Whoever designed the universe made a right mess of religion
God, sang the late John Lennon, is a concept. At
the time, this prompted several profound questions, questions such as:
“So?”, followed by: “And?” The former Beatle then
launched into a primal scream of a tune in which he explained that by this
concept we “measure our pain”. Big fan that I am, I was none the
wiser.
God, sang the late John Lennon, is a concept. At the time, this prompted several profound questions, questions such as: “So?”, followed by: “And?” The former Beatle then launched into a primal scream of a tune in which he explained that by this concept we “measure our pain”. Big fan that I am, I was none the wiser.
Where religion is concerned, some of us are like that. Either we are too stupid – always a safe bet – or too smart to fall for catch-all explanations. You choose. Recent debates over evolution have, for example, illustrated the divide with an amusing clarity. Listening to fundamentalist American Christians attempting sophistication with this year’s “proof” of a deity’s existence can provide hours of fun.
I no longer seek to provoke those who believe, even for fun. I seem to manage that without trying. In a grudging sort of way, I actually admire the ability of the Vatican, or any mullah, or some minor Presbyterian, to insist on the sort of moral authority that long ago ceased to be plausible in the real world, at least when measured in terms of those who still believe in the tooth fairy. But why, really, do we still listen?
Power becomes a habit. The men (usually men) of God are no different from our temporal rulers. Both provide us with hokum, more or less, but both believe they are entitled to lay down their laws. What other use could power offer? John Lennon was almost right. It would have stretched the lyric somewhat, but God is a concept by which we measure our ability to listen, believe, and obey. Like it or not – and I don’t, much – that concept remains potent.
We who doubt and disbelieve, we of a Humean temper, if not a Humean intellect, cannot simply fling the odd joke against the fact of religion’s persistence. This is the nature of our world. There is a religious fanatic in the White House, another in Downing Street, a third somewhere in the hills on the Afghan-Pakistan border, a fourth in the Vatican, a fifth in the house just up the road.
If that has happened by design, can I do my own drawings?
There’s a great deal more in the whole article: from a discussion of the skepticism of Hume to establishing fiscal priorities. The John Lennon part strikes an especially responsive chord for me — though I might have used The BeeGees “I Started a Joke” since every line fits perfectly into the context of the then-current “God Is Dead” brouhaha.
Posted: Sun - September 17, 2006 at 07:00 AM