|
Dissolve into Evergreens
|
||||
|
We Need to Speak with the Managers! Owners Capita... Feel the Flow Telegraph | News | Scientists make ... Not Political, at all. Belkin Media Reader for iP... What to Whom? The Theocrats want to give power to... More Baghdag Burning Baghdad Burning: "In spite ... The troops knock on your door. Baghdad Burning: ... OK Senate Race Getting Some Attention Daily Kos |... Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Lt. Gen. William ... I've been listening to lots of music lately. Right... Bush Lied. As much as we can say that the Secreta... Justin Oldham - Politics and Patriotism
Wilco The Flaming Lips The New Radicals John Mayer Zero 7 Dream Theater Radiohead Death Cab for Cutie The Notwist O.S.I. Ani Difranco The Shins Elliott Smith Badly Drawn Boy Chroma Key Coheed and Cambria The Streets Andrew Bird Sufjan Stevens Atom Site Feed 
|
10.20.2003
Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket? Emphasis Added: Rob of Emphasis Added fame, in the comments made an nice summarizing statement that I wanted to carry over here. "'Secular Humanism' is an intellectually-respectable position in philosophy that was dragged into the political debate primarily by fundamentalists looking for a bogeyman. The confusion of these two concepts is a product of right-wing propaganda, not left-wing 'pointlessness.' " Secular Humanism is nothing more than a name attached to an age old concept, "Love your neighbor as yourself". While growing up I never thought that the idea of being a good citizen, being a good person, or wanting to help humanity was in some way the antithesis of religion. However it become so, at least in fundamentalist and evangelical circles. Being religious (in the tribal sense) has replaced being virtuous. Thinking back to my own religious upbringing I have come to the somewhat startling revelation. I was raised a Religious Humanist. Sure, it may have been called Catholicism but looking back I can see that it was a mature form of religion that had completely embraced the ideals of humanism. This was no doubt a result of years of struggle to bring the church more in line with what has become the overriding virtues of Christianity. Incidentally those are also the ones that are in direct alignment with humanism. As mature religions shed the trappings of political movements they become more focused on the core message of their faith. Dealing with real issues that come from their members inevitably leads to a humanist approach. As your tribal identity becomes less obvious it becomes necessary to resort to more visible and obvious forms of expressing who you are and too whom you belong. In homogenized cultures, expressions of identity become a useless practice. Why go to the trouble when people already know who and what you are? It only becomes necessary to do so when the nature of your identity is in doubt. Since religions are political and social movements we have to think about what the rise of fundamentalist Christianity signifies. Secular Humanism can be said to be what happens when religions forsake their ideological goals and get down to the task of doing "the lord's work". But as this occurs religion loses its power as a political entity. Religions chiefly exist to build consensus amongst people for the goal of effecting change. Usually the desired change means the transfer of political power into new hands. So by raising the specter of secular humanism as some soul sapping force that threatens to destroy religion, political mobility can be restored. But for what goal? Answer me that. | |
About Me
Any Box 
|
||
|
Dissolve into Evergreens
|
||||
