Re: [FairfieldLife] blame it on Star Trek
You are assuming that ancient cultures interpreted their myths literally, as
you seem to do, but this is not the case. The play Oedipus Tyrannus by
Sophocles deals with this issue (among others) Oedipus believes the myths (and
the oracle), taking both literally as a young man. But when he gets older, he
rejects them all because, like any thinking adult, he figures out that they
cannot be true in any literal sense. It does not occur to him, however, to
seek their truth in spiritual rather than factual terms. That, in fact, is one
definition of his blindness, which becomes literal because it was a
precondition of his mind and consciousness. So, as far back as 429 BC, ancient
Greeks understood this situation. Myth is not science and cannot be read or
understood as such. It is always false as such. But that doesn't mean that it
is incapable of communication great spiritual truths and insights. We live in
a fundamentalist age, and we could say that
our culture suffers from the kind of blindness Oedipus also suffered from. In
that sense, the play is prophesy. It is absolutely stunning that a Rabbi
doesn't have the education to understand his own religious tradition as myth
and rejects it on the grounds that it is not literal truth. It was never meant
as literal truth, and the only people who interpreted it as such were the
uneducated masses. A play like Oedipus was intended as an "educational" play.
It was also intended as a "spiritual experience," but if taken literally, it is
a set of unbelievable coincidences, even if it serves as grist for the
psychologist's mill.
- Original Message
From: tertonzeno <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 2:54:11 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] blame it on Star Trek
A Rabbi writes (USA Today blog section):
Rabbi wrote:
Actually, come to think of it, Star Trek has definitely contributed
to my rejection of religious principles!!
I remember the first time I saw "Who Mourns for Adonais" - wherein
the erstwhile crew of the Enterprise ("A", if you will…) stumble upon
the lonely "God" Apollo, the last of the remaining figures of Greek
mythology after they all "retired' to a planet far away.
I remember thinking, "yeah, that makes as much sense as what those
Biblical stories claim about Yaweh talking with Adam in the Garden of
Eden or walking with Moses in the desert."
But, as I said earlier, I grew up in Sci-Fi household – accepting of
science and rejecting the myths and fairy-tales of scientifically
illiterate cultures as just that: make believe stories!!
So blame it on Star Trek!!
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Re: [FairfieldLife] blame it on Star Trek
2007-12-20
Thread
Samadhi Is Much Closer Than You Think -- Really! -- It's A No-Brainer. Who'd've Thunk It?
Would you please forward the link for this rabbi's remark?
On 12/20/07, tertonzeno <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> A Rabbi writes (USA Today blog section):
>
>
> Rabbi wrote:
> Actually, come to think of it, Star Trek has definitely contributed
> to my rejection of religious principles!!
>
> I remember the first time I saw "Who Mourns for Adonais" - wherein
> the erstwhile crew of the Enterprise ("A", if you will…) stumble upon
> the lonely "God" Apollo, the last of the remaining figures of Greek
> mythology after they all "retired' to a planet far away.
>
> I remember thinking, "yeah, that makes as much sense as what those
> Biblical stories claim about Yaweh talking with Adam in the Garden of
> Eden or walking with Moses in the desert."
>
> But, as I said earlier, I grew up in Sci-Fi household – accepting of
> science and rejecting the myths and fairy-tales of scientifically
> illiterate cultures as just that: make believe stories!!
>
> So blame it on Star Trek!!
>
[FairfieldLife] blame it on Star Trek
A Rabbi writes (USA Today blog section):
Rabbi wrote:
Actually, come to think of it, Star Trek has definitely contributed
to my rejection of religious principles!!
I remember the first time I saw "Who Mourns for Adonais" - wherein
the erstwhile crew of the Enterprise ("A", if you will
) stumble upon
the lonely "God" Apollo, the last of the remaining figures of Greek
mythology after they all "retired' to a planet far away.
I remember thinking, "yeah, that makes as much sense as what those
Biblical stories claim about Yaweh talking with Adam in the Garden of
Eden or walking with Moses in the desert."
But, as I said earlier, I grew up in Sci-Fi household accepting of
science and rejecting the myths and fairy-tales of scientifically
illiterate cultures as just that: make believe stories!!
So blame it on Star Trek!!
