["your own, personal, jesus" - Depeche Mode]["your own, chocolate, jesus" artist Cosimo Cavallaro]
Thought I'd see if I could lure the ProfNBA/Clubman into a conversation related to things that will pass over (get it) this next weekend.
Here is a link to an article by Rabbi Marc Gellman a columnist for Newsweek Mag.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17971270/site/newsweek/
The article is Gellman's attempt to explain how arguments between athiest and religious people miss the true nature of the question being asked.
The rundown: His claim is that there are two types of questions: Problems and Mysteries. Problems are assigned to questions pertaining to, well it appears from his take, the 'physical' world. These problems are considered essentially scientific, and with time, reseach and data, the answer will be found.
Mysteries are, as he says, questions such as: "why do fools fall in love" or "whether goodness is rewarded" or "whether there is purpose to human existance", and of course "whether or not god exists". [This mystery vs. problem concept will be further explored in the comments]
I can actually, ALMOST, accept his point of view, however there is one place in his article where, as a religious man, he says something that may JUMP OUT at you because, like most religious people, he steps into .. .. ... well lets see if you can find the statement.
HINTS can be offered.
3 comments:
"If, on the other atheist hand, people are just one of many species ruled by the survival of the fittest, then God does not exist for that person and neither does any transcendent duty to treat others with dignity. In this dispute, Sam is not wrong, he is just on the side of those who do not believe in the sanctity of life."
seems like this might be the offending line..not sure. But God debates are inane. NO ONE knows..so why bother, right?
That is it EXACTLY.
I agree that god debates are inane.
I also do not believe that I should capitalize god as you have -I think that was a mistake on your part from years of seeing it capitalized.
However, people do not debate god as even the Rabbi here has shown. In an article, set up as a debate, he has literally taken a swipe at a group of people by judging that they have no true understanding of treating others with dignity because of their lack of belief that we are made in the image of god.
In other words, people who do not believe in god, are at their core, capable without feeling, of hurting other humans. While a person who believes, will, naturally, treat others with dignity and respect.
Meanwhile, his entire argument becomes strange because now we are faced with being created in the image of a 'mystery', which means we are essentially mysterious to ourselves. Yet within this 'being a species created in the image of a mystery' we somehow are willing to treat each other better, if we believe in the mystery. If you do not believe we are mysterious, you have no feelings for 'us' and you may in fact have no feelings for your fellow mysterious man. -this is all directly taken from his sense of logic.
Man = made in gods image = god is a mystery = why do fools fall in love.
Taken further, Rabbi has suggested that if you do not believe, then you are bad. If you do not believe in his god, are you bad, or if you do believe in a god, you are capable of being good, just not as good as if you were to believe in his god.?.?
Suddenly you can see where an infidel should be beheaded... right?
Suddenly it makes sense to hear serial killers evoke the name of god, their savior.
Suddenly it is clear we would rather argue about the mysterious and unknown. Sit and worship that which we dont understand, and hold others liable for their inability to join in this insanity.
Cavemen are we.
Another thing, just in case it went over anyone's head, the photograph above is of an artists creation of a sculpture of 'christ' made totally of chocolate.
The reason it is place with this particular blog is because, 'the church' halted the exhibition of the piece in New York using strong arm tactics of threatend boycots. So with the Rabbi's kind words relating to how men who believe in god vs. men who dont, it is important to realize that in cases where a man who believes in god, creates a sculpture of 'his son', that his freedom of speach and expression can be and should be halted if he has views contrary to the leaders of the church.
I think Da Vinci was on the run from the church for decades for similar reasons.
The point is, we will never reach the heavens technologically, if we continue to stand and gawk at 'mysteries' and call them god.
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