From: Kenneth Van Oost (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Mon 30 Jan 2006 - 08:17:57 GMT
----- Original Message -----
From: Kenneth Van Oost <kennethvanoost@belgacom.net>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 9:18 PM
Subject: Re: Religion and evidence/ for Kate
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kate Distin <memes@distin.co.uk>
> > I was not brought up as a Christian.
> > I lived as an atheist for a decade.
> > My children know that other people have other faiths, and none.
> > I'm sorry that my Christianity makes you so angry. I think you and I
> > have to agree to differ about this one. I can't see any point in
> > debating it further with you.
>
> << First, I am not angry, far from it ! He, this is a discussion forum, so
> when
> hard words has to fall- on the other hand though, I 'm surprised about
your
> reaction ! As it was I attacked you personaly, it was just my way to show
> how
> difficult, how sometimes impossible it will be to learn kids another view
> about
> life/ culture/ society than the one they were brought up in.
>
> You have to realize that each ideology will try to persuade/ convert as
much
> people as possible that its views are the right ones and it will try to
> squeeze
> society into its convictions_ so in a way, even how hard you will try to
> learn
> your children that indeed other convictions exist and that people live by
> its
> rules, your children will take their learned philosophy into society and
> change
> it accordingly.
>
> The problem I got with it all is that you start from the presupposition
that
> the
> human is a social being and not from the modern conviction that he is from
> his
> bias up a pure and simple individual. We ought to say within the context
> that
> religion has to become more than ever, a private matter.
> And that is just what happened_ modern times sees religion, and its annex
> ' weltanschauung ' as a pure private character. But one conception ( will
> try
> to) escape(s) from the commend of the private, and that is the belief in
the
> in-
> dividual and the personal character of religious and ideological ideas.
> And thus, what else can it be, religion places itself within a privileged
> position,
> one that wants to be general and common. She, religion, justifies this
> exception
> by declaring that she is the (only) condition by which a society of free
> individuals
> will/ can be possible.
> And that isn 't true !
>
> We don 't need religion or any other ' belief ' to form ' community ' !
> It is not so that when all individuals pursue their own personal interest
> that they
> act egoistic, what they do_ being altruistic, helping people, giving to
> charity_ or
> not, helps the builiding of society. Humans do NOT act like they were homo
> homini lupus !! People loose themselves within to help others and endure
the
> pain of their losses. We don 't need the or any co- ordination ( of
> religion) to
> act in that way ! We do not longer trust religion, or politics_ any system
> that
> brings out ' community ', just because as the individuals we are_ we have
> even
> privatized our sense of ( giving) trust_ we keep it for those
relationships
> we see
> as worthwhile, and no longer for society/ politics, let stand alone
religion
> !!
>
> The main difficulty for many as for you and for your kids I presume is
that
> you
> can 't suppose that we deal here with individuals/ individuality and that
> then
> politics/ the social shows itself as a problem wherefor only a quasi-
> religious
> solution is the answer.
> Modernity should correct this and then, I hope the social/ political
> dimension
> will be, once again, a natural fact of being human !
> Being religious is not !
> Where society/ politics or culture for that matter should provide the
> answers
> for the todays problems where we all faced with, we search into a
dimension
> which is not part of this world. Transcedention is NOT the answer !!!
>
> Regards,
>
> Kenneth
>
>
>
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue 31 Jan 2006 - 13:05:04 GMT