United Church of Canada
“I do not believe in a theistic, supernatural being called God,” ,“I don’t believe in what I think 99.99% of the world thinks you mean when you use that word.” , ” God is instead a metaphor for goodness and a life lived with compassion and justice” says Gretta Vosper
My Thoughts:
The congregation, may well, denude itself of God and the Bible or any religious symbols, and scriptures. Emphasizing instead ‘moral’ teachings. It’s claimed that they shed ‘light’ on ‘religious doctrines’.
It staggers believe coming across such paradoxes:
An atheist pastor, at that, and a minister of the church, administering to his flock moral teachings; the death of God, and by its virtue, the Devil. Leaving only the Good in a Godless, and a non Satanic world.
It is jarring business, emulating the Church, and its teachings while subverting it’s very core, at the same time.
They could achieve the same (with a lot more respect from me) if they employed a ‘didactic’ discourse, imparting teachings that are as just and fair, and containing universal ‘moral’ principles (e.g Human Rights). Without adopting the role of the religious hierarchy, and the platforms from which to pass those messages packaged in divine language!!
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Me thinks it is easier to impose morals in the guise of religion which mandates total and complete submission rather than a system of philosophy which would require us to think!! ouch!! that hurts! I knew I should not have been thinking so hard!!
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your right, but an anomaly also, in their phasing out of religion, but speaking from its pulpit, structured as thus (morality), raises questions regarding their credibility. I do wonder, in these times total submission could be achieved through other timely tempered instruments? “Ouch” didn’t hurt kept widening door’s gap.
A note I am getting rather stuck in Hawkins’, followers et al’s ‘blind belief’ that God doesn’t exist . They’re obscuring their discipline in faith.
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True , it certainly does raise questions of credibility. As for total submission , having lived in Asia and America , I can confirm that total submission is indeed possible and happens quite regularly . But I have always heard that Europe is vastly different in temperament so I obviously dont know enough to answer that with any degree of certainity
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I think Us is just more open (exposure) while Europe has it’s concealments
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😀 North America and Asia get more exposure possibly because there is more of this sentiment , that was my understanding . But I see what you are saying not sure that I totally understand . I just figured that Europe has been through the dark ages and the Renaissance and the enlightenment cleared all that up
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yes, the enlightenment did so much for society particularly in terms of giving light to the ‘subject’ -. the essential human being who’d existed as a backdrop, without much significance.
to clarify my previous comment. I meant that western society is transparent to a point, but there are hidden & overt practices that hark back to the dark ages, the death penalty, for example. thankfully, it’s not executed in such a savage way and as open spectacle, that, oddly, the public craved, then. what a mind set.. Laws lagged behind the enlightenment, Marriage, chattel, property etc.etc. Though yes the enlightenment did clear up much, thankfully.
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Unfortunately dark practices such as what you mention exist in every culture . I cannot help but assume that it is part of the primal nature of humans . In America they burned people at the stake accusing them of witchcraft , in India women are raped in public , in some Arabic countries , it seems common to assume a woman’s guilt and then public stone her to death or public chopping of hands for thieves . Bestiality is part of us , the enlightenment provided us with a framework that moves us towards enlightenment
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Yes, it must be our primordial nature, brutality pre existing our humanity – borne of strife and struggle.
Evan, to image the cruelty inflicted on vulnerable family members by heads of that family (not least the state on its public), makes one wonder how dark we are; no matter the enlightenment, we continue to perversely justify the bestiality through moral fabric and/or esoteric actions or delicacies….Enlightenment, for some, might be just a brief respite.
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🙂 Hopefully the enlightenment is here to stay and much more than a brief respite
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Yes, indeed. 🙂
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