Why Do I Write This Stuff?

Cogito Ergo Blog

Published on August 28, 2004 By Larry Kuperman In Blogging

I have been writing a series of articles on religion and history. The response has been more favorable than I would have imagined. I haven't offended anybody.....yet! Which is good, because, although I am careful, religion is a touchy subject. But I will tell you that I have put a LOT of work into this. Why?

Well, I am teaching a 7th Grade class that deals with comparative religion and I think electronic notes are better than handouts. But that is not the reason. I am teaching the class and hence writing the posts.........because it interests me. I think about it. I think about, therefore I write about it on my blog. JoeUser is my home.

A close friend of mine, a born-again Christian, once quoted that "Man is born with a God-shaped hole in his soul." I like that! I don't think that any one definition of God is going to fill that hole or is right for everyone, but I agree with the premise.

Religions, all religions as far as I can tell, are attempts to answer three basic human questions: Who are we? How did we get here? What are we supposed to do?

As human beings, we all address at least one of these questions everyday of our lives. The answer to the first two often imply the answer to the third question, but each of us has to answer at least the "What are we supposed to do?" question. Do you get up and go to work each day? Why? To provide for yourself and you family? Why? Why not just steal? Because society says that stealing is wrong? Why does society say that? I don't need to belabor the point. Pursue the line of reasoning far enough back and you will come to "Because God the creator said not to." And we accept that...more or less. It is introjected into our psyches, if not our souls. We feel guilty if we don't.

I have read Freud and Jung and Adler. I understand the concept that religion is the inner voice of conscience, of racial survival traits, made outwardly manifest. I have read Aleister Crowley saying "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." But I understand that Atheism is religion without God. ("A" meaning without, "Theism" meaning belief in God.) So what? If you can't prove God's existence or nonexistence, then it is just a variant faith.

"I believe in two things, sex and death. And at least after death, you're not nauseous." Woody Allen, Sleeper. Just to be clear, that is sarcasm. It shows how silly the "God is dead" school of thought can be.

Religion effects history. What we believe effects what each of us does everyday and what we do as groups. Ask the tens of thousands who died in the Crusades if religion is unimportant. Ask the people who were inside the World Trade Towers if religion is no longer relevant.

History also effects religion. There is no religion that is the same now as it was a thousand years ago. Not Christianity, not Judaism and not Islam. When I wrote about the Gnostic Gospels, including what was said to be the testimony of the twin brother of Jesus, a respondent said that they were not important, only the four gospels of The New Testament were important. HUH?!? I'm okay with someone saying that they are not legitimate, especially if they can marshall facts to support that position. But, if you are a Christian, you don't want to read about Mary Magdalene seeing Jesus when he was resurrected? I don't get it. It is okay to disagree with something, but I have a hard time with people saying that they "don't need to know about it." Not if they say that they are religious.

There are things that we will never know. Religion is the only branch of human knowledge where we believe that the ancients knew more than we know now. Say "It is so because Moses/Jesus/Mohammed said so" and that argument is pretty much over. Because of this, we have lots of works that either tell unverifiable stories or are contradicted somewhere else. But still, the subject matter is so important that I feel that it bears research.

So, my goal is present what I know and what I wonder about. We can look at the evidence, we can learn as much as we can, but at the end each of us needs to make up our own minds. And mostly, I write for myself.

Comments

Joshua Price

on Aug 28, 2004

Excellent article. I took a comparitive religion class at my college for my humanities credit and even though I am a very faith based christian I gained huge bennefits from the class. I encourage you to make each learning experience insightful and interesting to the kids. Good luck, God bless.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 28, 2004

Good article, Larry. While I have refrained from comment on your posts, as I don't hold the same position you do (and I hold the standard that on another's blog, decorum should be exercised; I didn't want to provide fuel for flames); I do agree that it's important to examine these things and question them. I lose a lot of support for my contemporaries when I say that, in my opinion, whether Christ was married or not is irrelevant. He may have been, there is certainly enough evidence even among the four gospels to mount a compelling argument (Wait'll I get around to my argument that Joseph, the father of Jesus, may have been a polygamist...THEN watch the flames fly...lol).

