From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat Sep 07 2002 - 13:12:12 MDT
spike66 wrote:
> Dehede011@aol.com wrote:
> This thread has caused me to think over my own years as a
> religionista and consider on the whole that it was a positive
> experience. I remember it with a smile. Of course I make
> fun a lot, with the Hoerkheimer riffs and so on, but that is
> just my way. Religion was generally good to me, and I made
> a good religious guy back then. I was totally Grigg, I was
> meta-Grigg.
>
> Those of you with religion in your background, I know there
> were some bitter experiences, but what about it? Overall,
> was it a positive thing in some ways? A mixture? I want to
> hear from Eliezer and his ilk (sorry, couldnt resist the ilk
> thing) as well as some who may currently hold religious
> views. spike
>
The long and continuing quest of spirituality, of that which
infuses all being, transforms and uplifts on levels that include
but extend beyond the scientific/rational, has been and is a
positive and to me utterly necessary part of my life. I don't
believe life is fully lived by science alone. No matter what my
efforts my life and what I see in this world cannot be
shoehorned into that.
I speak of spirituality more than religion. The reason I do is
that there are stages of development regarding spiritual stuff
just like in everything else. To0 much religion is caught at
the Mythic/Power/One True Way level. This is not to say that
all of the religions have not made some room for later stages of
development. But this limited triune by far predominates as it
does in non-relig8ious memesets, including science, also. That
is quite stultifying and dangerous if that is seen as all "these
other things" are about. Then we waste more energy on Science
vs. Religion and the Spirit is missed again. It is an
understandable and necessary stage of development on both the
religious and materialist level, but it is not the final word.
When I attempt to "be a good materialist and secular
[trans]humanist" that is ok and I learn some things there. But
I am not complete . I believe that what we are headed for with
the technological transformation of humanity and Singularity
looming requires massive changes in consciousness if we are to
survive much less thrive. I believe that many forms of
spirituality have a lot more to say about changing
consciousness, especially ones own, than science does to date.
I believe that more of us learning to see our world and our
future in a deeply holistic and Loving, utterly abundant way is
vital to our success. And this is not a namby-pamby "sweet"
position. It is a living, integrative stance personally and
globally.
Thanks for asking.
- samantha
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