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Elvis sightings
- Thread starter Pah
- Start date
Ceridwen writes,
why do people revere Jesus for his miracles and not Achilles for his miraculous strength? What's the difference? Someday, once Christianity has run it's course, the bible will be on the same shelf as the Illiad and other mythological writings.
I would guess that for you (and for many of my friends), the bible is already kept on the same shelf as the Iliad and other mythology. Thats where it belongs in my opinion too.
I once read an estimate that there have been over 100,000 religions come and gone since the caves of France and Spain were painted during the Upper Paleolithic. The religious impulse seems to be a constant of human nature, albeit it has taken many forms over the ages. I do not expect religion itself to die out ever. But new religions will replace old ones.
Theres something all-too-human, Ceridwen, in the fact that the stories in a tabloid newspaper of today bear such striking resemblance to the miracle stories in the bible. I still recall the excitement I felt listening to my scoutmaster tell his urban legends. I could easily have become attached to that excitement, and if I had, I would today be a junkie for tabloids perhaps even a junkie for the Gospel. There is something in human nature that wants the laws of nature suspended, wants anything to be possible, forever wants Elvis to come back from the dead.
why do people revere Jesus for his miracles and not Achilles for his miraculous strength? What's the difference? Someday, once Christianity has run it's course, the bible will be on the same shelf as the Illiad and other mythological writings.
I would guess that for you (and for many of my friends), the bible is already kept on the same shelf as the Iliad and other mythology. Thats where it belongs in my opinion too.
I once read an estimate that there have been over 100,000 religions come and gone since the caves of France and Spain were painted during the Upper Paleolithic. The religious impulse seems to be a constant of human nature, albeit it has taken many forms over the ages. I do not expect religion itself to die out ever. But new religions will replace old ones.
Theres something all-too-human, Ceridwen, in the fact that the stories in a tabloid newspaper of today bear such striking resemblance to the miracle stories in the bible. I still recall the excitement I felt listening to my scoutmaster tell his urban legends. I could easily have become attached to that excitement, and if I had, I would today be a junkie for tabloids perhaps even a junkie for the Gospel. There is something in human nature that wants the laws of nature suspended, wants anything to be possible, forever wants Elvis to come back from the dead.
Mr Spinkles
Mr
Sunstone, that was a very good post and well said, I completely agree. Let's take it one step further, though: is religion/the desire for logic to be suspended inherently 'bad' or 'good' overall? Or is it neutral?
Mr. Spinkles asks:
is religion/the desire for logic to be suspended inherently bad or good overall? Or is it neutral?
If I were a Buddhist, I think I might point out that people become attached to ideas as easily as they become attached to material things. It might sound a little silly to say that someone can become attached to a notion such as Elvis has been sighted in the vegetable section of a Las Vegas supermarket. But I think it only sounds silly. People really do get attached to such notions. (In non-Buddhist terms, they self-identify with the notion.)
The Buddhists go further and state that attachment causes dukka, which is usually translated as suffering or sometimes out-of-jointedness (I hope Ive spelled dukka correctly). Perhaps a way to test whether attachment causes suffering is to find someone who believes Elvis is alive, vigorously contradict them, and see if they can take it serenely, without emotional pain. There is no reason we shouldnt happily experiment.
So, it intrigues me, Mr. Spinkles, that from a Buddhist standpoint, the question of whether a desire for logic to be suspended is good, bad or neutral can be reduced to a question of whether that desire leads to attachment. Thats one way of looking at it, and perhaps it is an interesting one.
How would you answer your question?
Thank you for the compliment!
is religion/the desire for logic to be suspended inherently bad or good overall? Or is it neutral?
If I were a Buddhist, I think I might point out that people become attached to ideas as easily as they become attached to material things. It might sound a little silly to say that someone can become attached to a notion such as Elvis has been sighted in the vegetable section of a Las Vegas supermarket. But I think it only sounds silly. People really do get attached to such notions. (In non-Buddhist terms, they self-identify with the notion.)
The Buddhists go further and state that attachment causes dukka, which is usually translated as suffering or sometimes out-of-jointedness (I hope Ive spelled dukka correctly). Perhaps a way to test whether attachment causes suffering is to find someone who believes Elvis is alive, vigorously contradict them, and see if they can take it serenely, without emotional pain. There is no reason we shouldnt happily experiment.
So, it intrigues me, Mr. Spinkles, that from a Buddhist standpoint, the question of whether a desire for logic to be suspended is good, bad or neutral can be reduced to a question of whether that desire leads to attachment. Thats one way of looking at it, and perhaps it is an interesting one.
How would you answer your question?
Thank you for the compliment!
Mr Spinkles
Mr
I think you said it very well. I would add, though, that it is possible that if a person can behave rationally, but needs to believe in some tall tales to be happy, then those tall tales are a good thing because they make people happy (hopeful, secure, whatever).
