I finished Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching the other day and given that I'd never had any experience with the work before I was a bit befuddled. The commentary and notes in the Penguin edition were enlightening in that they stated that some of the sections were intentionally vague to allow for interpretation. That said, I probably need quite a bit more commentary reading to get me to any level of competency with the text. That said, there were a few passages that really stood out to me.
The first one that stood out to me is ironic given that it is the night of the election. The rhetoric of Trump resounding in my ears regardless of my wishes might have made this one stand out to me.
From IX -
"There may be gold and jade to fill a hall
But there is none who can keep them.
To be overbearing when one has wealth and position
Is to bring calamity upon oneself" (Tzu, 13).
Firstly, it mirrors the Biblical passage Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal". It would seem that the wisdom of ancient China and the wisdom of Jesus have a bit of universality of it. But this reflection came later, initially I thought of Trump. As Trump seems to be coming in with a bunch of surprising victories it seems that wisdom might not always be factually based...
From XIII - Taoism seems to have a dualistic philosophy
"The reason I have great trouble is that I have a body. When I no longer have a body, what trouble have I?" (Tzu, 17).
From XVIII - Again, my reading might have been shaded by current events, particularly the election of 2016 when this passage stuck out to me.
"When cleverness emerges
There is great hypocrisy" (Tzu, 22).
Frankly, the overbearingness of wealth and power seemed perfectly suited to Trump, but this passage seems to fit both Clinton and Trump perfectly.
From XXIII - It seems that Lao Tzu has a bit of nominative determinism about him as well in his philosophy.
"A man of the way conforms to the way; a man of virtue conforms to virtue; a man of loss conforms to loss. He who conforms to the way is gladly accepted by the way; he who conforms to virtue is gladly accepted by virtue; he who conforms to loss is gladly accepted by loss" (Tzu, 28).
From XLII - Addition by subtraction - a bit of wisdom from ancient minimalists?
"Thus a thing is sometimes added to by being diminished and diminished by being added to" (Tzu, 49).
From XLIV - Again some mirroring of Jesus' words in Matthew 6
"Know contentment
And you will suffer no disgrace" (Tzu, 51).
Matthew 6:28-34 has a bit of contentment and a lack of disgrace in it.
Paul talks about contentment in Philippians 4:12-13
Hebrews 13:5 also preaches contentment.
From XLVI - Contentment is preached again. This was a very good saying/poem.
"There is no disaster greater than not being content" (Tzu, 53).
From LVI - Just a good thought
"One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know" (Tzu, 63).
A lot of the sayings in this book are good, solid wisdom that is hard to argue against. The one that I found most foreign to my thinking and one that I couldn't quite get along with was the thought of following tradition and not breaking new ground. "Let your wheels move only along old ruts" (Tzu, 63). This thought was expressed numerous times in the book and I simply can't fit that into my thinking without fundamentally changing my thought process. That said, as I stated above, I'm so unfamiliar with this text I might be reading into it something that it wasn't intending.
From LXIII -
"Lay plans for the accomplishment of the difficult before it becomes difficult; make something big by starting with it when small. Difficult things in the world must needs have their beginnings in the easy; big things must needs have their beginnings in the small. Therefore it is because the sage never attempts to be great that he succeeds in becoming great" (Tzu, 70).
This is just sound, practical wisdom.
LXXIV seems to me (again pardon my misrepresentation if I'm reading it wrong) to be a questioning of capital punishment. "In chopping wood on behalf of the master carpenter, there are few who escape hurting their own hands instead" (Tzu, 81).
From LXXVII -
"It is the way of heaven to take from what has in excess in order to make good what is deficient. The way of man is otherwise. It takes from those who are in want in order to offer this to those who already have more than enough" (Tzu, 84).
This is a pretty damning indictment of the greediness of man.
From LXXVIII - That's just an example pretty excellent writing to end this part.
"Straightforward words
Seem paradoxical" (Tzu, 85).
From LXXXI - It seems that Lao Tzu could have easily stepped in to back Plato up against the Sophists...
"Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good" (Tzu, 88).
Showing posts with label Lao-Tzu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lao-Tzu. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Original Monotheism, Special Revelation and other Scriptures
(Originally written April 11, 2007 in Book 15)
Subsequent Reaction to Schmidt & Original Monotheism
Whether or not one accepts Schmidt's theory it is no longer possible to strictly adhere to an evolutionary theory of religion in light of Schmidt's anthropological evidence.
The most common reaction to Schmidt is to reject his conclusions on an idealogical basis.
Joseph M. Kitasawa claims that while historical evidence is good in the origin theory, any religion's origin is ultimately answerable with metaphysical answers.
Others, like many post-modernists, including David Adams Leeming, claim that religion arises out of a specific social context. Historical investigation is wholly absent from this type of analysis.
Raffaele Pettazzoni attempts to bridge the gap of extreme historistic theories and purely a historical phenomenology. He gave history its due place, but did not draw such strong conclusions as Schmidt.
Pettazzoni maintained that the Supreme god of primitive cultures did not constitute monotheistic religion because that god was a creator and sustainer god, but a remote god nonetheless. He argued that only reform from polytheism could lead to true monotheism.
Summary
There is good reason to believe that religion began with the awareness of a single, creator God.
The God of original monotheism is identical to the God of Scripture in his basic attributes.
The persistence of monotheism can be attributed to the historical continuity with the awareness of God by the first human beings and its reinforcement in general revelation.
General revelation has two dimensions:
1) An intuitive one
2) A rational one
Both yield:
1) Knowledge of the existence of God
2) Knowledge of God's attributes
3) Knowledge of a fundamental moral sense
Chapter 3 - Special Revelation and Non-Christian Scriptures
Christianity maintains that special revelation is located in the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as in Jesus Christ himself.
There are many non-Christian scriptures, but the nature of Scripture is radically different in each religion.
Corduan's "The Protestant Fallacy" is reading other religions' scriptures as one would read the Christian Scriptures. Since scriptural nature varies from religion to religion there can be no single way of reading or regarding Scriptures. One cannot assume the role of Scripture in any religion is identical to the role of Scripture in Christianity.
The Protestant Fallacy
Classical Protestantism holds that the Bible is the literal Word of God and thus, the text is inspired by God.
Protestantism asserts "sola scriptura". That is, there is no other source for propositional revelation other than the Bible.
Protestant Christianity is an "extremely book-bound form of religion" (Corduan, 57-58).
Protestant Christianity stands or falls by Scriptural assertions.
The Protestant fallacy is applying this "sola scriptura" mentality (which is appropriate for the Bible) to other religion's scriptures.
Judaism: The Deuterocanon as key to the Canon
The Protestant fallacy manifests itself when one assumes that to understand Judaism one must simply study the Old Testament.
This can lead to assertions like, "since the Jews no longer perform the ritual sacrifices they are required by their own scriptures, Judaism is internally incoherent".
The Scriptures of Judaism are identical with the Old Testament Canon of Christianity. These books are known in Judaism as the Tanak (TNK).
