Update Religion

Things the Early Church Made Up

2009-05-31T13:45:00.003-04:00

Along with the proto-churches that developed in the early history of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church has mastered the art of making stuff up and then making it stick. Much of church doctrine and teaching is based on myths that the early church leaders manufactured in order to solidify their control. Since much of these "traditions", if not all of them, are human creations, why should we take any of them seriously? Why should we take the RC Church seriously? We wouldn't take anyone seriously who said this stuff today, would we? Oops, I forgot about the fundamentalists, who are making up for lost time as far as making stuff up goes.

Stuff the early church probably made up:

Virgin Birth
Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Peter as the first main leader of the Church (everyone knows it was either Magdalene or James!)
The Apostolic Succession (only men need apply, despite Paul's attestations of female leadership)
The brothers and sisters of Yeshua were anything but siblings (cousins, half-siblings from another marriage, etc.)
Oh poor is us in our martyrdom (ignoring the multitudes killed by the Church throughout the past 1900 years. The victims of empire became the Empire!)
The Church was always a unity, under frequent attack by spin off heresies. Not!
There are only 4 gospels and they were written by the authors, who were apostles. Not!

As you may guess, I consider all of these to be historically inaccurate, if not impossible. The Master Myth of the New Testament is a story created with the intent of making the early church seem inevitable and special.

What I Believe

2009-05-30T17:16:00.002-04:00

I believe it is a good idea for bloggers to detail what they believe, so that visitors can get the necessary perspective on the blogger's viewpoint. So here is my belief list, subject to constant change and perpetual testing;

I believe that we do not have the cognitive equipment to perceive or understand ultimate reality. Anything we say or believe about god or truth or anything "absolute" is therefore highly conjectural, definitely questionable, and probably wrong, either in part or whole. So why take these conceptual creations seriously?
I believe that all cognitive dualities are products of our minds and therefore fictions. This include dualities such as good/bad, good/evil, and right/wrong. It does not include relative descriptions of experience such hot/cold. These made up distinctions are to be abandoned and anyone who insists on their reality is inherently dangerous, perhaps even crazy.
I believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, the principal challenge of which is dealing with the interpretation facility of our mind(s). I do not believe that we are mere humans attempting to have spiritual experiences and failing, for whatever made up reason (such as original sin). Most religious nonsense is based to some degree on this second perspective, which I regard as unhelpful and misleading.
I believe that "original sin" is nothing more that our forgetting that we are constantly connected to Source, which is an illusion since we cannot ever be separated from Source.

Laws based on the concept of sin

2009-03-27T11:45:00.002-04:00

One sign that religion permeates American culture is the unfortunate tendency to pass laws that incorporate or represent religious perspectives, thus imposing them on non-religious citizens. I once read in a local paper about a local city government town council meeting in which a business permit was denied to a lawful applicant (a psychic) because a large group of religiously motivated people opposed the permit. The city council in question was not willing to stand up to the large gathering of concerned voters and voted the application down -- a clear violation of separation of church and state, given the makeup of the opposition.

This led me to consider how often this sort of thing happens. An event occurs which draws the wrath or concern of the Christian population. They complain or demonstrate against this event (or it's representative). Local government is too afraid to stand up to the religious pressure and gives them what they want. No one is ever held accountable for allowing religion to invade the public domain in an unacceptable and unconstitutional way.

How many of our laws are based on the concept of sin, rather than on the good of the community as a whole?

Prostitution (sexually related work in general)
Drugs (which have been legal in the past)
Blue laws (some things, such as alcohol, cannot be sold on Sunday)

Can you think of others?

