Okay Taoist, it's readily apparent that you dislike religion, but what's it to ya, buddy? Why not allow everyone to believe as they see fit? Ya know, religion and spirituality are personal affairs. What business is it of yours how others believe?
If religion stayed within the confines of each believer's mind and within the walls of each church, I wouldn't have a problem with such beliefs at all. The problem is that they don't stay there. They necessarily leak out in such a way as to influence the entire ethos of a given society. The precepts of the dominant religion soon take on the characteristics of societal mores.
In the case of the inherent religious idea of one specific road to nirvana, it necessarily follows that if you don't choose the right road, you're on the wrong one! Because of the way most humans are, they want to be right. So, whatever they choose to believe must concurrently be that one right road and everyone else is shit out of luck. Such an ethos breeds exclusivity, nationalism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, and a whole host of other prejudices and bigotries.
While many individuals desire to be lambs -- told where to go by others -- there are just as many who aren't terribly interested in being devoted followers. Some, like me, break away from the predominant institutions to go in a different direction altogether. Others, however, are so invested in their particular belief system that they will not allow themselves to look beyond the general parameters.
So, what do they do? They work to put themselves in a position to be on the top of the mountain because people at the summit get to direct all the other people desiring to undertake the journey. This helps to explain why, for example, there are literally thousands of Christian denominational organizations.
In the beginning, there was one Christian church. The founders stood at the pinnacle and told everybody else what was what. After awhile, some folks decided they didn't like the maps being provided, so they founded new sects which produced there own maps. In time, more people didn't like all the various maps available and so they branched off even further so they could develop maps more to their liking.
What we ended up with are all these many fiefdoms occupying thousands of mountains and hills. Some occupy large mountains, while others are kings of nothing more than a molehill. What they share in common is that each group which occupies a summit proclaims that their way is the ONLY true way to God.
Imagine for a moment if Taoist thought was the major influence on our ethos. Because Taoists believe there is no one right way, there would be no need for this incessant competition of who can occupy the largest mountain. There would be a lot less exclusivity because people would value diversity. There would be far less nationalism and bigotry because people would more readily recognize that we're all part of the same whole.
In essence, we'd have a more peaceful and just world.
If religion stayed within the confines of each believer's mind and within the walls of each church, I wouldn't have a problem with such beliefs at all. The problem is that they don't stay there. They necessarily leak out in such a way as to influence the entire ethos of a given society. The precepts of the dominant religion soon take on the characteristics of societal mores.
In the case of the inherent religious idea of one specific road to nirvana, it necessarily follows that if you don't choose the right road, you're on the wrong one! Because of the way most humans are, they want to be right. So, whatever they choose to believe must concurrently be that one right road and everyone else is shit out of luck. Such an ethos breeds exclusivity, nationalism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, and a whole host of other prejudices and bigotries.
While many individuals desire to be lambs -- told where to go by others -- there are just as many who aren't terribly interested in being devoted followers. Some, like me, break away from the predominant institutions to go in a different direction altogether. Others, however, are so invested in their particular belief system that they will not allow themselves to look beyond the general parameters.
So, what do they do? They work to put themselves in a position to be on the top of the mountain because people at the summit get to direct all the other people desiring to undertake the journey. This helps to explain why, for example, there are literally thousands of Christian denominational organizations.
In the beginning, there was one Christian church. The founders stood at the pinnacle and told everybody else what was what. After awhile, some folks decided they didn't like the maps being provided, so they founded new sects which produced there own maps. In time, more people didn't like all the various maps available and so they branched off even further so they could develop maps more to their liking.
What we ended up with are all these many fiefdoms occupying thousands of mountains and hills. Some occupy large mountains, while others are kings of nothing more than a molehill. What they share in common is that each group which occupies a summit proclaims that their way is the ONLY true way to God.
Imagine for a moment if Taoist thought was the major influence on our ethos. Because Taoists believe there is no one right way, there would be no need for this incessant competition of who can occupy the largest mountain. There would be a lot less exclusivity because people would value diversity. There would be far less nationalism and bigotry because people would more readily recognize that we're all part of the same whole.
In essence, we'd have a more peaceful and just world.
"There is no path as paths lead away." Wei Wu Wei (author)
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice one isn't it?
All these religions are trying to get somewhere, missing what we keep telling them.
Here!
Now!
Righto!
ReplyDeleteI like your last line. Imagine if we weren't Canadians or Americans or Latinos. If we were all just people.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the infamous American nationalism that everyone else hates is religion-induced. That's why I stopped following James Dobson years ago, when I realized that it was the religious nuts who brainwashed Americans to believe that they were the greatest and the rest of us were second-class people.
As a matter of fact, one reason why I enjoy the atheist blogosphere is that most of us are free of that my-country-is-better crap.