The Tanak is an acronym based on the Hebrew names of the three divisions of writings:
1) the Law - Torah
2) the Prophets - Nebiim
3) the Writings - Ketubim
When Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70 the Jews began writing down the interpretations of the Tanak which had been entirely oral before.
The Mishnah was produced around A.D. 500. Later, the Talmud was produced.
Since the production of the Talmud, all Judaism is Talmudic Judaism.
Orthodox Judaism holds that the Talmud, though not inspired, is expendable, but not revisable.
Other sects of Judaism, like Cabalistic movements accepted the Zohar as a supplement, but not a replacement, to the Talmud.
While the Tanak is the only Scripture in Judaism, all governance of life is done via the Talmud.
The Jewish Scriptures (for better or worse) must be interpreted through the lens of the Talmud.
Islam: The Qur'an as Event
The Qur'an is the compilation of what was revealed to Muhammad.
The Qur'an is merely excerpts from God's full book in heaven, the umm-al-kitub.
Muslims believe the Qur'an is as it is exactly as it was when it was revealed to Muhammad.
Despite its lofty place in Islam, the Qur'an was supplemented easy on by another book. The Hadith is a collection of the acts and sayings of Muhammad.
While the Hadith is not considered to be revealed like the Qur'an, it is nonetheless as binding as the Qur'an.
The value of the Qur'an within Islam has little to do with its content. The value lies in its very occurrence.
The Qur'an is utterly pristine, whereas other men's revelatory books like Moses' Law, David's Psalms and Jesus' Gospels while being products of revelation were distorted by their followers.
TO recognize the Qur'an is more important than to read it.
The Qur'an is not a human book at all; whereas, the Bible is wholly human and wholly divine.
Muslims believe that the Qur'an mediates God's presence into their lives.
Even in non-Arabic speaking countries the Qur'an is devoutly recited in Arabic. Recitation of the Qur'an is the most important function of the Qur'an in the Muslim community.
Zoroastrianism: A Ritual Accumulation
Similar to the Bible, the canon of Zoroastrianism is a collection of works spanning many centuries.
The Zoroastrianism Scripture is called the Avesta.
The oldest part of the Avesta is the Yasna, which contains hymns called the Gathas, some of which date back to Zoroaster (6th century B.C.).
The Videvdat is the newest part of the Avesta and dates from when Zoroastrianism was the State religion of Iran (A.D. 226 - 637).
The Avesta is not a great source for authoritative information about Zoroastrianism because the language is so impenetrable.
The language of the Gathas is called Avesta because it is simply so different from any other languages.
"One scholar of Iranian religion [H.S. Nybers] has maintained that the Gathas are so difficult to understand because they are intentional gibberish" (Corduan, 62).
Even in the Zoroastrian community, the Avesta is not supposed to be a source of information.
The Avesta is a ritual text used to recite as worship and purification.
Sikhism: A day in the Life of the Book
The Adi Granth is the Scripture of Sikhism.
Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism as a way to bridge Hinduism and Islam. He taught that there is only one God whose nature lies beyond human reason and religious imagery.
Nanak was considered a holy guru by his followers. He was then followed by 9 other holy gurus, each seen as the embodiment of divine light.
Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru compiled all his and the previous gurus' chants and hymns into the Adi Granth.
Gobind Singh (1666-1708) the 10th and final guru, declared that there would be no more gurus and the Adi Granth would be the guru forever more.
From then on the book itself, which is displayed in the Golden Shrine of Amritsa has been recognized as true and binding by all Sikhs.
The Adi Granth is the very embodiment of God.
The Adi Granth functions in two ways:
1) It is the hymn book of the congregation
2) It is venerated as the holy guru.
The actual book is put to sleep in a bed at night and woken up and placed on an altar each morning.
"The basic function of the Adi Granth is an object of veneration, not as a record of revelation" (Corduan, 65).
Baha'i : A Canon Plus a Canon
Baha'i is a young religion founded by Baha'ullah.
Baha'ullah is considered to be a manifestation of God. He was the 9th manifestation after Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'ullah.
Baha'ullah taught that all these other prophets had inspired writings and that his own writings complete the canon of world Scriptures for the time being.
The Baha'i Scriptures should be read in a similar fashion as the Protestant Christian Bible is, but the Baha'i Scriptures are paralleled by all the other 8 world Scriptures, whereas the Bible stands alone.
Hinduism: A Protean Canon
Eastern religions have sacred texts in a very different way then to Western religions, especially Christianity.
Hindu sacred texts are divided into two groups:
1) The Shruti
2) The Smriti
The Shruti are "seen", they were directly revealed to the semi-divine rishis of old who passed them down.
The Smriti are "heard", they are merely passed down as tradition only.
Shruti:
- Vedas
- Brahmanas
- Upanishads
Smriti:
- Ramayana
- Mahabharata
- Bhagavad Gita
The Smriti are epic poems and the deuterocanon, while the canon is the Vedic complex.
The distinction is much more ambiguous in reality then in theory.
Buddhism: Canon by Selection
Two major books:
1) Poli Canon
2) Lotus Sutra
The Poli Canon contains the Tripitaka (Three Baskets) and is the oldest Buddhist writings.
The Tripitaka is associated with the older, more traditional form of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism.
The Lotus Sutra is associated with the more recent and more innovative form of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism.
Chinese and Japanese Religions
Scriptures and Canon are not easily adapted for Far East Religions.
Religion/Scriptures
Daoism - The Doodejing & the Zhuangzi
Confucianism - The Analects
Shinto - The Kojiki, the Nihong and the Amatsu Narito
The Daodejing contains the wisdom of Lao Tzu, the founder of Daoism.
The Zhuangzi is a collection of anecdotal essays by the teacher Laozi (but probably not the same Laozi/Lao-Tzu)
The Analects is the teachings of Confucius.
The Kojiki is the official Japanese traditional myth. The Nihangi is a supplement to the Kojiki. The Amatsu Nihong is a book of standard prayers and rituals of Shinto.
The Singularity of the Christian Scriptures
The Christian Scriptures is different from all other Scriptures and all Scriptures are unique in their own way.
All Scriptures contain some truths, if truth is meant as that which corresponds to reality.
However, if truth is understood under the coherence theory of truth rather than the correspondence theory of truth then no religions can share truth because they will be truths from differing systems.
Cornelius van Til argued that even knowledge of a flower is different for a Christian and non-Christian. To the Christian, a flower is the creation of a personal God whereas it is a product of chance formation of matter to a non-Christian.
Other Scriptures also contain some wisdom. They also contain some religious truths.
That said, the Bible is sufficient. All we (as Christians) have is the Bible and all we need is the Bible.
There is no deuterocannon in Christianity.
Religious truths in other Scriptures can only be duplications of revealed truths in the Bible.
Other Scriptures do not contain special revelation. But other Scriptures can have a basis in general revelation.
Subsequent Reaction to Schmidt & Original Monotheism
Whether or not one accepts Schmidt's theory it is no longer possible to strictly adhere to an evolutionary theory of religion in light of Schmidt's anthropological evidence.
