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Mar. 20th, 2002 08:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonListened to this radio show about Biblical archaeology today - in other words, the science of trying to find out if all the places/things/people/stuff described in the Bible actually happened.
I have an interest in such things, simply because I am curious how much of the traditional religious texts are based on historical fact, and how much is pure mythology - just made up.
My conclusions - people who try and use archaeology to "prove" that the Bible (or other religious texts) is a factual account (thus validating their religion) are pissing up the wrong tree - a LOT of things just don't check out. And anyway, if someone's faith is strong enough they shouldn't need proof - the whole definition of faith is to believe in something that can't be proved. If your faith is that strong, why is it so all-fired important to convince everyone else that it "really happened"?
For myself, I do find myself using the fact that none of the religious texts can be conclusively proven as historical fact as a valid excuse to be anti-religious, but this is facile and not really the root of my... lack of belief? Thoughtful agnosticism? (I hate to say flat-out atheist or agnostic, it doesn't really describe my mindset).
No, the real root of it is I think that organized religion discourages reliance on oneself, responsibiilty for one's own actions, and freedom of thought. I think it is a far nobler thing to be a good person because its the *right thing to do* than to be a good person because you're selfishly working for Brownie points for the afterlife/terrified of a vengeful <insert deity here>, or trying to make your mom/minister/Pope/shaman happy.
Also, apart from the dogmatic tendencies of most organized religions, I lack a personal faith because I don't like the idea of kowtowing to a "higher being" that I don't even believe in, and if God/Goddess/whatever is so all powerful anyway, why do they need my worship? No, I favor more of a personal discipline than worshipping some nebulous thing outside of myself.
Well, that was deep, wasn't it? Far too much so for a weekday night. Think I'll go do some sewing.
I have an interest in such things, simply because I am curious how much of the traditional religious texts are based on historical fact, and how much is pure mythology - just made up.
My conclusions - people who try and use archaeology to "prove" that the Bible (or other religious texts) is a factual account (thus validating their religion) are pissing up the wrong tree - a LOT of things just don't check out. And anyway, if someone's faith is strong enough they shouldn't need proof - the whole definition of faith is to believe in something that can't be proved. If your faith is that strong, why is it so all-fired important to convince everyone else that it "really happened"?
For myself, I do find myself using the fact that none of the religious texts can be conclusively proven as historical fact as a valid excuse to be anti-religious, but this is facile and not really the root of my... lack of belief? Thoughtful agnosticism? (I hate to say flat-out atheist or agnostic, it doesn't really describe my mindset).
No, the real root of it is I think that organized religion discourages reliance on oneself, responsibiilty for one's own actions, and freedom of thought. I think it is a far nobler thing to be a good person because its the *right thing to do* than to be a good person because you're selfishly working for Brownie points for the afterlife/terrified of a vengeful <insert deity here>, or trying to make your mom/minister/Pope/shaman happy.
Also, apart from the dogmatic tendencies of most organized religions, I lack a personal faith because I don't like the idea of kowtowing to a "higher being" that I don't even believe in, and if God/Goddess/whatever is so all powerful anyway, why do they need my worship? No, I favor more of a personal discipline than worshipping some nebulous thing outside of myself.
Well, that was deep, wasn't it? Far too much so for a weekday night. Think I'll go do some sewing.