Notes from Reading In Search of Ancient Israel

2009-01-17T16:14:00.002-05:00

After finishing God Against the Gods, I immediately proceeded to my new copy of Philip Davies' In Search of Ancient Israel, the 1995 revision. I gleaned the following (my interpretations):

The entire Hebrew Bible is one big foundation myth created during the Persian to Hellentistic periods in order to justify the establishment of a new control structure and a new cult by Persian imperial authority. This proceeded into the Hellentistic period and into the Hasmonean dynasty period.
There was no "religion of ancient Israel".
Pre-rabbinic Judaism was never a consolidated religion that suffered a splintering into factions. It started as a collection of factions which were individually and collectively seeking identity and legitimacy. It only became a consolidated religion following the destruction of the Second Temple, when the rabbis stripped out much of the factional material and practices.
While there may be snippets of historical material in the Hebrew Bible, taken as a whole it need to be understood as marketing material, as the attempt to claim legitimacy by projecting current concerns into a recent and distant mythical past.
The Babylonian Captivity is as much a foundation myth as the Patriarchal narratives and the Exodus traditions. Not to mention Joshua and the supposed invasion of Canaan by the Israelites.
None of the authors of the biblical history actually lived in the times they described, until -- possibly --the Hasmonean period. Everything is a projection into the past of current issues.
What is probably historical? The 200 year existence of the kingdom of Omri and the Assyrian invasion which destroyed it.
What is probably not historical? The patriarchal narratives in Genesis, the Moses tradition in Exodus and the Exodus itself, the invasion of Canaan in Judges, the Unified Monarchy (David and Solomon), the focus on only one Temple in Jerusalem, the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah. Etc.

These represent my interpretations of Prof. Davies' statements.

Re-Reading God Against the Gods

2009-01-17T11:42:00.002-05:00

Recently, when I lost my treasured copy of God Against the Gods by Jonathan Kirsch, I decided to buy another copy and read it immediately. Following are some notes and conclusions.

While the early Christians suffered some persecution during various periods, once protected by the Roman Empire they did far worse to pagans and practitioners of alternate Christian traditions. Talk about payback!
Early Christians did a complete hack-job on pagans. Monotheism at its worst. Intolerant, ignorant, judgmental, etc. When is Christianity going to issue a public apology for its sins?
It should be no surprise that pagan-like concepts, modern gnosticism for example, are making a comeback today. There is probably more truth there, and traditions based on power and abuse will eventually wear down and fade.
I prefer open-mindedness to fanaticism. Much safer and saner.
I can do without holy wars, which only serve to hurt people.
Rigorism, fanaticism, and zealotry have nothing to do with God. They are excesses of the human mind (ego) and should be treated as forms of insanity.
Too bad Julian died so young. He's my man!
Religious violence, and all monotheisms promote violence to some degree, is just plain stupid. Why do we put up with this crap?
We could use a bit more sacred sexuality.
Circumcision may have been a replacement for human sacrifice. You only have to give up a little piece. I'm for that!
How would things be different if Mithraism had become the official religion of the Roman Empire?
Demonizing your opponent is a sure sign that you are only interesting in power, that you have no interest in playing fair. There is never any truth in the demonizing accusations.
Too bad Christianity is mostly propaganda, myth, and bad theology. It could really have been something without these.
Who in their right mind would give up the gift of life for a concept (belief)?
The original "Men in Black" were a Christian hit squad who specialized in destroying pagan shrines and writings. Not to mention muggings and killings.

Science vs. religion and history vs. theology

2009-01-17T10:54:00.003-05:00

Although the blogs and discussions about science and religion (whether they can be reconciled, etc.) and about history and theology (how they can be separated out from each other) are intellectually interesting, I usually find them going in circles, producing more noise than clarity.

My assessment of these issues has been strongly influenced by my reading of Alternate Realities by Lawrence LeShan, the main points of which I will summarize here for those who cannot get access to this book. It has been out of print for years, but you may be able to get copies through Amazon.

LeShan posits the existence of at least 4 modes of being, distinct from each other and incorporating different rules for operation:

1. Sensory mode
2. Clairvoyant mode
3. Transpsychic mode
4. Mythic mode

For the purposes of this discussion, I will focus on the Sensory and Mythic modes.