The most common reaction to Schmidt is to reject his conclusions on an idealogical basis.
Joseph M. Kitasawa claims that while historical evidence is good in the origin theory, any religion's origin is ultimately answerable with metaphysical answers.
Others, like many post-modernists, including David Adams Leeming, claim that religion arises out of a specific social context. Historical investigation is wholly absent from this type of analysis.
Raffaele Pettazzoni attempts to bridge the gap of extreme historistic theories and purely a historical phenomenology. He gave history its due place, but did not draw such strong conclusions as Schmidt.
Pettazzoni maintained that the Supreme god of primitive cultures did not constitute monotheistic religion because that god was a creator and sustainer god, but a remote god nonetheless. He argued that only reform from polytheism could lead to true monotheism.
Summary
There is good reason to believe that religion began with the awareness of a single, creator God.
The God of original monotheism is identical to the God of Scripture in his basic attributes.
The persistence of monotheism can be attributed to the historical continuity with the awareness of God by the first human beings and its reinforcement in general revelation.
General revelation has two dimensions:
1) An intuitive one
2) A rational one
Both yield:
1) Knowledge of the existence of God
2) Knowledge of God's attributes
3) Knowledge of a fundamental moral sense
Chapter 3 - Special Revelation and Non-Christian Scriptures
Christianity maintains that special revelation is located in the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as in Jesus Christ himself.
There are many non-Christian scriptures, but the nature of Scripture is radically different in each religion.
Corduan's "The Protestant Fallacy" is reading other religions' scriptures as one would read the Christian Scriptures. Since scriptural nature varies from religion to religion there can be no single way of reading or regarding Scriptures. One cannot assume the role of Scripture in any religion is identical to the role of Scripture in Christianity.
The Protestant Fallacy
Classical Protestantism holds that the Bible is the literal Word of God and thus, the text is inspired by God.
Protestantism asserts "sola scriptura". That is, there is no other source for propositional revelation other than the Bible.
Protestant Christianity is an "extremely book-bound form of religion" (Corduan, 57-58).
Protestant Christianity stands or falls by Scriptural assertions.
The Protestant fallacy is applying this "sola scriptura" mentality (which is appropriate for the Bible) to other religion's scriptures.
Judaism: The Deuterocanon as key to the Canon
The Protestant fallacy manifests itself when one assumes that to understand Judaism one must simply study the Old Testament.
This can lead to assertions like, "since the Jews no longer perform the ritual sacrifices they are required by their own scriptures, Judaism is internally incoherent".
The Scriptures of Judaism are identical with the Old Testament Canon of Christianity. These books are known in Judaism as the Tanak (TNK).
The Tanak is an acronym based on the Hebrew names of the three divisions of writings:
1) the Law - Torah
2) the Prophets - Nebiim
3) the Writings - Ketubim
When Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70 the Jews began writing down the interpretations of the Tanak which had been entirely oral before.
The Mishnah was produced around A.D. 500. Later, the Talmud was produced.
Since the production of the Talmud, all Judaism is Talmudic Judaism.
Orthodox Judaism holds that the Talmud, though not inspired, is expendable, but not revisable.
Other sects of Judaism, like Cabalistic movements accepted the Zohar as a supplement, but not a replacement, to the Talmud.
While the Tanak is the only Scripture in Judaism, all governance of life is done via the Talmud.
The Jewish Scriptures (for better or worse) must be interpreted through the lens of the Talmud.
Islam: The Qur'an as Event
The Qur'an is the compilation of what was revealed to Muhammad.
The Qur'an is merely excerpts from God's full book in heaven, the umm-al-kitub.
Muslims believe the Qur'an is as it is exactly as it was when it was revealed to Muhammad.
Despite its lofty place in Islam, the Qur'an was supplemented easy on by another book. The Hadith is a collection of the acts and sayings of Muhammad.
While the Hadith is not considered to be revealed like the Qur'an, it is nonetheless as binding as the Qur'an.
The value of the Qur'an within Islam has little to do with its content. The value lies in its very occurrence.
The Qur'an is utterly pristine, whereas other men's revelatory books like Moses' Law, David's Psalms and Jesus' Gospels while being products of revelation were distorted by their followers.
TO recognize the Qur'an is more important than to read it.
The Qur'an is not a human book at all; whereas, the Bible is wholly human and wholly divine.
Muslims believe that the Qur'an mediates God's presence into their lives.
Even in non-Arabic speaking countries the Qur'an is devoutly recited in Arabic. Recitation of the Qur'an is the most important function of the Qur'an in the Muslim community.
Zoroastrianism: A Ritual Accumulation
Similar to the Bible, the canon of Zoroastrianism is a collection of works spanning many centuries.
The Zoroastrianism Scripture is called the Avesta.
The oldest part of the Avesta is the Yasna, which contains hymns called the Gathas, some of which date back to Zoroaster (6th century B.C.).
The Videvdat is the newest part of the Avesta and dates from when Zoroastrianism was the State religion of Iran (A.D. 226 - 637).
The Avesta is not a great source for authoritative information about Zoroastrianism because the language is so impenetrable.
The language of the Gathas is called Avesta because it is simply so different from any other languages.
"One scholar of Iranian religion [H.S. Nybers] has maintained that the Gathas are so difficult to understand because they are intentional gibberish" (Corduan, 62).
Even in the Zoroastrian community, the Avesta is not supposed to be a source of information.
The Avesta is a ritual text used to recite as worship and purification.
Sikhism: A day in the Life of the Book
The Adi Granth is the Scripture of Sikhism.
Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism as a way to bridge Hinduism and Islam. He taught that there is only one God whose nature lies beyond human reason and religious imagery.
Nanak was considered a holy guru by his followers. He was then followed by 9 other holy gurus, each seen as the embodiment of divine light.
Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru compiled all his and the previous gurus' chants and hymns into the Adi Granth.
Gobind Singh (1666-1708) the 10th and final guru, declared that there would be no more gurus and the Adi Granth would be the guru forever more.
From then on the book itself, which is displayed in the Golden Shrine of Amritsa has been recognized as true and binding by all Sikhs.
The Adi Granth is the very embodiment of God.
The Adi Granth functions in two ways:
1) It is the hymn book of the congregation
2) It is venerated as the holy guru.
The actual book is put to sleep in a bed at night and woken up and placed on an altar each morning.
"The basic function of the Adi Granth is an object of veneration, not as a record of revelation" (Corduan, 65).
Baha'i : A Canon Plus a Canon
Baha'i is a young religion founded by Baha'ullah.
Baha'ullah is considered to be a manifestation of God. He was the 9th manifestation after Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'ullah.
Baha'ullah taught that all these other prophets had inspired writings and that his own writings complete the canon of world Scriptures for the time being.
The Baha'i Scriptures should be read in a similar fashion as the Protestant Christian Bible is, but the Baha'i Scriptures are paralleled by all the other 8 world Scriptures, whereas the Bible stands alone.