For the record, I have read the gnostic texts, and I encourage everyone to do so, even if they're just reading them to debunk them.

Anyway, I wanted to add comment off the main threads so as not to draw fire. I appreciate what you're doing.

greywar

on Aug 28, 2004

I thought you wrote it just because it was good stuff!

Kepp at it Kupe.

jotter

on Aug 28, 2004

I truly enjoyed reading your article. Very well written and informative. My comment to you is a question actually. I have heard born again Christians state to non-believers that if they just study the facts in an effort to try and disprove their faith, this person will become a believer. Because the facts will so obvisouly portray this faith as truth.

I am willing to undertake this study, but am not clear on how to establish resourses that will present the facts in an unbaised manor. Do you have any suggestions. I will list my email address if you do not mind contacting in that fashion. clivinghouse@netzero.com

Larry Kuperman

on Aug 28, 2004

jotter, you've got mail.

greywar, Gidean and Joshua....thank you.

The Crusaders

on Aug 28, 2004

Larry,
I live a life without religion...I am not an athiest....I simply live my life. I understand people need to believe and hold hope in something such as God. So, I guess religion is important, but, are Churches important? Cannot people simply believe in something in their hearts and minds and still go about their lives without the need for a church as a place of worship?

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 28, 2004

Larry,

by the way, I had to rethink my analysis--after your most recent piece, I archived the rest, and it really is an excellent series. I "walked in" on the gnostics, and wasn't crazy about the historical analysis, until I looked at it in context with the rest of the articles, and it wasn't as one sided as it appears.

I did you a gross injustice it seems...excellent work!

kingbee

on Aug 29, 2004

I haven't offended anybody

well nobody's perfect but...

all i can say (again) is the more i read your articles the more i am impressed. without meaning to get mushy on you, its more than just your obvious and considerable writing skills. in my twisted little contruct, the quality that catalyzes skill to produce something much more--as you so often seem to do--is the gift of being able to project one's response as clearly as the object of one's focus.

Manopeace

on Aug 29, 2004

Say "It is so because Moses/Jesus/Mohammed said so"

Basically, they all said the same thing, as all have the same roots. As long as no one says emphatically thay "My God is greater than yours", we will be OK. Again, they were all speaking of the same God.
Good post Larry... keep em commin!

Larry Kuperman

on Aug 29, 2004

Gideon and kingbee, again thanks.

I live a life without religion...I am not an athiest....I simply live my life

The Crusaders, I am a Secularist. I believe that good deeds in this world are what really count. Are you kind to the people that you meet? Do you treat others with dignity and respect? Now, religion can be a powerful motivator for acts of kindness. Witness Mother Teresa. Or not. Witness Osama Bin Laden, or Tomás de Torquemada. If there is evil in your heart and deeds, all the prayers in the world are not going to make up for that.

But I still say that it is important to study religion. (Not that anyone has argued.) For our own, personal benefits.

Peace.

JeremyG

on Sep 01, 2004

History also effects religion. There is no religion that is the same now as it was a thousand years ago. Not Christianity, not Judaism and not Islam.

Correction there are no WESTERN religions that have gone unchanged. Most of the eastern religions, except for Budhism are still humming along as they always have, not tainted by politics and power.

Larry Kuperman

on Sep 02, 2004

Jeremy, Hinduism grew by incorporating religions on the Indian sub-continent, so it has changed more than any other religion. But leaving ancient history aside, I Googled the history of Hinduism. Among the first links:

Hinduism remains arguably one of the most tolerant of such religions. However, during the past few years, a Hindu nationalistic political party has controlled the government of India. The linkage of religion, the federal government and nationalism has led to a recent degeneration in the separation of church and state in India. This, in turn, has decreased the level of religious tolerance in that country. The escalation of anti-Christian violence is one manifestation of this linkage.

Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

You might also want to look at http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism2.htm which offers several theories about the inception of Hinduism. Despite being called Sanatana Dharma, the "eternal religion, Hinduism started at a place and time, grew and adapted.

Religions have to adapt or they lose relevance. Another example of change among Eastern religions is Shinto, which changed dramatically circa 800 BC and then had to redefine itself after WW II.

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