Halloween? How do you feel about it?

Like I said in a subsequent post. The logic for Christ being a perfect sacrifice really only works through some specific presuppositions such as a personal God. Considering St Paul (and the myths of the gospels) go out of their way to try and engage the people who no one wanted to deal with and to propose radical changes to the religious systems of the time, I don't think it was about keeping people in line. Early Christians were reacting radically against both conventional roman society and jewish culture. There is evidence that suggests that while Christians were "neither greek nor jew" they thought of themselves as a "new race".

I think that all religions in some regard are fanatical, but then also so are most secular ideologies when they are first introduced. Does utopian communism seem any less fanatical that Christianity except for the supernatural elements? I do not think so. I agree that violence is not a legitamite means to an end, but is sometimes nessecary as the case with the war against Nazi Germany. To be fair though, that war should not have happened if the Leauge of Nations did not suck. In the book "I don't Believe in Athiests" which is a really compellnig argument about fundamentalist atheism and the myth of moral progress both through religion as well as rationalism and science, the author argues that neither religion or Harris' or Hitchens' or Dawkins' dreams of a ratioanl society where there appear to be no ills is as flawed as the Christians idea of a world that only has Christians in it and will be perfectly moral with no war. He even deconstructs the mytrh of the Islamic suicide bomber by showing that in history (including the Near and Middle and Farther East) suicide bombers have not been predominantly religious but have been for radical political groups such as communiast and anarchist. Interesting read.

My first point to this is semantic, but if there really was aTree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, it would not be an apple because there weren't any apples in ancient Mesopotamia. Maybe an orange or a pomegranate. But even St Augustine who is a wild and crazy guy when it comes to theology wrote that Genesis is metaphorical. Let's look at it this way Adam (which is the Hebrew for Man) has the knowledge of Right vs Wrong. Good vs Bad. Pure good and Pure evil. This is what separates us from animals (along with the more metaphysical soul which is a whole other bag of worms, but really means that we have a spiritual nature just like God, hence "created in the image of god). We, unlike animals which may have codes of behavior, make moral judegments: is it wrong to eat other animals, is it wrong to sleep with another person other than your spouse, is it wrong to have homoerotic sex, is it wrong...We make these descisions everyday. I think that if the story is viewed this way, it makes perfect sense. Original sin isn't even taught that much anymore (at least in Catholic thought). Yes we have a weak nature that some may call sin, but I'd argue that few people believe the notion of the noble savage, that life would be better without technology.

 

I do not think that modern Atheism is fundamentalist in the sense that you may argue that it is. Certainly there are fundamental disagreements between atheists and theists on issues such as the value of evidence versus ideas resting on almost entirely on personal faith. For example I think that Hitchen's and Dawkins are misrepresented here, as for Harris I have not read any of his books so I am not shaw. Dawkins doe's favour a religious free society but on the other hand he has not entirely ruled out the possibility of a Gods existence either. For his part Hitchens has said that he does not favour a society that is free of religion or that he has a problem with the unobtrusive observance by theists of there Gods. Like many atheists I certainly think the world would be a better place without organised religion, much like the fact that I would profer to live in the more secular west over places like Iran or Saudi for obvious reasons.

I agree with your comments on the fanatisms of many secular communist movements in particular and many enlightment movements more generaly. Marx himself was influnced by many of these ideals. He was also quite indepted to Hegal and his system of historical teleology. Personally I do believe that we can come to a better understanding of the limitations of our condition through with the aid of both science and reason though.

No body would have a problem with societies useing violence to defend and if need be destroy other regimes that seek to exploit,enslave or exterminate them. It is interesting that an economic & financial crisis provided the tipping point into that particular abyss that was to become the crimes of Nazi Germany.

As for the fruit that was eaten in the Garden of edan tha bible seems to not know as I have just founds out so the whole fruit thing may best be left to our imaginations. For all anyone knows God in his old testement omnipotents may have desided on an apple in an apple tree. Personally I think about bananas when I think about fruit although I was in a prickly mood when deciding on an online name here.

I regard man as an animal like any other with the natural concern for its own utility, propargation, and survival. But that is another can of worms.

 

I love the old horror movies that are shown during the weeks leading up to Halloween.

 

South Africa has no halloween tradition.

But it always bothered me that the whole 'trick or treat' thing was kind of open to abuse.
We all know which 'tricks' end up in 'treats'.
How do you tell your kids not to accept sweets from strangers in this context?

But dressing up in ghost costumes and stuff is loads of fun.