Hinduism: A Protean Canon
Eastern religions have sacred texts in a very different way then to Western religions, especially Christianity.
Hindu sacred texts are divided into two groups:
1) The Shruti
2) The Smriti
The Shruti are "seen", they were directly revealed to the semi-divine rishis of old who passed them down.
The Smriti are "heard", they are merely passed down as tradition only.
Shruti:
- Vedas
- Brahmanas
- Upanishads
Smriti:
- Ramayana
- Mahabharata
- Bhagavad Gita
The Smriti are epic poems and the deuterocanon, while the canon is the Vedic complex.
The distinction is much more ambiguous in reality then in theory.
Buddhism: Canon by Selection
Two major books:
1) Poli Canon
2) Lotus Sutra
The Poli Canon contains the Tripitaka (Three Baskets) and is the oldest Buddhist writings.
The Tripitaka is associated with the older, more traditional form of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism.
The Lotus Sutra is associated with the more recent and more innovative form of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism.
Chinese and Japanese Religions
Scriptures and Canon are not easily adapted for Far East Religions.
Religion/Scriptures
Daoism - The Doodejing & the Zhuangzi
Confucianism - The Analects
Shinto - The Kojiki, the Nihong and the Amatsu Narito
The Daodejing contains the wisdom of Lao Tzu, the founder of Daoism.
The Zhuangzi is a collection of anecdotal essays by the teacher Laozi (but probably not the same Laozi/Lao-Tzu)
The Analects is the teachings of Confucius.
The Kojiki is the official Japanese traditional myth. The Nihangi is a supplement to the Kojiki. The Amatsu Nihong is a book of standard prayers and rituals of Shinto.
The Singularity of the Christian Scriptures
The Christian Scriptures is different from all other Scriptures and all Scriptures are unique in their own way.
All Scriptures contain some truths, if truth is meant as that which corresponds to reality.
However, if truth is understood under the coherence theory of truth rather than the correspondence theory of truth then no religions can share truth because they will be truths from differing systems.
Cornelius van Til argued that even knowledge of a flower is different for a Christian and non-Christian. To the Christian, a flower is the creation of a personal God whereas it is a product of chance formation of matter to a non-Christian.
Other Scriptures also contain some wisdom. They also contain some religious truths.
That said, the Bible is sufficient. All we (as Christians) have is the Bible and all we need is the Bible.
There is no deuterocannon in Christianity.
Religious truths in other Scriptures can only be duplications of revealed truths in the Bible.
Other Scriptures do not contain special revelation. But other Scriptures can have a basis in general revelation.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Quick survey of world religions
(Originally Written March 26, 2007 in Book 15)
A Tapestry of Faiths
The Common Threads Between Christianity & World Religions
Winfried Corduan
Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL. 2002
Chapter 1: Asking the right Questions
Insofar as Christianity is the religion that expresses the preeminence of Christ, Christianity alone is true and worthwhile.
The relationship between Christianity and other religions have many dimensions of similarity.
1. The Soteriological Dimension
2. The Content Dimension
There are many beliefs that Christianity shares with other religions.
3. The Revelatory Dimension
Many religions claim truth is grounded in revelation.
4. The Apologetic Dimension
5. The Moral Dimension
Most religions include a moral system and many areas resemble each other.
6. The Communication Dimension
A Very Brief History of Religion
Traditional/tribal religions in contrast to enscripturated religions:
Traditional religions are closely tied to their local culture.
Traditional religions tend to be animistic and ritualistic.
They recognize nature spirits and ancestor spirits. Frequently they recognize a high god in the sky.
Western Religions in contrast to Eastern Traditions
Western traditions are largely monotheistic like Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam and Baha'i.
Monotheistic Western Religions Normally have:
1. A strong monotheistic emphasis
2. A strong ethical emphasis
3. A positive approach to history. History is an unfolding of divine revelation and action.
Eastern religions are religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Shinto.
Buddhism and Jainism are direct offshoots of Hinduism.
Eastern religions are more divers in belief than Western Religions.
3. Beliefs in Contrast to Cultus:
Cultus is the rituals, altars, hymns, temples, offerings and modes of prayer.
The relationship between a belief system and its cultus can be extremely elastic.
I. Judaism
Origin: Moses, 15th Century B.C.
Essential Beliefs and Practices:
- Monotheism
- obedience to a divinely revealed law
Scriptures:
- The Hebrew Scriptures
- Interpretations of the Scriptures (i.e. the Talmud)
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Orthodox
- Conservative
- Reform
II. Zoroastrianism
Origin: Zoroaster, 6th Century B.C.
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Monotheism
- Conflict between God (Ahura Mazda) and the evil Spirt (Angra Mainyu)
- Ethical purity
- Ritual cleanliness
Major Contemporary Division
- None
III. Christianity
Origin: Christ, 1st Century A.D.
Essential Beliefs and Practices:
- Trinitarian Monotheism
- Jesus as the Messiah
Scriptures:
- The Bible (Old and New Testaments)
Major Contemporary Divisions:
- Eastern Orthodox
- Roman Catholic
- Protestant
IV. Islam
Origin: Muhammad, (A.D. 570 - 632)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Monotheism
- Allah
- Judgment based on their obedience to God's requirement
Scriptures
- The Qu'ran
- Hadith
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Sunnite
- Shi'ites
V. Baha'i
Origin: Baha'ullah 19th Century
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Baha'ullah was the manifestation of God
- Unity of all religions
- New World Order
Scriptures:
- The writings of Baha'ullah
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
VI. Hinduism
Origin: 1500 B.C., religion of the Aryans who invaded the Indian subcontinent
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Extremely diverse
- Samsara (reincarnation)
- Karma
Scriptures
- The Vedas
- The Ramayana
- The Mahabharata
- Brahmans
- Sutras
- Puranas
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Monastic Groups
- Bhakti (personalistic)
- Vaishnavitas
- Shaivites
- Shaktites
VII. Buddhism
Origin: Gautama Buddha (600 B.C.)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Salvation = deliverance from the reincarnation cycle
- Nirvana
Scriptures:
- The Tripitaka
- The Lotus Sutra
- Other sutras
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Theravada (Hinayana)
- Mahayana
- Zen
- Pure Land
- Soka Gakkai
- Tibetan
VIII. Jainism
Origin: Mahavira (600 BC)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Redemption by elimination of solid karma matter from one's soul
- Worship of the Tirthankaras
Scriptures
- The Agamas
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Digambaras
- Svetambaras
IX. Sikhism
Origin: Guru Nanak (16th Century A.D.)
Essential beliefs and Practices:
- There is one God who is represented on earth by the Holy Book the Adi Granth.
- Escape from the reincarnation cycle
Scriptures
- Adi Granth
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
X. Daoism
Origins - Lao Zi (Lao-Tzu)
Essential beliefs and practices
- Yin & Yang
Scriptures
- Daodejing
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Daoism is interconnected with other religions, especially Buddhism and Confucianism
XI. Confucianism
Origins: Confucius (6th Century B.C.)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Ethical System
Scriptures
- Analects
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
XII. Shinto
A Tapestry of Faiths
The Common Threads Between Christianity & World Religions
Winfried Corduan
Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL. 2002
Chapter 1: Asking the right Questions
Insofar as Christianity is the religion that expresses the preeminence of Christ, Christianity alone is true and worthwhile.
