If y'don't mind me asking, how does this tie in with your views on religion and the religious traditions that contradict each other in the world?
Don't mind you asking at all. Basically, I'm prepared to believe that some, all, none or fewer of the religions in the world are "true". Religious traditions are a different matter -- I think they're essentially man-made, though it's possible that the men who made them were privy to inside knowledge of the divine.
That's a bit waffly and vague, isn't it. Hm. I'll think about it some more.
I have a vague recollection (fx: checks interests list for confirmation) that you were a practicing Christian while you were at Oxford and for all I know you may still be.
I was. I'm not now.
I'm honestly not sure what I believe any more. It's difficult to separate out my religious beliefs (such as they are) from my feelings about the Christian church, which are still strong enough (and bitter enough) to cloud my judgement a lot more than I'd like. Maybe when the mental scars have healed over a bit more I'll be in a position to think about it more clearly.
Basically the problem is that it's very hard to separate out a religion from its followers. I believe that there may be more there than just cultural, traditional, human phenomena; on the other hand, I suspect that these phenomena may be as strong in themselves as (we'd like to believe that) a deity should be. Maybe we're all merely worshipping ourselves, or aspects of ourselves. Maybe that isn't a bad thing.
I'm sorry this is such a handwavey response. It's a serious issue, and one that I do think about, and one that I need to think about more. (Whatever I do or don't believe at any one time, I always believe that it's important -- "Does God exist?" is a question that I can't answer, but "Does it matter?" is easy.)
Since I can't explain the logic, I'll let someone else describe the feelings better than I could:
"Because I know that time is always time And place is always and only place And what is actual is actual only for one time And only for one place I rejoice that things are as they are and I renounce the blessed face And renounce the voice Because I cannot hope to turn again Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something Upon which to rejoice
And pray to God to have mercy upon us And pray that I may forget These matters that with myself I too much discuss Too much explain Because I do not hope to turn again Let these words answer For what is done, not to be done again May the judgement not be too heavy upon us"
(T. S. Eliot, Ash Wednesday (http://www.pmms.cam.ac.uk/~gjm11/poems/ashwed.html))
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Date: 2003-01-24 02:33 am (UTC)Don't mind you asking at all. Basically, I'm prepared to believe that some, all, none or fewer of the religions in the world are "true". Religious traditions are a different matter -- I think they're essentially man-made, though it's possible that the men who made them were privy to inside knowledge of the divine.
That's a bit waffly and vague, isn't it. Hm. I'll think about it some more.
I have a vague recollection (fx: checks interests list for confirmation) that you were a practicing Christian while you were at Oxford and for all I know you may still be.
I was. I'm not now.
I'm honestly not sure what I believe any more. It's difficult to separate out my religious beliefs (such as they are) from my feelings about the Christian church, which are still strong enough (and bitter enough) to cloud my judgement a lot more than I'd like. Maybe when the mental scars have healed over a bit more I'll be in a position to think about it more clearly.
Basically the problem is that it's very hard to separate out a religion from its followers. I believe that there may be more there than just cultural, traditional, human phenomena; on the other hand, I suspect that these phenomena may be as strong in themselves as (we'd like to believe that) a deity should be. Maybe we're all merely worshipping ourselves, or aspects of ourselves. Maybe that isn't a bad thing.
I'm sorry this is such a handwavey response. It's a serious issue, and one that I do think about, and one that I need to think about more. (Whatever I do or don't believe at any one time, I always believe that it's important -- "Does God exist?" is a question that I can't answer, but "Does it matter?" is easy.)
Since I can't explain the logic, I'll let someone else describe the feelings better than I could:
"Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessed face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice
And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us"
(T. S. Eliot, Ash Wednesday (http://www.pmms.cam.ac.uk/~gjm11/poems/ashwed.html))