<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> ---
>
>
>
> Religion & Paranormal
> The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the
> Paranormal
> by Paul Kurtz. Published by Prometheus Books.
> Guide Rating -
>
>+++ Once upon a time, the world was flat.
With the passing of time and more expierience gained, it has
become round.
This author lacks expierience with which the paranormal becomes
normal.
Isn't it generally agreed that people are using ten to fifteen
percent of their brain but now we have someone saying that this or
that expierience is not possible.
I have a more optimistic view of the benefits of integrated brain
functioning even tho it is only a theory. N.
>
>
>
>
> Is there some basic connection between religious beliefs and
> paranormal beliefs? Some commonality which helps explain not only
> their similarities, but also why they have been so appealing to so
> many people throughout human history? Although there are many books
> which offer critiques of either religion or the paranormal, few are
> willing to do both, probably because people who are skeptical of one
> aren't necessarily skeptical of the other.
>
> But Paul Kurtz is willing to create such a unified critique, and his
> book The Transcendental Temptation is the result of his efforts. In
> it, he argues that there are some striking similarities between
> religion and the paranormal which can account for their natures and
> their popularity.
>
> The first part of the book comprises of a solid explanation and
> defense of both skepticism and the scientific method. There are, on
> the one hand, people who defend a practical stance towards knowledge
> and belief - people who are usually called empiricists, rationalists
> or skeptics. But on the other hand are people who are not content
> with mundane reality and who are susceptible to claims about deeper
> mysteries and truths which require faith for acceptance.
>
> Being a skeptic does not mean disclaiming any access to knowledge in
> the world - it is possible to form rational beliefs based upon the
> use of reason and logic. Faith, however, is the antithesis of both
> reason and logic. Following a lengthy critique of faith-based
> religious and paranormal beliefs, including Jesus and other prophets,
> UFOs, ESP and more, Kurtz examines one of the primary causes of
> people accepting such faith: what he calls the "transcendental
> temptation."
>
> The basis for this temptation is "magical thinking" - the belief that
> people or events are "magical," in that they have access to an unseen
> and hidden realm of power which lies behind our visible world but
> which can nevertheless be tapped into and used to affect our lives.
> People tend to associate such thinking with primitive cultures, but
> it continues even today and early scholars of religion, like Sir
> James G. Frazer, identified magical thinking as constituting the core
> of religion.
>
> Magical thinking, whether involved with supernatural or paranormal
> beliefs, requires two preconditions. The first is an actual ignorance
> of the natural causes of events in question, and the second is the
> assumption that, in the absence of an obvious natural cause, there
> must be an unknown and un-natural cause.
>
> These two factors in conjunction allow for the development of ad hoc
> explanations, often relying upon an assumption that correlation
> demonstrates causation. For example, praying just before something
> good happens leads one to the belief that the positive event was
> caused by the prayer.
>
> This magical thinking is certainly irrational, in that it
> deliberately bases conclusions upon a clear lack of demonstrable
> evidence and without regard for logical coherence or consistency. It
> is also anti-scientific because methodologically, science seeks
> knowable, testable and repeatable explanations for events. Science
> does not get involved with ad hoc pseudoexplanations which cannot be
> tested or understood in by any coherent means.
>
> But where does the temptation part come in? It is obvious how this
> magical thinking can be described as "transcendental," because it
> seeks to find explanations which transcend our normal world and
> experience, but why are people tempted to accept these stories? The
> explanation is twofold - first our innate creativity, and second our
> penchant for seeking patterns. Together, they can lead people to
> false beliefs:
>
> The imagination draws a fanciful picture of a transcendental reality,
> some kind of celestial kingdom. Time and again theistic myth appeals
> to the hungry soul; it feeds the creative imagination and soothes the
> pain of living. There must be something beyond this actual world,
> which we cannot see, hear, feel or touch. There must be a deeper
> world, which the intellect ponders and the emotions crave. Here is
> the opening for the transcendental impulse. Yes, says the
> imagination, these things are possible. It then takes one leap beyond
> mere possibility to actuality.
>
> Religous and paranormal belief systems then become constructions of
> this process of imagination. The patterns we see in events in our
> lives become the symbols of this hidden world, open to view for those
> who know enough to properly interpret and understand them. They thus
> provide explanations for what is currently happening in our lives and
> tell us where we are heading in the future, providing solace on both
> fronts.
>
> Because of the comprehensiveness of Kurtz's analysis, this book
> provides valuable insights which other books on skepticism and
> atheism fail to offer. This volume provides not only extensive
> critiques of specific beliefs in both religious and paranormal
> circles, but also proposes a psychological explanation for those
> beliefs.
>
> --- End forwarded message ---
>
To subscribe, send a message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Or go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/
and click 'Join This Group!'
SPONSORED LINKS
| Religion and spirituality | Maharishi mahesh yogi |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "FairfieldLife" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