The relationship between Christianity and other religions have many dimensions of similarity.
1. The Soteriological Dimension
2. The Content Dimension
There are many beliefs that Christianity shares with other religions.
3. The Revelatory Dimension
Many religions claim truth is grounded in revelation.
4. The Apologetic Dimension
5. The Moral Dimension
Most religions include a moral system and many areas resemble each other.
6. The Communication Dimension
A Very Brief History of Religion
Traditional/tribal religions in contrast to enscripturated religions:
Traditional religions are closely tied to their local culture.
Traditional religions tend to be animistic and ritualistic.
They recognize nature spirits and ancestor spirits. Frequently they recognize a high god in the sky.
Western Religions in contrast to Eastern Traditions
Western traditions are largely monotheistic like Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam and Baha'i.
Monotheistic Western Religions Normally have:
1. A strong monotheistic emphasis
2. A strong ethical emphasis
3. A positive approach to history. History is an unfolding of divine revelation and action.
Eastern religions are religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Shinto.
Buddhism and Jainism are direct offshoots of Hinduism.
Eastern religions are more divers in belief than Western Religions.
3. Beliefs in Contrast to Cultus:
Cultus is the rituals, altars, hymns, temples, offerings and modes of prayer.
The relationship between a belief system and its cultus can be extremely elastic.
I. Judaism
Origin: Moses, 15th Century B.C.
Essential Beliefs and Practices:
- Monotheism
- obedience to a divinely revealed law
Scriptures:
- The Hebrew Scriptures
- Interpretations of the Scriptures (i.e. the Talmud)
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Orthodox
- Conservative
- Reform
II. Zoroastrianism
Origin: Zoroaster, 6th Century B.C.
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Monotheism
- Conflict between God (Ahura Mazda) and the evil Spirt (Angra Mainyu)
- Ethical purity
- Ritual cleanliness
Major Contemporary Division
- None
III. Christianity
Origin: Christ, 1st Century A.D.
Essential Beliefs and Practices:
- Trinitarian Monotheism
- Jesus as the Messiah
Scriptures:
- The Bible (Old and New Testaments)
Major Contemporary Divisions:
- Eastern Orthodox
- Roman Catholic
- Protestant
IV. Islam
Origin: Muhammad, (A.D. 570 - 632)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Monotheism
- Allah
- Judgment based on their obedience to God's requirement
Scriptures
- The Qu'ran
- Hadith
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Sunnite
- Shi'ites
V. Baha'i
Origin: Baha'ullah 19th Century
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Baha'ullah was the manifestation of God
- Unity of all religions
- New World Order
Scriptures:
- The writings of Baha'ullah
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
VI. Hinduism
Origin: 1500 B.C., religion of the Aryans who invaded the Indian subcontinent
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Extremely diverse
- Samsara (reincarnation)
- Karma
Scriptures
- The Vedas
- The Ramayana
- The Mahabharata
- Brahmans
- Sutras
- Puranas
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Monastic Groups
- Bhakti (personalistic)
- Vaishnavitas
- Shaivites
- Shaktites
VII. Buddhism
Origin: Gautama Buddha (600 B.C.)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Salvation = deliverance from the reincarnation cycle
- Nirvana
Scriptures:
- The Tripitaka
- The Lotus Sutra
- Other sutras
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Theravada (Hinayana)
- Mahayana
- Zen
- Pure Land
- Soka Gakkai
- Tibetan
VIII. Jainism
Origin: Mahavira (600 BC)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Redemption by elimination of solid karma matter from one's soul
- Worship of the Tirthankaras
Scriptures
- The Agamas
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Digambaras
- Svetambaras
IX. Sikhism
Origin: Guru Nanak (16th Century A.D.)
Essential beliefs and Practices:
- There is one God who is represented on earth by the Holy Book the Adi Granth.
- Escape from the reincarnation cycle
Scriptures
- Adi Granth
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
X. Daoism
Origins - Lao Zi (Lao-Tzu)
Essential beliefs and practices
- Yin & Yang
Scriptures
- Daodejing
Major Contemporary Divisions
- Daoism is interconnected with other religions, especially Buddhism and Confucianism
XI. Confucianism
Origins: Confucius (6th Century B.C.)
Essential Beliefs and Practices
- Ethical System
Scriptures
- Analects
Major Contemporary Divisions
- None
XII. Shinto
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Chapter 6 - Pocket Guide to World Religions
(Originally written February 18, 2007 in Book 14)
Pocket Guide to World Religions
Win Corduan
Chapter 6 - Daoism
Name
Also spelled Taoism. The name is based on the concept of Dao, which means "The Way".
Taoism means "following the Way".
It is an abstract philosophy and a religion.
Numbers and Distribution
Daoism is considered a part of the combined Chinese religion that includes Confucianism and Buddhism.
250 million practitioners is a rough guess to how many adhere to Daoism.
Symbols
"The Yin and Yang sign represents the two fundamental elements of the universe intertwined with each other" (Corduan, 58).
Yin and Yang
Earth & Heaven
Cold & Hot
Wet & Dry
Passive & Active
Dark & Bright
Mysterious & Clear
Feminine & Masculine
The Yin-Yang represents the coexistence of opposites that complement one another.
The dots show that yin exists in yang and yang exists in yin, in perfect harmony.
Good and Evil are the same as balance and imbalance. Evil only occurs when there is too much yin or too much yang.
The right amount of balance is dependent on the object.
History
As a purely philosophical system Daoism has existed since the 6th century.
The founder of Daoism is stated to be Lao-zi (Lao-Tzu). Lao-zi was roughly a contemporary of Buddha and Confucius.
When Lao-Zi was even older he decided to travel west to India in search of more wisdom. At the border, the gate keeper would not let him leave until he wrote down all of his wisdom. Lao-Zi then wrote the Daodejing (Tao-Te-Ching). He then left China, never to be heard of again.
Taoism slowly developed from an abstract philosophy into a religion. The balance of spiritual forces provided a basis for the religion.
The Daoism religion recognized a large number of gods in a hierarchy similar to Chinese government. The highest god was the Jade Emperor, who rules the entire universe.
Daoism is unique among polytheistic religions because "the idea that the power of the gods becomes available insofar as there is spiritual harmony among people, ancestors and gods" (Corduan, 60).
Scriptures
There are many Daoism writings, but the two most important ones are:
1) The Daodejing by Lao-Zi
- about the universe, language and government
- If the Dao is left alone then balance will be restored and everything will be right. People do not let the Dao work, but try to fix things themselves which makes it worse.
2) The Yijing (I-Ching)
- predates Lao-Zi by centuries
- A guide to fortune telling
- "A fortune teller analyzes a combination of sticks that come in two lengths and thereby uncovers the balance of yin and yang for a particular situation" (Corduan, 61).