The rules for operation of the Sensory Mode of Consciousness are:

1. “All valid information directly or indirectly comes from the senses.
2. All events happen in space and time.
3. All events have a cause.
4. Causes occur before events.
5. Events in the past can be remembered or – at least theoretically – their effects observed, but cannot be changed.
6. Events in the future can be – at least theoretically – changed.
7. Objects separate in space are separate objects; events separate in time are separate events.
8. All activity – movement – takes place through space and takes measurable time units to occur.
9. Action (movement or change of movement) takes place only when one entity is in direct contact with another.
10. All objects and events are composed of parts that can be – at least theoretically – dealt with separately.
11. When objects or events have similar parts, they can be placed in classes for a specific purpose and the entire class can be thought of and dealt with as if it were one object or event. This can also be done with classes or classes of objects or events.
12. This is the only way to regard reality. All other ways are an illusion.” Pp. 71-2

The rules for operation of the Mythic Mode of Consciousness are:

1. “There is no difference between perception and symbol, object and image, thing and name. Each is, and can be used as if it is, the other. ‘Objective’ and ‘subjective’ cannot be differentiated. There is no difference between in here and out there.
2. Anything can become identical with anything else or stand for anything else once the two have been connected. Once this connection has been made, time and space cannot break it, but an appropriate act of will, correctly expressed, can.
3. Each part of a thing is the equivalent of the whole. If you break up an object or event, each of the parts equals the whole.
4. To control the part is to control the whole. To know the real name of something is to have power over it. To manipulate the symbol of something is to manipulate the thing it stands for.
5. Space is determined by the connections between things and events. If they are connected (and therefore identical) space between them does not exist. If they are unconnected, space cannot connect them. This is irrelevant to sensory space or to geometric space.
6. Time is determined by the connections between events. If two events are the same event, time cannot separate them. If they are unconnected, time cannot connect them. This is irrelevant to clock or calendar time.
7. All events start with a specific act of will. To explain an event is to show the connection to this act of will which, in itself, needs no explanation and is inexplicable.
8. There is a substance that all things and people have to varying degrees that determines their effectiveness, their ability to influence events. It can be gathered and redistributed by appropriate behavior. Its names include ‘mana,’ ‘wakenda,’ ‘manitous,’ ‘power,’ baraka.’ It is a sort of material ‘energy’ that affects and determines the course of events. It can be used for good or evil; in itself it is neither black nor white, but gray.
9. There is no such thing as accidental. Everything has meaning and is charged with meaning. Since part and whole are one, to understand the smallest part is to understand the whole and vice versa.
10. Birth and death are a change from one form of existence to another. They are, as are sleep and wakefulness, two similar phases of the same being.
11. This is the only valid way to interpret reality.” Pp. 85-6

There are, of course, many consequences of these modes of consciousness.

* Each is oriented to exploring life in certain ways, which exclude many of the possibilities explored by other modes.

* Each claims to be mutually exclusive, even though we constantly switch between these modes during our daily routines.

* Each mode should be used for its primary purpose, but never be used to cross over into the world defined by a different mode. For example, adopting a mythic mode is necessary for prayer to be effective, but insisting that mythic mode concepts and practices be adopted in sensory mode situations (politics, for example) is problematic.

* “Each of these classes is a way of structuring what is out there and in here. Each has a clearly defined set of laws and a very great and profound set of implications of these laws. Each is self-consistent, organically organized, and nothing can occur while one is using it that is contrary to these laws and implications. Each of these can enable us to accomplish certain goals and to answer certain questions. Each is irrelevant to certain other questions and goals, and simply does not connect with them. Each has room within it for a great deal of individual variation in the interpretation of the reality and in its implications for behavior. Each satisfies certain parts of our needs, and when an individual does not use one of them with a whole heart, fully accepting its validity and reality, that part of him remains undernourished and his whole being is stunted in its development.” P. 71

* “You cannot twist one construction of reality to reach conclusions foreign to its laws even though the conclusions are native to the laws of another construction of reality.” P. 96

* “Some concepts just do not translate from one mode of being to another.” P. 98

* “a solution of a problem by a mode of being that is irrelevant to the problem, where the data comes from a different construction of reality from that of the solution, is going to lead you, at best, into all kinds of contradictions and to false conclusions.” P. 141

When I start moving to a judgment about what my mind interprets as "delusional" thinking or behavior by some religionists, I find it helpful to remember some of these distinctions. A person operating from a mythic mode perspective can say and do things that seem incredibly bizarre to me but which clearly make sense to them. Rather than assume out-of-hand that they are experiencing processor or logic errors, when I see them as operating mythically, I can appreciate the integrity of their experience for them while still not taking it on for myself.

