[2157] in Central_America
Re: New quotes for Fri Jan 26
paulj@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (paulj@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Fri Jan 26 16:00:21 1990
The truth is that Christian theology, like every other theology, is not
only opposed to the scientific spirit; it is also opposed to all other
attempts at rational thinking. Not by accident does Genesis 3 make the
father of knowledge a serpent -- slimy, sneaking and abominable. Since
the earliest days the church as an organization has thrown itself
violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man.
This is spoken like someone who has an ax to grind. It evidences a failure
to recognize what religion is for. It is NOT a competitor to science.
It's purpose is not to explain the universe to us, but to satisfy us with
the state in which we find it. Sure, the two come into conflict, as many
special interests do, but not because they are antithetic.
This also demonstrates the typical western myopia that projects our
religions onto all religions. What relevance would this commentary have to
Shinto nature worship or Eskimo shamanism? Further, any attempt to paint
an organization as large as the Christian church in one color isn't going
to hold much credibility.
Lastly, the Christian church did not create the association of knowledge
with the serpent. That was a fixture of the pagan cults who the new
Christians were attempting to combat. What the church _did_ create was the
notion of the serpent as "slimy, sneaking and abominable" whereas it it had
previously been revered. This is hardly a novel technique, boiling down to
"hey, we're the good guys, therefore they're the bad guys." The same
phenomena can be seen visited on the vanquished in war, deposed heads of
state, and old romantic interests.
In short, dumping on religion is a lot like dumping on children. People
may respect your opinion, but privately they'll wonder what your childhood
was like.
--practicing my critiquing skills for no apparent reason