Major Beliefs
Fundamental premise: The Dao is the ultimate state of harmony and balance in the universe.
To bring about the Dao is to make sure everything is going well in the realm of gods and ancestors.
Daoism as a religion is usually blended with Buddhism and Confucianism.
There are many gods, arranged by power in a bureaucratic manner. Mine gods govern a village or town. Major gods govern the world.
All beings (humans, gods, ancestors and nature) are linked in a glance. Humans must find the imbalance and remedy the situation.
Humans are quite capable of diagnosing problems and fixing them.
Subgroups
Daoism is not a true organization so there are no subgroups.
Daoism is a philosophy that can be interpreted and applied whenever and wherever.
Worship Practices:
1. Ancestor veneration
- Incense is burnt daily for the deceased. Sometimes feed is offered
2. Fortune telling
- Discerning proper yin and yang is crucial to Daoism
3. Funerals
- Keeping a dead spirit happy is crucial to balance.
- All the funeral rituals must be performed properly to ensure a happy departed spirit. Paper replicas of the deceased belongings are burned to ensure that they will have those things in the after life.
- Even years after death, the living most continually provide for the deceased.
4. Worship of the gods
- The gods are the spiritual rulers of villages, regions and the nation. It is their obligation to provide for their constituents.
- The people under the gods must worship the gods with festivals and temples and rituals to ensure protection and care.
- If the results of worship are not seen, the gods will likely be forgotten or replaced.
5. Feng-Shui
- Feng-Shui is the arrangement of one's space to ensure spiritual harmony and balance.
Religious Buildings
Modern China combines Buddhism and Daoism in one building.
Taoist temples are arranged according to the guidelines of Feng-Shui.
Taoist temples contain:
1. Statues of gods and goddesses that are important to that area.
2. Statues of guardian spirits to scare off evil spirits.
3. Large pots to hold incense sticks called joss sticks.
4. A wall or room with ancestor tablets. A part of the deceased soul remains indwelled in these tablets. Visiting them is maintaining contact with the dead.
5. An area where fortune telling can be done.
6. A table or booth where joss sticks and other paper structure to be burned are sold.
7. A large oven to burn things for the spirits. Usually a drum is attached to the oven so that people can get the attention of the spirits.
Home Practices
The Home must be a center for harmony and balance.
A home must follow the demands of fengshui.
Statues of gods are usually kept in the home. The kitchen god who reports the status of the home to the higher god's every New Year's Day is a statue found in virtually every home.
The most important item in every home is the wall shrine that contains ancestor tablets. Incense is burned and food offerings are made daily to the tablets.
Clothing
Daoism has no clothing regulations.
Diet
There are no food prohibitions in Daoism
Calendar
Taoism follows the Confucian Lunar Calendar
The Hungry Ghost Festival is an important Daoist holiday. A "hungry ghost" is an unsatisfied deceased person. The Hungry Ghost Festival is a time to appease all the hungry ghosts that are freed from hell in the seventh lunar month.
Pocket Guide to World Religions
Win Corduan
Chapter 6 - Daoism
Name
Also spelled Taoism. The name is based on the concept of Dao, which means "The Way".
Taoism means "following the Way".
It is an abstract philosophy and a religion.
Numbers and Distribution
Daoism is considered a part of the combined Chinese religion that includes Confucianism and Buddhism.
250 million practitioners is a rough guess to how many adhere to Daoism.
Symbols
"The Yin and Yang sign represents the two fundamental elements of the universe intertwined with each other" (Corduan, 58).
Yin and Yang
Earth & Heaven
Cold & Hot
Wet & Dry
Passive & Active
Dark & Bright
Mysterious & Clear
Feminine & Masculine
The Yin-Yang represents the coexistence of opposites that complement one another.
The dots show that yin exists in yang and yang exists in yin, in perfect harmony.
Good and Evil are the same as balance and imbalance. Evil only occurs when there is too much yin or too much yang.
The right amount of balance is dependent on the object.
History
As a purely philosophical system Daoism has existed since the 6th century.
The founder of Daoism is stated to be Lao-zi (Lao-Tzu). Lao-zi was roughly a contemporary of Buddha and Confucius.
When Lao-Zi was even older he decided to travel west to India in search of more wisdom. At the border, the gate keeper would not let him leave until he wrote down all of his wisdom. Lao-Zi then wrote the Daodejing (Tao-Te-Ching). He then left China, never to be heard of again.
Taoism slowly developed from an abstract philosophy into a religion. The balance of spiritual forces provided a basis for the religion.
The Daoism religion recognized a large number of gods in a hierarchy similar to Chinese government. The highest god was the Jade Emperor, who rules the entire universe.
Daoism is unique among polytheistic religions because "the idea that the power of the gods becomes available insofar as there is spiritual harmony among people, ancestors and gods" (Corduan, 60).
Scriptures
There are many Daoism writings, but the two most important ones are:
1) The Daodejing by Lao-Zi
- about the universe, language and government
- If the Dao is left alone then balance will be restored and everything will be right. People do not let the Dao work, but try to fix things themselves which makes it worse.
2) The Yijing (I-Ching)
- predates Lao-Zi by centuries
- A guide to fortune telling
- "A fortune teller analyzes a combination of sticks that come in two lengths and thereby uncovers the balance of yin and yang for a particular situation" (Corduan, 61).
Major Beliefs
Fundamental premise: The Dao is the ultimate state of harmony and balance in the universe.
To bring about the Dao is to make sure everything is going well in the realm of gods and ancestors.
Daoism as a religion is usually blended with Buddhism and Confucianism.
There are many gods, arranged by power in a bureaucratic manner. Mine gods govern a village or town. Major gods govern the world.
All beings (humans, gods, ancestors and nature) are linked in a glance. Humans must find the imbalance and remedy the situation.
Humans are quite capable of diagnosing problems and fixing them.
Subgroups
Daoism is not a true organization so there are no subgroups.
Daoism is a philosophy that can be interpreted and applied whenever and wherever.
Worship Practices:
1. Ancestor veneration
- Incense is burnt daily for the deceased. Sometimes feed is offered
2. Fortune telling
- Discerning proper yin and yang is crucial to Daoism
3. Funerals
- Keeping a dead spirit happy is crucial to balance.
- All the funeral rituals must be performed properly to ensure a happy departed spirit. Paper replicas of the deceased belongings are burned to ensure that they will have those things in the after life.
- Even years after death, the living most continually provide for the deceased.
4. Worship of the gods
- The gods are the spiritual rulers of villages, regions and the nation. It is their obligation to provide for their constituents.
- The people under the gods must worship the gods with festivals and temples and rituals to ensure protection and care.
- If the results of worship are not seen, the gods will likely be forgotten or replaced.
5. Feng-Shui
- Feng-Shui is the arrangement of one's space to ensure spiritual harmony and balance.
Religious Buildings
Modern China combines Buddhism and Daoism in one building.
