Subj : Big fat warning, oh my!
To   : Frank Masingill
From : Curtis Johnson
Date : Tue Oct 24 2000 11:02 pm

 -=> Quoting Frank Masingill to Curtis Johnson <=-

 FM> What continues to get my high interest is the importance
 FM> atheists give to religious literature.  I find that
 FM> fascinating.
 
 CJ> Actually, most don't give it that much importance:  it's just
 CJ> that you're more likely to here someone describe themselves as
 CJ> an atheist, agnostic, etc. in discussions about religious
 CJ> literature. Some are fascinated by religious literature, but
 CJ> then educated Englishmen of the 18th and 19th centuries were
 CJ> fascinated by Graeco-Roman mythology.

 FM> And, those who want to learn about man ALL THE WAY are still
 FM> fascinated by whatever might be discovered about his behavior
 FM> whether or not it is the role of magic in the lives of the Trobriand
 FM> islanders or the meaning of the Memphite theology of Egypt of the
 FM> third century, B.C.E or findings of paleontologist wherever markings
 FM> might be found in the Stone Ages.  He would not wish to relegate the
 FM> foundational element of man and his consciousness to the "dark" ages
 FM> preceding the great "scientific" enlightenment (prohibition of
 FM> questions) of Marx, Comte and THEIR "religious literature." 

 FM> I have not found that in my search for the truth of
 FM> existence that religious dogmatism is a huge problem.  As a matter
 FM> of fact as I look back upon my life and study, I think I overcame
 FM> that without too much difficulty because the suspicion began in
 FM> childhood.  But as to secular dogmatism, I found, to my great
 FM> surprise, that the educational system through the universities there
 FM> was also tremendous closure and dogmatism.   I have had to struggle
 FM> against the freedom of what Bergson symbolized as the "elan vitale"
 FM> or the constancy of the Aristotelian "wonder" that with Plato's nous
 FM> is the heart center of philosophy as the deadly opponent of
 FM> "philodoxy" (love of dogma).  Since I also do not consider the "God"
 FM> symbol to be representative of an "existing thing" I also have been
 FM> insulated against the mighty torrent of the "God is Dead"
 FM> foolishness.  

 FM> Thus, I occupy the shaft which has become my symbol for the
 FM> universe of all that surrounds me, quite aware that this is a
 FM> reality which CANNOT be viewed in ANY measure as an object from an
 FM> Archimedian point OUTSIDE of it because I, with everything else in
 FM> my perspective PARTICIPATE only in the shaft and neither caused it
 FM> nor am able to fathom its final meaning.  This ineluctable condition
 FM> does not make me FEEL either happy or unhappy.  I simply follow the
 FM> advice of Eric Voegelin and attempt to stay as attuned to its order
 FM> as possible as a source of order in myself and society.  I hope this
 FM> provides me with enough conscience, Socratically speaking, to
 FM> pronounce something of judgement upon myself as to the adequacy of
 FM> the attunement.  

	I'm sorry, and it may very well be me, but I really couldn't
find much of a "hook" on this for a response of any kind.  

 

--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]
 * Origin: America's favorite whine - it's your fault! (1:261/1000)

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