I am Jewish and it is very important to me. We keep a somewhat Kosher kitchen, we are getting ready to forgo the five grains for passover, attend synagogue with some regularity, I also don't believe in God. This is a super normal thing in Judaism. We have two entire sects based on God not being real.
Something many of my fellow atheist and agnostic Jews tend to get frustrated by is this total rejection of religion based on a Christian framework. As I am sure you know as a fellow historian, Christianity is a rather unique movement historically.
I'm glad this conversation is FINALLY happening in atheist circles. It might make those spaces more welcoming to thos of us who don't want to assimilate into a christian-normative society more than we already have.
Does it have to be unintentional? Because the Unitarian Universalists organized the first congressional fact-finding tour in El Salvador in 1978 (maybe '79?) and more after that, which is part of how everyone found out about the U.S. involvement in funding the terrorists there (we didn't call them that at the time, but they were). The Society of Friends has also been active in social justice for a very long time. I am incapable of magical belief, but I do believe in their good works, which includes helping people in Czechoslovakia escape the Nazis.
Here us the list of speakers for the We Can Reason Conference in Calgary. It will give a bit of background on the speakers. And May the Fourth be with them all.
I'm all for spirituality. Who can look at a spectacular sunset and not feel awe at the beauty that unfolds as the sky darkens to night? I do understand ritual as a habit to focus the mind and become aware and mindful of the moment. Personally, I do not need the proxy of organizing religion for that realization I am a very small piece of the universe and that my consciousness of it is fleeting and a function of the span of my life. Call me a materialist if you must.
I’ve always kinda suspected it’s… complicated, too, and religions may have had stabilising effects, for all the costs that incurred. Entangled with the question: absolute monarchies weren’t great, either, in human rights for serfs terms, but they could be relatively stable autocracies. Once you’ve got a hereditary royal family, there’s an interest in stability and a mean to maintain stability beyond the lifetime of one dictatorial ruler. And the priesthood of whatever state religion being there to say our god can hear you plotting to kill the monarch it apparently appointed maybe played a part in that… So, you know, not great, but maybe a step on the way to more representative forms of government, which in some places at least seem to have evolved kinda stepwise from that, with the monarchy becoming increasingly ceremonial, the democratic practise stepwise more meaningful…
… all pulled a bit out of my ass, though. And like you say, hard to know because can’t rerun the experiment. I tend also to be a bit patient with people who say look, whether or not there are gods about, I needed religion because the practise or the institution stabilised my life however. For my own self, I don’t think I could do that, thinking otherwise—not comfortable with what just seems dishonesty to me. But fair to say: I dunno you really can safely say it’s all bad. Just more: we can probably do better.
As a lifelong non affiliated "Christian",I ascribe to the teachings of Jesus .I abhor the restrictions of "organized religion" I believe there is more , I also believe we as people can only describe what there is limited by our limited vocabulary and knowledge. What you may call this is also limited by what you know. Energy does not disappear so call it soul call it conscience it is what it is. I am concerned that atheism is starting to resemble or other isms..think our way or suffer. I am open to any teaching which puts "good" before bad. There is evil in all society but it's not a separate entity it is the dark side of humanity
Gosh, I'd love to chat with you about this.
I am Jewish and it is very important to me. We keep a somewhat Kosher kitchen, we are getting ready to forgo the five grains for passover, attend synagogue with some regularity, I also don't believe in God. This is a super normal thing in Judaism. We have two entire sects based on God not being real.
Something many of my fellow atheist and agnostic Jews tend to get frustrated by is this total rejection of religion based on a Christian framework. As I am sure you know as a fellow historian, Christianity is a rather unique movement historically.
I'm glad this conversation is FINALLY happening in atheist circles. It might make those spaces more welcoming to thos of us who don't want to assimilate into a christian-normative society more than we already have.
Enjoy your travel and trip!
Does it have to be unintentional? Because the Unitarian Universalists organized the first congressional fact-finding tour in El Salvador in 1978 (maybe '79?) and more after that, which is part of how everyone found out about the U.S. involvement in funding the terrorists there (we didn't call them that at the time, but they were). The Society of Friends has also been active in social justice for a very long time. I am incapable of magical belief, but I do believe in their good works, which includes helping people in Czechoslovakia escape the Nazis.
"Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool." - Voltaire.
According to the Soviet Russian ideology, religion is the opiate of the people. In today's world, religion has become the LSD of the people.
Here us the list of speakers for the We Can Reason Conference in Calgary. It will give a bit of background on the speakers. And May the Fourth be with them all.
https://wecanreason.com/speakers/
When they could, they burned us.
But, hey, we can let bygones go...when the last priest is strangled with the entrails of the last bishop, we'll call it even. K?
I'm all for spirituality. Who can look at a spectacular sunset and not feel awe at the beauty that unfolds as the sky darkens to night? I do understand ritual as a habit to focus the mind and become aware and mindful of the moment. Personally, I do not need the proxy of organizing religion for that realization I am a very small piece of the universe and that my consciousness of it is fleeting and a function of the span of my life. Call me a materialist if you must.
I’ve always kinda suspected it’s… complicated, too, and religions may have had stabilising effects, for all the costs that incurred. Entangled with the question: absolute monarchies weren’t great, either, in human rights for serfs terms, but they could be relatively stable autocracies. Once you’ve got a hereditary royal family, there’s an interest in stability and a mean to maintain stability beyond the lifetime of one dictatorial ruler. And the priesthood of whatever state religion being there to say our god can hear you plotting to kill the monarch it apparently appointed maybe played a part in that… So, you know, not great, but maybe a step on the way to more representative forms of government, which in some places at least seem to have evolved kinda stepwise from that, with the monarchy becoming increasingly ceremonial, the democratic practise stepwise more meaningful…
… all pulled a bit out of my ass, though. And like you say, hard to know because can’t rerun the experiment. I tend also to be a bit patient with people who say look, whether or not there are gods about, I needed religion because the practise or the institution stabilised my life however. For my own self, I don’t think I could do that, thinking otherwise—not comfortable with what just seems dishonesty to me. But fair to say: I dunno you really can safely say it’s all bad. Just more: we can probably do better.
As a lifelong non affiliated "Christian",I ascribe to the teachings of Jesus .I abhor the restrictions of "organized religion" I believe there is more , I also believe we as people can only describe what there is limited by our limited vocabulary and knowledge. What you may call this is also limited by what you know. Energy does not disappear so call it soul call it conscience it is what it is. I am concerned that atheism is starting to resemble or other isms..think our way or suffer. I am open to any teaching which puts "good" before bad. There is evil in all society but it's not a separate entity it is the dark side of humanity
Reading your current book; not surprisingly, it’s funny! Safe travels.
https://youtu.be/Hh-LWm4T2y0?si=rBfXOg5bXaq1fW4X
https://youtu.be/9IX7ZgvZlGQ?si=R67N7EZq-JwH1c9M
Looking forward to the next read. Safe travels.