Taoist temples are arranged according to the guidelines of Feng-Shui.
Taoist temples contain:
1. Statues of gods and goddesses that are important to that area.
2. Statues of guardian spirits to scare off evil spirits.
3. Large pots to hold incense sticks called joss sticks.
4. A wall or room with ancestor tablets. A part of the deceased soul remains indwelled in these tablets. Visiting them is maintaining contact with the dead.
5. An area where fortune telling can be done.
6. A table or booth where joss sticks and other paper structure to be burned are sold.
7. A large oven to burn things for the spirits. Usually a drum is attached to the oven so that people can get the attention of the spirits.
Home Practices
The Home must be a center for harmony and balance.
A home must follow the demands of fengshui.
Statues of gods are usually kept in the home. The kitchen god who reports the status of the home to the higher god's every New Year's Day is a statue found in virtually every home.
The most important item in every home is the wall shrine that contains ancestor tablets. Incense is burned and food offerings are made daily to the tablets.
Clothing
Daoism has no clothing regulations.
Diet
There are no food prohibitions in Daoism
Calendar
Taoism follows the Confucian Lunar Calendar
The Hungry Ghost Festival is an important Daoist holiday. A "hungry ghost" is an unsatisfied deceased person. The Hungry Ghost Festival is a time to appease all the hungry ghosts that are freed from hell in the seventh lunar month.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Russell: Why I am not a Christian
(Originally written September 1, 2005 in Book 2)
Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
1957
Essay 1 - Why I am not a Christian
The meaning of the term 'Christian' is too broad in today's terms. It is not defined solely as a person who attempts to live a good life. A Christian must have a certain definite belief to truly be one.
What is a Christian?
A Christian must believe in God and immortality.
A Christian must have some belief in Jesus Christ. They must believe that he is divine, or at least the "wisest and best" man ever.
Russell will explain why he doesn't believe in God and immortality. Russell will explain why he does not believe Christ was the "best and wisest" man ever. Russell admits that Christ had a very high degree of moral goodness.
A Christian does not necessarily have to believe in hell.
The Existence of God
Catholicism claims God's existence can be proven with reason.
The following five arguments are the arguments used to justify this Catholic dogmatic law.
1) First-Cause Argument: Everything we see in this world has a cause, and as you go back to the furthest point there must be a first cause.
If everything must have a cause then God must have a cause. If there is one thing without a cause it might as well be the world, not God. There is no reason to believe that the world has not always existed or that the world had any beginning.
Don't the laws of thermal dynamics refute Russell's thought?
2) The Natural Law Argument:
Natural Law argument was especially popular in the 18th century among those who were influenced by Isaac Newton's cosmology. Newton's cosmology was that God assigned the law of gravity to the planets and that is why they revolve the way they do. Moderns use Einstein's gravitational theories to explain the law of gravity.
Einstein replaced God?
The laws of nature are not actually laws at all, they are either human creations for convenience or they are statistical averages which suggest a random happening.
If God supplied the laws of nature why did he omit some? If God did issue laws at random or for his own pleasure then you find that God is not subject to the argument of natural lawmaking and the argument is invalid.
If God issued the laws of nature to create a perfect working universe why isn't it better?
The Fall and the emergence of sin?
3) The argument from Design
This argument states that everything was designed in such a way that it fits perfectly into the environment it was placed.
In reality evolution and adaptation is what makes species gel with their environment.
If God designed the world then why are there so many flaws? With millions and millions of years, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence couldn't have God come up with something better than a world that produced the Nazis, the KKK or the H-Bomb?
4) The Moral Argument for Deity
God's existence is proved by the existence of right and wrong.
God cannot be proved good if he created wrong.
(See my argument in "God's role in the creation of sin" to see why this is an illogical argument)
5) The Argument for the remedying of injustice
God exists to bring justice into the world. An after life must exist for this to happen because injustice exists still on earth.
A scientific argument would state that since this world is ruled by injustice and I know only this world I would assume that justice does not rule anywhere else, negating a Just God.
Intellectual arguments do not stir people to believe in God though. The main reason people believe in God is because they have been taught to do so from infancy.
People want to believe in God because they like the idea of safety and the idea of having a "big brother" to look after you.
The Character of Christ
Christ had many maxims that were good, but impossible to live up to:
1) "Resist not evil, but whoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also". This is an impossible thing to do because it goes against human nature. This is not a new principle. Lao-Tzu and Buddha proposed similar maxims 500-600 years before Christ. Christians defend this by taking it figuratively.
2) "Judge not lest ye be judged". How is a Christian to uphold a court of law if this is to be taken as a literal maxim?
3) "Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow turn not thou away". How can people always give what is asked or lend what they have not?
4) "If thou would be perfect, go and sell that which thou has and give to the poor". How can someone survive if they sell what they have and give it away? Where is the line of Christians selling their goods for the poor?
(Rich man asks God what must I do to go to heaven. Christ shows that the man doesn't have the commitment to God because his wealth is an idol. Money is not bad unless it takes the place of God).
Defects in Christ's teachings:
Historically it is doubtful that Christ ever existed, and if he did, then we know little or nothing about him.
Christ believed that the 2nd coming would occur in his disciples' lifetimes. This was a concept embraced by early Christians as well. This was the basis for many of Christ's moral teachings.
"In that respect, clearly He was not so wise as some other people have been, and He was certainly not superlatively wise" (Russell, 17).
The Moral Problem:
One serious defect in Christ's morals was his belief in Hell. No moral or humane person can believe in everlasting punishment.
Christ was indignant to those who would not listen to Him. Compare his to Socrates' response to those who would not listen and you will see that Socrates is more noble and moral. Socrates was bland or urbane to those who did not adhere to his teachings.
Christ's condemnation of people who blaspheme the Holy Spirit shows that he has no kindness. A man with any sense of kindness in their nature would not put fears or terrors of this sort into the world as Christ did.
Christ's preaching of Hell and damnation is so prevalent and constant that he may have derived a sort of sadistic sick pleasure from it.
Christ banished the legion of demons into a herd of pigs. If he was omnipotent he had no reason to condemn those pigs to death, he could have banished the demons elsewhere.
What about when Christ destroyed the fig tree because it had no fruit? Never mind the fact it was not fig season.
Buddha and Socrates are more virtuous than Christ.
The Emotional Factor:
Religion is accepted on an emotional level.
Morals are supposedly tied up in religion and we ought not attack religion because without religion good men will turn into wicked men. Wickedness, true wickedness actually comes from fervent religion or dogmatic law, i.e. the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Hunts and the Crusades.
"The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world" (Russell).
How the Churches have retarded progress:
Morality is used as a disguise to inflict pain on people. The church's insistence of adhering to a strict moral code impairs people from achieving happiness because it inflicts them with unnecessary suffering, i.e. birth control.
Fear, the foundations of religion:
Religion is mostly and primarily based on fear.
-Fear of the unknown
-Fear of the mysterious
-Fear of death
-Fear of defect
Fear is the parent of cruelty, not surprising when you realize how cruel religion has been throughout history.
