When
I was growing up, we were told that religion was not to be discussed in public.
Well, who cares? Let's talk. Many say that we are a Judeo-Christian culture.
That is, at best, partly true.
Few, in the country, practice
Old Testament Judaism. Sit down some rainy afternoon and read the Book of
Leviticus, or try to. It is amazingly boring. But if you can manage it, you
will discover a world of insane laws, violent, misogynistic nonsense. We don't
practice these beliefs because we are sane. In fact, most Jews don't practice
these laws to their fullest, not even the Orthodox.
As far as the
Christian part goes. it depends on which Christian you ask. To me anyone who is
kind, forgiving and not overly judgmental is Christian, I don't care if they
say the believe in the Great Pumpkin. Yet, we have a plethora of different
sects, all calling themselves Christian, who can barely agree on the time of
day. Fortunately, most American Christians just seem to give a nod and a wink
to the theology and attend only to socialize, which is just fine.
However, there are the hard core believers in each group and they are a source of great annoyance. They argue over the tiniest points and scorn those who disagree with them. Actually scorn is often too mild a term, they are generally ready to assign everyone else to Hell.
I have a thing about using words correctly. We usually call the strictly religious, "fundamentalists." This is a misuse of the word. Fundamental means basic. In other words, if you believe the Bible is basically true, then you are fundamentalist. These people believe the Bible is literally true, that every word is straight from the mouth of God. How they reconcile all of the Bible's many contradictions is beyond me. For example, Kings and Chronicles tell of the same period in Israel's history, yet they tell very, very different stories, and that is just one example. Oh well, that is just my hang up. I like the language to be used properly.
That aside, the literalists are a small minority, but they have big mouths and the media love them because they stir up the bread and butter of news, controversy. They refuse to admit all of America's other influences. We are just as much a product of Greek thought, the philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, have always been a key source of Western ideas, Their influence was felt all through the era of the Roman Empire and from there, after being lost through much of the Middle Ages, was again vital in the thinking of the Renaissance.
We are also a product of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, when man began to seriously study the world. Many who claim deep religious beliefs do not recognize the validity of the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers but they surely do enjoy the fruits of the research, computers, TV, air conditioners, washing machines, cars and all of the wonderful conveniences we have.
Americans also have a long heritage of openess to Eastern ideas. The Transcendentalists included a simplistic version of Hindu beliefs in their mystical view of life. Hawthorne, Emerson, Melville, Thoreau, all came, to some degree or another, from this school of thought and have deeply influenced the ideas of many of the best Americans.
So, are we a Judeo-Christian culture. Yes, but we are so much more and we are the better for that. But, there is still more to come. Science is a great influence, a lousy religion, but deeply important in how we understand the Universe and our place in it. Its discoveries have to be included into any belief system that is going to be valid as we move forward. Oddly, the farther science goes, the more it resembles a sort of deep mysticism, and that mysticism has to be put into a spiritual context. There are those who tout Eastern Beliefs, others push a kind of New Age shamanism. Neither will ever be dominant in this country. Eastern thought is too impersonal and doesn't endorse the pursuit of fun and pleasure, so it will really never fully catch on here. Shamanism is just too darn weird and we are at heart a practical folk. My personal hope is that we follow three simple rules. Forgive, be kind, and don't judge. Do those three things and we can go far.
However, there are the hard core believers in each group and they are a source of great annoyance. They argue over the tiniest points and scorn those who disagree with them. Actually scorn is often too mild a term, they are generally ready to assign everyone else to Hell.
I have a thing about using words correctly. We usually call the strictly religious, "fundamentalists." This is a misuse of the word. Fundamental means basic. In other words, if you believe the Bible is basically true, then you are fundamentalist. These people believe the Bible is literally true, that every word is straight from the mouth of God. How they reconcile all of the Bible's many contradictions is beyond me. For example, Kings and Chronicles tell of the same period in Israel's history, yet they tell very, very different stories, and that is just one example. Oh well, that is just my hang up. I like the language to be used properly.
That aside, the literalists are a small minority, but they have big mouths and the media love them because they stir up the bread and butter of news, controversy. They refuse to admit all of America's other influences. We are just as much a product of Greek thought, the philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, have always been a key source of Western ideas, Their influence was felt all through the era of the Roman Empire and from there, after being lost through much of the Middle Ages, was again vital in the thinking of the Renaissance.
We are also a product of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, when man began to seriously study the world. Many who claim deep religious beliefs do not recognize the validity of the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers but they surely do enjoy the fruits of the research, computers, TV, air conditioners, washing machines, cars and all of the wonderful conveniences we have.
Americans also have a long heritage of openess to Eastern ideas. The Transcendentalists included a simplistic version of Hindu beliefs in their mystical view of life. Hawthorne, Emerson, Melville, Thoreau, all came, to some degree or another, from this school of thought and have deeply influenced the ideas of many of the best Americans.
So, are we a Judeo-Christian culture. Yes, but we are so much more and we are the better for that. But, there is still more to come. Science is a great influence, a lousy religion, but deeply important in how we understand the Universe and our place in it. Its discoveries have to be included into any belief system that is going to be valid as we move forward. Oddly, the farther science goes, the more it resembles a sort of deep mysticism, and that mysticism has to be put into a spiritual context. There are those who tout Eastern Beliefs, others push a kind of New Age shamanism. Neither will ever be dominant in this country. Eastern thought is too impersonal and doesn't endorse the pursuit of fun and pleasure, so it will really never fully catch on here. Shamanism is just too darn weird and we are at heart a practical folk. My personal hope is that we follow three simple rules. Forgive, be kind, and don't judge. Do those three things and we can go far.
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