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This was initially posted on August 19, 2019 (when the previous man was President. Though former man isn’t in energy now, Carol’s factors are nonetheless operative in our world.)
Anybody who’s following American politics today is aware of that the American President and his acolytes have little respect for what the remainder of us take into account to be the reality—or a minimum of the most effective approximation of the reality that we are able to discern. Final week, whereas discussing the “lie” of white supremacy that roughly 40% of the American public has purchased hook, line, and sinker, I had event to mirror once more on the relation between conventional non secular beliefs and rejection of motive and customary sense. As can also be well-known the President and his supporters don’t have any respect for factual fact.
In response to a query about how you can attain the ladies who consider regardless of the President says, I responded:
I might additionally say that fundamentalist faith is a giant drawback as a result of it teaches individuals to just accept issues that science and customary sense present aren’t true on the authority of God (who’s portrayed as a white male). This teaches individuals to mistrust their very own widespread sense and fairly dependable details. I bear in mind rising up with liberal Protestantism and Vatican II Catholicism. In each contexts I used to be inspired to suppose for myself and to not settle for every thing on the authority of scripture or custom. In fact when the church buildings and synagogues inspired us to suppose for ourselves, in addition they opened the door that enabled us to go away. As a result of we did, liberal and progressive denominations are in decline relative to their extra basic and authoritarian counterparts.
With these ideas swirling round in my head, I hold returning to a Ted Speak I came across just a few weeks in the past titled “Letting Go of God” by comic and thinker Julia Sweeney. In a part of her monologue Sweeney describes the go to of two Mormon missionaries to her dwelling. After answering “sure” to the query of whether or not she believes God loves her, Sweeney listens to the founding story of the Mormons:
Joseph Smith is given golden plates that he translated from “reformed” Egyptian with the assistance of a magic stone. The plates (which grew to become The E-book of Mormon) inform the story of Lehi and his household leaving Jerusalem about 600 BCE and touring by ship to the US. The descendants of Lehi who grow to be the Mormons believed in Christ earlier than he was born. America is uniquely chosen by God. The American Indians are justly punished for rejecting Christ.
With eye rolls and pregnant pauses, Sweeney recounts her questioning of the younger males about this unbelievable, unbelievable, and to her, morally repellant story. Those that watch her speak would in all probability agree that she demolishes their beliefs. However this isn’t the tip of her story.
After the missionaries depart, Sweeney displays on the Catholic doctrines that assist her perception or feeling that God loves her. Is it any extra cheap, she asks, to consider that God impregnated a younger girl who completely needed to be a virgin and that she bore the Savior? Or is it, she says, solely that we’re so conversant in this story that we settle for it—regardless of its being no extra cheap nor morally defensible than the story informed by the Mormon missionaries. This, she tells us, was the day she “let go” of the God she had believed in since childhood.
As I recounted above, I used to be inspired to query my beliefs in each liberal Protestantism and Vatican II Catholicism. Furthermore, nobody in my church buildings believed that God created the world in seven days or miraculously parted the waters of the Purple Sea. In my non secular communities nothing was accepted just because it was handed down from the Bible or custom. Then again, in additional authoritarian, hierarchical, and basic non secular church buildings, individuals are informed that they need to consider all types of unusual and fantastical issues or face the wrath of God and everlasting struggling in hell.
The explanation individuals come to just accept the reality of issues that make no sense is as a result of they’re informed that God is all-powerful and thus he can do something he desires, together with issues which might be incorrect and issues which might be opposite to in any other case dependable ideas and details. Lately Feminism and Faith contributor Ivy Helman mirrored upon the contradictions between the Ten Commandments and God’s later command to exterminate the individuals of the lands they conquered. Mormon chief Joseph Smith stated this about that:
God stated, ‘Thou shalt not homicide’ at one other time He stated, ‘Thou shalt completely destroy.’ That is the precept on which the federal government of heaven is carried out–by revelation tailored to the circumstances wherein the youngsters of the dominion are positioned. No matter God instructions is true, it doesn’t matter what it’s, though we might not see the explanation thereof until lengthy after the occasions transpire. — Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 256–257. (quoted from Wikepedia, “Mormonism,” accessed August 18, 2019)
“No matter God instructions is true, it doesn’t matter what it’s” is the ethical backside line of authoritarian faith. “No matter God does is feasible and proper” is the very fact/motive backside line of authoritarian faith.
Is it any shock that being informed to consider in a God who violates the norms of widespread decency and abnormal morality and in addition to motive and customary sense, is to be be skilled, programmed, and groomed to permit his representatives on earth to do the identical?
Allow us to watch out for any faith that tells us that God can and does violate the norms of widespread decency and customary sense. That is how authoritarian followers are created and their numbers are legion!
BIO: Carol P. Christ (1945-2021) was an internationally recognized feminist and ecofeminist author, activist, and educator. Her work continues by way of her non-profit basis, the Ariadne Institute for the Examine of Delusion and Ritual.
“In Goddess faith demise just isn’t feared, however is known to be part of life, adopted by delivery and renewal.” — Carol P. Christ
Classes: abuse, Abuse of Energy, authority, Perception, Feminism, Feminism and Faith, Common
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