Science has pushed itself against Christianity and it is Science that will deliver us from the fear that religion puts in the world.
"Our hearts can teach us, no longer to look around for imaginary supports, no longer to invent allies in the sky, but to look to our own efforts here below to make this world a fit place to live in" (Russell, 22).
What we must do:
Conquer the world by intelligence.
The whole concept of God comes from ancient oriental despotisms.
People debase themselves in church by claiming to be wretched sinners.
We shouldn't lower ourselves to religion as self-respecting freemen but to make the best of the world.
"A good world needs knowledge, kindliness and courage; it does not need regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men" (Russell).
The past is dead, trust that the future will be better because of our intelligence.
Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
1957
Essay 1 - Why I am not a Christian
The meaning of the term 'Christian' is too broad in today's terms. It is not defined solely as a person who attempts to live a good life. A Christian must have a certain definite belief to truly be one.
What is a Christian?
A Christian must believe in God and immortality.
A Christian must have some belief in Jesus Christ. They must believe that he is divine, or at least the "wisest and best" man ever.
Russell will explain why he doesn't believe in God and immortality. Russell will explain why he does not believe Christ was the "best and wisest" man ever. Russell admits that Christ had a very high degree of moral goodness.
A Christian does not necessarily have to believe in hell.
The Existence of God
Catholicism claims God's existence can be proven with reason.
The following five arguments are the arguments used to justify this Catholic dogmatic law.
1) First-Cause Argument: Everything we see in this world has a cause, and as you go back to the furthest point there must be a first cause.
If everything must have a cause then God must have a cause. If there is one thing without a cause it might as well be the world, not God. There is no reason to believe that the world has not always existed or that the world had any beginning.
Don't the laws of thermal dynamics refute Russell's thought?
2) The Natural Law Argument:
Natural Law argument was especially popular in the 18th century among those who were influenced by Isaac Newton's cosmology. Newton's cosmology was that God assigned the law of gravity to the planets and that is why they revolve the way they do. Moderns use Einstein's gravitational theories to explain the law of gravity.
Einstein replaced God?
The laws of nature are not actually laws at all, they are either human creations for convenience or they are statistical averages which suggest a random happening.
If God supplied the laws of nature why did he omit some? If God did issue laws at random or for his own pleasure then you find that God is not subject to the argument of natural lawmaking and the argument is invalid.
If God issued the laws of nature to create a perfect working universe why isn't it better?
The Fall and the emergence of sin?
3) The argument from Design
This argument states that everything was designed in such a way that it fits perfectly into the environment it was placed.
In reality evolution and adaptation is what makes species gel with their environment.
If God designed the world then why are there so many flaws? With millions and millions of years, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence couldn't have God come up with something better than a world that produced the Nazis, the KKK or the H-Bomb?
4) The Moral Argument for Deity
God's existence is proved by the existence of right and wrong.
God cannot be proved good if he created wrong.
(See my argument in "God's role in the creation of sin" to see why this is an illogical argument)
5) The Argument for the remedying of injustice
God exists to bring justice into the world. An after life must exist for this to happen because injustice exists still on earth.
A scientific argument would state that since this world is ruled by injustice and I know only this world I would assume that justice does not rule anywhere else, negating a Just God.
Intellectual arguments do not stir people to believe in God though. The main reason people believe in God is because they have been taught to do so from infancy.
People want to believe in God because they like the idea of safety and the idea of having a "big brother" to look after you.
The Character of Christ
Christ had many maxims that were good, but impossible to live up to:
1) "Resist not evil, but whoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also". This is an impossible thing to do because it goes against human nature. This is not a new principle. Lao-Tzu and Buddha proposed similar maxims 500-600 years before Christ. Christians defend this by taking it figuratively.
2) "Judge not lest ye be judged". How is a Christian to uphold a court of law if this is to be taken as a literal maxim?
3) "Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow turn not thou away". How can people always give what is asked or lend what they have not?
4) "If thou would be perfect, go and sell that which thou has and give to the poor". How can someone survive if they sell what they have and give it away? Where is the line of Christians selling their goods for the poor?
(Rich man asks God what must I do to go to heaven. Christ shows that the man doesn't have the commitment to God because his wealth is an idol. Money is not bad unless it takes the place of God).
Defects in Christ's teachings:
Historically it is doubtful that Christ ever existed, and if he did, then we know little or nothing about him.
Christ believed that the 2nd coming would occur in his disciples' lifetimes. This was a concept embraced by early Christians as well. This was the basis for many of Christ's moral teachings.
"In that respect, clearly He was not so wise as some other people have been, and He was certainly not superlatively wise" (Russell, 17).
The Moral Problem:
One serious defect in Christ's morals was his belief in Hell. No moral or humane person can believe in everlasting punishment.
Christ was indignant to those who would not listen to Him. Compare his to Socrates' response to those who would not listen and you will see that Socrates is more noble and moral. Socrates was bland or urbane to those who did not adhere to his teachings.
Christ's condemnation of people who blaspheme the Holy Spirit shows that he has no kindness. A man with any sense of kindness in their nature would not put fears or terrors of this sort into the world as Christ did.
Christ's preaching of Hell and damnation is so prevalent and constant that he may have derived a sort of sadistic sick pleasure from it.
Christ banished the legion of demons into a herd of pigs. If he was omnipotent he had no reason to condemn those pigs to death, he could have banished the demons elsewhere.
What about when Christ destroyed the fig tree because it had no fruit? Never mind the fact it was not fig season.
Buddha and Socrates are more virtuous than Christ.
The Emotional Factor:
Religion is accepted on an emotional level.
Morals are supposedly tied up in religion and we ought not attack religion because without religion good men will turn into wicked men. Wickedness, true wickedness actually comes from fervent religion or dogmatic law, i.e. the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Hunts and the Crusades.
"The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world" (Russell).
How the Churches have retarded progress:
Morality is used as a disguise to inflict pain on people. The church's insistence of adhering to a strict moral code impairs people from achieving happiness because it inflicts them with unnecessary suffering, i.e. birth control.
Fear, the foundations of religion:
Religion is mostly and primarily based on fear.
-Fear of the unknown
-Fear of the mysterious
-Fear of death
-Fear of defect
Fear is the parent of cruelty, not surprising when you realize how cruel religion has been throughout history.
Science has pushed itself against Christianity and it is Science that will deliver us from the fear that religion puts in the world.
"Our hearts can teach us, no longer to look around for imaginary supports, no longer to invent allies in the sky, but to look to our own efforts here below to make this world a fit place to live in" (Russell, 22).
What we must do:
Conquer the world by intelligence.
The whole concept of God comes from ancient oriental despotisms.
People debase themselves in church by claiming to be wretched sinners.
We shouldn't lower ourselves to religion as self-respecting freemen but to make the best of the world.
"A good world needs knowledge, kindliness and courage; it does not need regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men" (Russell).
The past is dead, trust that the future will be better because of our intelligence.
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