I am putting together a book detailing not only my personal thoughts and experiences with religion, but documenting an extensive project that I am beginning, exploring the unique nature of individual religious and spiritual beliefs. No doubt this journey will change the way I view religious belief, and perhaps even alter my personal beliefs. I hope that it has the same effect on anyone who cares to come along. The book will cover an extensive collection of religious and philosophical topics, as well as a deep analysis of the data I collect from one on one interviews. Here is the opening that I am working on. There is much, much more to come. Feel free to comment!
I am beginning this project on September 14th, 2009. As a society we are deep into a scientific awakening that will lead us into a world so unimaginable and advanced, that it’s mere description to us would be indistinguishable from heaven itself. As Clarke’s third law illustrates, where we can somewhat imagine or piece together the world of our past, with the current rate of expansion of scientific knowledge, even the not so distant future presents almost unimaginable possibilities. As a futurist, student, and witness to the discoveries of our most recent pasts, I cannot imagine anything to be impossible. Every technology no matter how far from our grasp is an inevitability. But one has to wonder in an age so scientifically rich, how is it that god still has an enduring, influential place in the majority of our lives. 125 years after Nietzsche, and 43 years after Time Magazine proclaimed that God is dead, at least 85% of Americans still believe in god. 150 years since Darwin’s Origin of Species, nearly a quarter of the last presidential elections nominees publicly and proudly admitted that they do not believe in evolution. Many of our national figures, as well as everyday people all over our country share their sentiments as well. In an effort to protect their theology from failing an unnecessary literal interpretation, they attack science, and ultimately progress. As I will illustrate later in the project this is an unviable argument for either side. Many giants on both sides of the debate agree. Stephen Hawking has maintained throughout his career that his scientific beliefs and even his own theories about the formation of the universe are not counter intuitive to possessing a strong belief in god. And recently Pope Benedict has come out against the mixing of science and religion in theological arguments. He has even upheld the validity of carbon dating, and explored evolution as a likely possibility. We have had a secular government with strong provisions for separation of church and state for 233 years, yet polls suggest that as a nation we are far from accepting an atheist candidate as a presidential nominee. If fact 43 of 44 presidents were protestant, JFK being the only exception as a Catholic and not without controversy. Just recently Barrack Obama, a member of the United Church of Christ had a huge obstacle to overcome, when conservatives even briefly floated the idea that he was a Muslim. How is a nation as advanced as ours so caught up in religious intolerance? In a world where science and innovation provide the creature comforts of a modern life, and limitless hope for the future, why is religion such a catalyst?
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A very interesting proposal. One of the biggest sticking points with regards to religion is defining what is meant by God. ask different people and you will hear God defined as a meticulous creator of everything around us with an active hand in daily events; an omnipotent gatekeeper giving the deceased a debreifing on their life; or the equivalent of a spoiled celestial five year old, excitedly creating the universe only to become bored with it, paying no heed to its development. This ambiguity is a large part of the conflict associated with religion. Two people can proclaim "I believe in God" while holding mutually exclusive viewpoints and still associate with each other, blissfully unaware of the ideological conflict. However, the second one declares oneself an Atheist , one marks themself as an outlier.
ReplyDeleteThe same problem is evident in the anti-Muslim sentiment. Because they pronounce their God "Allah", they are marked as outsiders. Never mind that Allah means "God" in Arabic and mank scholars state Allah is the god of Abraham-they spell it differently! Get'im!
Anyway, the best of luck in your project, and I look forward to following it.
That's a great point. I think that a lot of the controversy that exists over religion comes from the anthropomorphic nature of modern religion. In early monotheistic movements like Kabalism God was more loosely defined because of his distant nature. In the most basic monotheistic doctrines god is strictly unknowable, inconceivable, and foreign in nature from human beings. He is completely unable to communicate with us, however from the evidence God has left us on Earth from physical science to social interaction we become aware of his power, presence, and nature. But each major religious movement in recorded history attaches human traits and emotions to god, like we are made in his image, and god is a personal god. These religions then define God's mores and personality to custom fit their culture, wants and needs.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the way thinkers like Einstein and Hawking talk about god it seems much less contradictory. They view God as a constant force, perhaps even incognizant that still has an unlimited effect on the nature of the universe. In their perspective God is somewhat similar to the Big bang, or even the Omega Point. The polar opposite is what you see groups like the Wesboro Baptist Church proposing. Where the only acceptable definition of God is that he is a literal being that for some reason cares whether or not you vote republican. It's interesting that these people in some circumstances can associate with each other and not debate the huge gaps in their understanding.
Anyways thanks for reading the blog….you’re my first follower so if you can pass it on to anybody you might think would enjoy the discussion please do. I will probably be posting every Sunday.