Religion
The search for religion was the beginning of all knowledge. It was the beginning of all knowledge, but not the beginning and end of all knowledge. Keep religion close or not, but never discard it. Not because there are no atheists in fox holes, but because it is part of our human history – it's where we began. Speak of Baal or Ra, gods have been around as long as we have been.
Fundamentalist, of every ilk, seemed to have missed the Renaissance, that magical period of time when man was not raised up to the level of God, but elevated high enough to be responsible for his own actions. It was a time when Michelangelo could look at a block of marble, see David inside, and set him free.
We laugh at a joke because we have additional information that makes the joke work. In this sense there is no such thing as an outside joke. If we don't understand the joke we are outside of it. The same may be true of religion, too. Comedy and satire can offer insight into politics, economics, love and just about anything else except religion and faith. The Life of Brian and Wise Blood ring hollow because religion should be, if not awe inspiring, then serious. But it also may be because both comedy and religion try to shipwreck the logical mind, or perhaps because both comedy and faith aim at the same end: joy.
Our religious cast of mind is changing today, just as it did with the Renaissance. It may be that we are looking for a bookend to our own Dark Ages as the Renaissance was for the Spanish Inquisition and the plague, but I think we are entering an age, an axial period in time, when new religions may be created. It may be I feel this way because of the deleterious effects of globalization, of the Internet, or just because of our existential malaise, but we need something more – something I personally don't see traditional religions providing, even when I peep over the edge of my foxhole.
.
The search for religion was the beginning of all knowledge. It was the beginning of all knowledge, but not the beginning and end of all knowledge. Keep religion close or not, but never discard it. Not because there are no atheists in fox holes, but because it is part of our human history – it's where we began. Speak of Baal or Ra, gods have been around as long as we have been.
Fundamentalist, of every ilk, seemed to have missed the Renaissance, that magical period of time when man was not raised up to the level of God, but elevated high enough to be responsible for his own actions. It was a time when Michelangelo could look at a block of marble, see David inside, and set him free.
We laugh at a joke because we have additional information that makes the joke work. In this sense there is no such thing as an outside joke. If we don't understand the joke we are outside of it. The same may be true of religion, too. Comedy and satire can offer insight into politics, economics, love and just about anything else except religion and faith. The Life of Brian and Wise Blood ring hollow because religion should be, if not awe inspiring, then serious. But it also may be because both comedy and religion try to shipwreck the logical mind, or perhaps because both comedy and faith aim at the same end: joy.
Our religious cast of mind is changing today, just as it did with the Renaissance. It may be that we are looking for a bookend to our own Dark Ages as the Renaissance was for the Spanish Inquisition and the plague, but I think we are entering an age, an axial period in time, when new religions may be created. It may be I feel this way because of the deleterious effects of globalization, of the Internet, or just because of our existential malaise, but we need something more – something I personally don't see traditional religions providing, even when I peep over the edge of my foxhole.
Forrest, male, 65, born in Goffstown, NH
.
posted by Forrest at
1:41 AM
<< Home