Strategy for religious Literacy

2008-12-25T16:32:00.002-05:00

In a previous posting on We Need a Long=Term Strategy, the following suggestions were made:

- Seek wealthy and powerful contributors.
- Education for children, teens, and adults.
- Doing good works in the community.
- Promote education and scholarship based on critical thinking.

Additions I would like to propose:

* Reducing the degree of control of parents over their children. I have relatives who home-schooled their kids and never made them learn anything. These kids are totally ignorant. Anyone who believes that all parents should have total and final control over their kids is asking for problems that the rest of us are going to get stuck with.

* Firm national and local legal coalitions to protect rights.

* Fighting against prejudice in any form (or insisting on equal rights). My favorite bumper sticker is "Gold Bless the World. No Exceptions." Make the fundys squirm under the labels of "prejudiced", etc.

* Insist that separation of church and state be maintained. For example, eliminate laws that are based primarily on concepts of sin, as opposed to social good.

* Expand the definition of hate crimes to include some of the more extreme examples of fundamentalist behaviors (such as Elizabeth Dole’s political attack on her opponent in the recent election).

* Highlight the presence of violence within many religious belief systems and scriptures. Also, point out how much of the fundy rhetoric is mean and angry. How Christian or enlightened is that?

* Avoid self-labeling as atheist or anything else specific. Promote a common-sense approach to life, rather than a narrow, ideological approach. I am reminded of an argument I once made to NARAL about bad strategy. As long as pro-choice supporters keep fighting the pro-life movement by focusing only on abortion, they lock themselves into an either-or fight that neither side can really win. Why not raise your argument to a higher strategic level, so that they cannot compete equally? Another example: Promote alternatives to religion for spiritual living. If everything is labelled as "atheist", you will not only drive away people who are not atheists but could be your allies, but you will also give your opponents that advantage of defining you by your labels.

* Promote open systems thinking, as opposed to closed systems thinking. Religions are, for the most part and with a few exceptions, closed systems.

* Promote the use of methodologies for exploring reality, and compare the ineffectuality of religious systems as compared with critical systems thinking.

* Psychology of Belief: identifying especially the rigidities and delusionality of fundamentalism and similar approaches. Emphasize the cult-like behaviors of fundamentalists.

* Emphasize support for the US Constitution versus religious commitments: if there is a conflict, you shouldn’t be involved in the first! I can't tell you how many military people I run into who have strong faith commitments. My concern is that when they identify one (faith) with the other (right-wing beliefs), their religious commitments override their oaths of office to defend the Constitution. Many seem more like fascists.

* Educate about fallacies and poor thinking.

* Place more emphasis on belief therapy & deprogramming.

* Educate about Spiritual Literacy. Most fundamentalists are woefully ignorant about the Bible in particular and religion in general.

* Continually poke fun at their contradictions. Humor can be far more effective in disarming an opponent than any number of direct attacks.

* Opt out of conventional media that refuse to tackle these issues. Use alternative media and communication nets.

* Make better use of technology than you are now. Blogs are very nice, but how much more could we collaborate if we made better use of technology?

Regards,

David

Recognizing Delusion

2008-12-25T12:43:00.003-05:00

I have had reason over the past year to ponder the inability or unwillingness of people involved in religious or spiritual organizations to recognize delusional thinking among their fellow members.

I was for a time a member of the Board of Directors for am interfaith church. All names will be redacted to protect the innocent, especially me. When I was elected as President of the Board, I inherited a largely new Board, which included 4 new board members who promptly executed a hostile takeover. Since they had the numbers, I was relatively powerless to do anything about this.

