religion
Out of context: Reply #1171
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- kingkong0
@ morning star... I of course teach them about the context of religion, in fact I've sent them to a semi-religious private school where they do morning prayers, say grace before meals and do a decent amount of religious studies.
Pay or pray as they say in the UK.
I'm nothing if not a hypocrite.
I actually went to Jesuit seminary school as a teen (my Stockholm syndromy upbringing) and studied politics, economics and theology, before finding drink and women and going to art school. So I'm pretty well informed about all things religion, having gone to mass 3 times a week from the age of 4-18.
So these days I tend to teach my children the context of religion in terms of is cultural and historical place on this planet, which is why I love the 100,000 year info graphic a couple of pages back.
You sure as hell can't ignore it or isolate anyone from it. I certainly don't talk about it through rose tinted glasses. It (in it's broadest sense) is responsible for huge amounts of suffering, poverty and disease, and plunged the planet into a 1000 year age of scientific darkness. Early Christians crusaders made the Taliban look like amateurs.
In truth as a curious (and non-judgemental) type I love to read and understand as much as I can the reasons why the stones all over Europe had a religious significance, I love to read about the political motivations behind the modern church, which culminated in the Papacy and cathedrals all over the world.
I love to read about the British empire and how it became an evangelical empire in the mid 1800's after 200 years of profiteering, sending white folks to Africa and South America to 'civilise people'
Religion is just a part of the human story. Inextricably linked to the moment we had some sort of consciousness up until the fundamental islamists - it's a man made creation to validate ones existence, and explain the world around you. As we have become more intelligent so has the religion.
Also some interesting points have been made here as to how religion is politics on the whole and faith is personal on the whole.
Religions have tended to form into 'power groups' to run things, in that sense a church is like Communism, when the faith system was socioeconomic system structured upon common ownership. The organisation fucked up a pretty sound 'belief'.
People tend to be quite tolerant of other faiths. It's religions that tend to despise other religions... Religion is both a force for good and bad, much like humans. But I see it purely and simply as history.
But if I had to put my finger on 'me' I'm a little 'meh'. I don't 'believe' nor do I actively 'disbelieve. I'm like most people I meet; which is indifferent.
Indifference is killing off religion, not another religion or atheism. People when they are educated 'tend' not to care for it, which is why churches are closing at a rapid rate. When all the congregations (mostly ages in the 50s/60s') die off so will the Church in large swathes of western countries.
In fact, mostly they are kept alive through people going to them to get their kids into their schools. Once that gets stopped (which it will) they will disappear from the public consciousness over a few hundred years.
If there was one growth religion/belief system it's secularism. Once that pervades the rest of the world via the UN, IMF etc. Game over.
It (modern religions) will in time be replaced by something else, as other have always done. Jesus is no better than Zeus or Odin.
Just different.
If anyone hasn't there is a wonderful book called Flatlands written in 1884. It will maybe make you pause for thought (it's a key starter for 10 book in theology)...
A quick synopsis
"A classic of scientific and mathematical fiction, Flatland is the story of a Square as he journeys through new dimensions. He experiences Spaceland (a universe with three dimensions), Lineland (a universe of one dimension), and Pointland ( a universe no dimensions). This work of literature looks at the world through a purely mathematical lens to help us better understand the concepts of dimension as well as the sociological implications of hierarchies. Finally, the Square dares to dream of a land with four dimensions, an incredible idea which gets him banished from Spaceland."
Said my piece after a lot of pithy quotes...
- I read flatland when I was 16 and stoned. Blew my mind =)********
- doesn't sound that you went into it on more profound level at all. what this about the corrupt UN? to save us? lolyurimon
- Yurimon, you are a high priest of tools.kingkong
- Yurimon. Guaranteed to tell you more.,********
- i'm not tool teaching my future kin the exact philosophy they want you the mediocrity to believe.yurimon
- that makes no sense, much like everything else you write.kingkong
- king you know history right? Every empire teaches what it requires to perpetuate power over truth.yurimon
- well you live in an empire teaching such program. just different empire. im sure what you are teaching some one in the future is going think is propogandayurimon
- future will think it otter shyit. like your comment about british empire.
you chose gett along over truth or sanity to teach your childrenyurimon - understandable because people do well keeping close with those in power...yurimon
- copeash?yurimon
- As usual, not really.********
- I read flatland when I was 16 and stoned. Blew my mind =)