From: jeff nordahl (jnordahl@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Dec 26 1999 - 23:07:36 MST
>Sasha wrote,
> >After having several discussions with local Bahai, and failing to see
> >what exactly God is doing in this relatively decent set of social
> >notions, I came to the conclusion that this teaching was an attempt
> >to sneak the modern secular ideology into the Moslem world under the
> >guise of religion. While providing a good alternative to fundamentalism
> >and a somewhat hypocritical excuse of "staying religious" to those who
> >need this, for people with already open minds it looks like a
>particularly
> >convoluted way of wasting time...
>
>Worse, these folks spend their time immersed in Bahai so that they can
>avoid
>engagement with reality.
>--J. R.
>
>"Organized religion is for weak-minded people."
>--Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura
Be careful!!! Think deeply about the courage, strength, and accomplishments
of Martin Luther King and Gandhi before flippantly tossing about your
religious criticisms. It's easy to be disgusted by Jim Baker, Jerry
Fallwell or your own family's religious shortcomings and weaknesses, but
don't generalize drunk Christian sedated trailer trash with true tough
minded religious visionaries.
Accept that religion always has been a part of the human species and
civilization, and most likely always will. This is not bad. Particular
religions serve their purpose in time, then as society evolves, they become
obsolete....Time for a new religion which embraces the memes and spiritual
needs of our time. What is so weak about believing in a GOD that emanates
perfection and order (this is not the benevolent or punishing all powerful
being you refer to when someone sneezes, but a power and clarity (with no
gender) rooted in love, tolerance, and the scientific laws of the
universe)(If you have a mental hang-up about the word "god", perhaps you
should substitute in the word "perfection", "order", or "quantum mechanics
of love" ? What is so weak about a religion that strives for equality and
unity for all people? How is congregating once a week for an hour to
re-kindle your inspiration and expand your social relations with others of
the same ilk, a waste of time?
If your hero of free thinking is Nietzsche, remember that he lived in
solitude, went nuts, then spent the rest of his days having his sister wipe
his ass for him. I love his writings myself, but I see his role as the
announcer of the end of Christianity, not religion. Time for a new God!!!
IF you are a transhumanist, don't forget the humanist part: a person with a
strong concern for human welfare, values, and dignity. If the masses need
religion, don't chastise that need. If you wish to spread transhumanism to
the masses, I'd consider building a tolerance and respect for religion.
Religion can be a wonderful ally and means by which to make your concepts
palatable. (call it propoganda, but it's much easier to secure funding for
your scientific endeavor if the public opinion supports it) Nihilism is
ephemeral. If your joy in transhumanism is esoteric, I suggest you define
yourself as a pompous transperson.
jeff
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:06:12 MST