The leader of the cabal had announced to the Church that she was running for the Board in order to clean out the old members who had been engaging in backroom deals. Needless to say, this was a false accusation, as there had been no deals of any kind, backroom or other. As I watched the attack, I realized that she was actually doing herself everything that she was accusing the previous Board of doing. A very nasty reversal of truth.

For simplicity, let me refer to her as SWMNBN, or She Who Must Not Be Named. Her first act was to try to get the Office Manager fired, ostensibly because of poor job performance but actually because she had Wiccan friends. Imagine, prejudice against Wicca in an interfaith church??? None of the charges were completely accurate or truthful, but it became apparent that SWMNBN did not care about factuality or truth.

In our second Board meeting, SWMNBN engineered an improptu trial, which was actually more of a witch hunt or star chamber. She violated every known concept of fair play and due process, refusing to allow the accused to know the charges in advance or to provide witnesses. The witnesses that SWMNBN herself called all engaged in what I could, in a charitable moment, assess as "delusional". One reported made-up stories; another claimed not to be a gossip, when everyone in the church knew she was the biggest gossip in the place. I realized that the entire proceeding was based entirely on malicious gossip and lies. But I came to the conclusion that they did not actually know that they were lying because they were delusional. Delusional people don't know they are delusional, so they think they have every reason to believe the nonsense they are dishing out.

To make a long story short, this situation was a blessing in disguise, in that I got an incredibly valuable lesson in discernment: how to recognize delusion and narcissism within a spiritual environment. This became even more of a blessing when Sarah Palin showed up on the national political scene, and I immediately saw in her the same sort of delusional and narcissistic behaviors that I had seen in SWMNBN!

So, I commend to everyone the benefit and necessity of learning how to recognize delusional thinking and related types of personality disorders, such as narcissism. Without this knowledge, you are all too easily victimized by people who are inhabiting a fantasy world but who don't know it. They can make a mess of your lives and leave nothing but wreckage in their wakes. If you can recognize this cluster of behaviors in time, you may have a chance to come up with a strategy to counter the nonsense. Otherwise...

I have moved some posting activity to a different site!

2008-10-28T13:18:00.004-04:00

I have moved some of my posting activity to a different site: Religion Academy. Please stop by for a visit.

Rants and general comments about religion and spirituality will still be posted here.

David

My Picture

2007-09-14T16:50:00.001-04:00

The evils of monotheism

2007-06-03T07:42:00.000-04:00

One of the seminal works in my life was God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism by Jonathan Kirsch. In this book, I found persuasive arguments for the detrimental effect of monotheism on western culture.

It's not so much that monotheism is itself inherently problematic. It's that monotheism can easily be perverted into a system that divides the world into false dualities: right and wrong, good and evil, us versus them. In the pursuit of the one source (God or whatever name you like to use), monotheism makes it all to easy to believe that you have the right answers and all other answers are wrong. How far is it from this assumption to the belief that you have the right to control or kill those who do not believe what you profess? Just look at the actions of Christian fundamentalists and Muslim extremists in the world today! The only difference between them, for me, is that Christian fundamentalists haven't embraced killing and suicide bombing, except for a small minority of pro-life extremists.

The state of religions in the world today

2007-06-03T07:32:00.000-04:00

If you were to believe the preaching of the TV evangelists, everything is fine in the world of religion, except for possibly the existence of evil in the world. Christianity, for example, has all the answers, or so they say.

But I would raise the following questions:

If our religions really had all the answers, then why are we in such bad shape today? Why haven't we made more progress in spiritual development or social cohesion?
Why do the western monotheisms still embody violence traditions, either overtly or covertly?
Why is the Judeo-Christian tradition so ineffective in teaching us how to live?

These are the kinds of questions I will explore in this blog. These are my questions, my answers (for the moment), and my opinions.

If you find these questions and potential answers interesting and useful, then please join in the discussion. Otherwise, kindly jump to this location.

David

Welcome to Update Religion Blog

2007-03-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

Ideas for updating religion and spirituality for the 3rd Millenium.

No old stuff here!