From: cdale@silly.techmonkeys.net
Date: Tue Sep 12 2000 - 13:24:36 PDT
It's interesting that you call it pseudo atheism. The book that I still
can't remember talked a bit about spiritual evolution, which usually
involves the following steps, not necessarily in this order:
1. raised w/ one belief system
2. rebellion against that belief system
2.a. atheism
2.b. agnosticism
3. a return to the original belief system, with a completely brand new
perspective of it, or a flight to an "opposite" belief system, usually
with pepperings of the original one intact.
"A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity."
-- Robert Frost
On Tue, 12 Sep 2000, B.K. DeLong wrote:
> At 12:18 PM 09/12/2000 -0700, you wrote:
> >Religion: good or bad?
>
> Man.....talk about *FLAME* bait. My new copy of Eudora 5.0 is just spitting
> out triple peppers today ;)
>
> >Is Religion spiritually enriching and a guide
> >to living a fulfilling life, or is it a bogus
> >outdated concept, appealing only to hypocrites?
>
> I tend to side with Cindy's POV. I had the benefit of witnessing hypocrisy
> in organized religion at its best when I visited my father's church (born
> again Christian...Presbyterian I think) one Thanksgiving. Everyone was
> asked to stand up and give thanks and ask for forgiveness. One would think
> that in a auditorium full of devoute Christians, they would be giving
> thanks for all the good things in their life but person after person were
> getting up asking for forgiveness for beating their children, drunk
> driving, and adultery. Not one person gave thanks for their bountiful
> lives. I was appalled to hear of such horrible activities as people who had
> been more than happy to thrust the bible in my face many a time detailed
> their violation of commandment after commandment. Mind you....this was just
> *my* experience.
>
> I've come to appreciate other religions like Wicca/Witchcraft that focus
> more on the spirituality Cindy touched upon and which allow practicers to
> ask their Goddess and/or God for assistance during rituals or sabbats but
> apply such rules as the "rede" like "And ye harm none do what ye will" or
> the three-fold law (basically anything you do will come back at you
> three-fold. If you do good....great! If not, it will come back to haunt you
> 3 times as bad). There is less focus on organized religion in cases like
> this....most Pagan's I know consider themselves solitary practicioners
>
> But people who utilize religious teachings to impose moral law drive me
> absolutely nuts. Especially in cases such as the one I mentioned prior
> where the devoute were hypocritical to said teachings. This drove me into a
> pseudo atheism/agnosticism for years....
>
> --
> B.K. DeLong
> Research Lead
> ZOT Group
>
> 617.542.5335 ext. 204
> bkdelong@zotgroup.com
> http://www.zotgroup.com
>
>
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