it starts inside of everyone of us. Lovesome and MereCoincidence have both touched on this. The human being is far too limited in his ability to know all things to pass judgements. A good example of this is the "paradigm shifts" Steven Covey tells us we are so susceptible to when we know, as Paul Harvey might have said, "the rest of the story".
So, what should we do to truly create a Declaration of Human Rights? Forget about dogma and honestly acknowledge our own flaws looking for a way to correct them. We all know the rules. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Be patient kind and considerate even with people who you don't care for etc. but how do we get there? Accept a higher power and ask for guidance. If this is truly your wish that guidance comes. Don't question the form it arrives in, you'll recognize truth. Ultimately, I believe that when you touch the form of the Divine you most need (don't try to define that, It already knows!) you begin to see that the life system you're involved in isn't real. You'll still experience pain, loss, sadness and all the other roadblocks to peace but you'll find you no longer own them nor do they define you. This thought process allows you to not be permanently affected by the injustices and ridculous actions of man against man. You realize they are all temporal.
I absolutely love people for thier flaws because they are one of the few things they honestly possess. Without sounding too negative, I generally distrust thier virtues. Those are assumed or forced on them by circumstances.
Be blessed, Paul -
I must point you all in the direction of this book: www.freedomainradio.com/free/#UPB - Universally Preferable Behaviour: A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics by Stefan Molyneux.
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Thanks for the book suggestion. From what little I skimmed over the author attempts to define an ethical system in secular waters. I completely agree that this would be the best way forward in constructing a universal agreement on what constitutes a just society. This does not mean that the society itself is "godless" because it is not based on Divine mandates, but for a universal agreement to be universal it must be divorced from tribal ethics. (Religion is tribal at times.) These ethics can (and are) found in our world religions but when dogma and doctrine in various religions begin to dictate what is or is not moral then one tribe might want their ethical code enforced over a competing tribe. I'm not trying to downplay religion but we begin to bicker and peck at one another from our tribes when these issues come up in society.
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I guess non-polarizing discussions on spirituality isn't as interesting to others as I thought. Still, I would like to see more thought-provoking topics on spirituality instead of "Do you believe in Jesus" or "can God make mistakes". Something a bit more tangible in an intangible topic.
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I have a rather... well, I suppose you could call it an inconsistent method of approaching the world at large.
I choose to apply the scientific method in my empirical analysis of objective reality/realities while simultaneously embracing aspects of 'spirituality' and the more subtle, mysterious aspects of the universe.
In one respect I am a scientist; a rationalist - but I also practice chakra meditation and adhere to the 'belief' that we are all One and the universe is a single THING and single HAPPENING, OCCURRENCE or EVENT.
If all are one then violence is masochism, property is theft (and unfortunately sex is masturbation!). hehe
Anyway, simply put, religion is the politics of said 'spirituality' and as with the application of politics to any aspect of life, it thoroughly corrupts it and convolutes and subverts it into something it's not.
Christianity, for example, is a glorified pagan tradition, nothing more.
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