On 7/4/2014 9:12 AM, Bruno Marchal wrote:
On 03 Jul 2014, at 19:46, meekerdb wrote:
On 7/3/2014 8:08 AM, Bruno Marchal wrote:
Only a pseudo-scientist would say that the science progresses have put any threat on
the non literal reading of any "sacred texts".
Wouldn't that depend on what the non-literal reading is? I think what you mean is that
there is always some non-literal reading that is not threatened by science...or by
logic, or by empathy, or by anything else you care to name, because "non-literal" is
just "not what it says". "Mein Kampf" is also consistent with good race relations, on
a non-literal reading.
'Mein Kampf' contains hate. Hate is always literal,
Is that from the Marchal dictionary of the Engligh language?
or you are in a Charlie Chaplin
movie.
Or in the Christian bible:
Proverbs 6:16, 19 These six things doth the LORD hate ... A false witness that speaketh
lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
With sufficient non-literalism these become "God is love".
You can study the deep non literal meaning in a book like Aldous Huxley "philosophia
perennis". You can sum it by "Plato might be right", or "the laws of physics might have
a deeper reason, perhaps even a purpose".
When the meaning is "deeply non-literal" isn't is likely that it's your own ideas you are
imposing on the book.
The institutionalist religions are as far of religion than the today politics of health
is from health. For basically the same reason (stealing people's money).
A scientist interested in religion will always read a "sacred text" with the same
equanimity than reading a "salvia divinorum" report.
Equanamity is not the same thing as giving it a non-literal meaning.
Religion, like nationalities, have also social identity role, indeed very often
perverted, and we (the scientists) have to keep calm and try hard to not throw the
unsolved questions when abstracting from the fairy tales and legends associated with
some plausible, or not, contact between humans beliefs and truth.
And to be careful not to insert our hopes and wishes in place of the fairy
tales.
Brent
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