Seminars about long-term thinking from the Long Now Foundation
The Long Now foundation has a whole collection of seminars that look interesting, i'm listening to Sam Harris' lecture from this page. Sam Harris wants us to end the taboo on criticizing religious thinking, and considers it vital to the future of civilization.
posted by M Dangermond at 7:20 AM
5 Comments:
Interesting. I'll have to check it out. I agree that religion is very important to our future. However, I would hope that we move away from the hierarchical (and panopticon) orientation of established religions (particularly the Abrahamic ones) and move towards something more wholistic.
My eventual goal for memetix is to talk about some directions that might be promising, but for now I'm focusing on existing memes.
12:58 PM
I have taken notice there is a growing movemen of religious activists that challenge intoleratant thinking on religion, works against sect based, biased, doctinal hatred of other sects and faiths in the manner that Sam Harris at the The Long New Foundation writes about. These are by no mean "moderate" groups in Harris's sense, but do represent religious people run out of their churches, in posts I have here on this forum, who are "in the trenches," face to face with the far right bigots. Sinply look at at these groups -talk2action.org and the Interfaith Aliiance as just two examples, have provided the best *fact based* reporting one these churches (especially their considerable financial assests) have been subject to a "Hostile Takeover" by the far right wing Christian Reconstructionist Dominionishts. They have taken the argument from itellecutial speculation to actual poitical progressive action to protect individual religioius liberities, and how different faiths working together can (and must be) the only viable solution. Again, talk2action.org, Interfaith Network, and the free "State of Belief" progam on Air America Radio. Just "stoll" through their "favorite links page" to see they ae the most ouspoken, authoritative voices on Dominionist takeover. Believers or non believers welcome, these people need our support in the wold of real world progress.
Not to mention the rapidly growing new pagan and neo pagan movement, and rapidly growing interest in Buddhism in the west, whoss very belief system rejects "orthodox doctine" and, in the words of slomo, a "more wholistic" world view.
1:49 PM
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
2:57 PM
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
It seems to me that whenever teachers (or prophets) of diverse faiths, including what they call "unbelievers (atheists) and believers (religious) together," can come together and work together, and exchange ideas in diversity and equality, then we have something strong going on, and no fear of false prophets because its a community endeavour leading to growth, not a one man show leading to ruin, as the dcarto's quote alludes to above.
Diverse people whose faith is strong enough to work with those of a different faith entirely, and not be fearful of losing their own: what a concept. This is in marked contrast to our brothers and sisters taken in by the Dominionists, who are full of fear and need to express hate, exclusivity and intolerance to hold on to their fragile faith.
(BTW, I think "unbeliever" is a very nice word and very polite to refer to atheists; I learned in on "State of Belief" -- any comments?)
1) "no law respecting an establishment of religion"
2) "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Seems simple to me, at least... a guarantee that whether wholistic or holitic, alternative faiths may grow, but also to be fair we have to allow the Abrahams their Patriarchs and Panopticons, just as long as they don't try and impose these on the rest of us on the tax payer dime, and are willing to engage the community at large outside their panopticons in dialogue on issues that affect the entire community, who don't recognise their Abrahams -- otherwise, they perhaps should be isolated and left to achieve irrelevance, like a pack of Mormon's in tiny trailer parks with a dozen wives each. The answer? Education, education, education, raise that consciousness through that freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Like Darwin really said, diversity will save the species.
Buddhism has its share of "false teacher" sayings, but they are, as the one you dcarto quotes, more to give guidelines to the student, rather than give a preemptive "one line Bible sound bite" to those that claim ultimate knowledge.
Whole/holistic? I-ch'ing wrote, (again from the Pocket Zen Reader),
(On Absolute and Relative)
"When the absolute is absolute it is incomplete; within completeness there is also the relative. When the relative is relative, it is not material; even within matter, completeness remains. Deep in the night, there's the energy that brings on dawn; when the sun is at its peak, it lights up the skies."
6:53 PM
Someone asked T'ou-tzu, "How is it when there is no mistake moment to moment?"
And T'ou-tzu replied, "Bragging."
7:00 PM
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