I stand for enlightenment. This is a Church, not an open forum. I assume that everyone coming here wants to have his or her illusions dispelled and to gain in clarity of understanding.
Arguing for a particular worldview is an activity that we call "Level 2."
(Level 1 is not even having a clear worldview to argue, but simply behaving
on instinct. Nobody like that would sign up for this list.) One form of
enlightenment is to realize that there is no "true" worldview, but that each
set of beliefs produces certain results in the form of feelings and
behaviors. Christianity is a very good worldview in many ways. At its best
it tends to produce cooperation, community, outreach, and a feeling of
security among other things. Yet "believing in" any belief system also has
its downside, especially if the beliefs are not chosen consciously with full
self-knowledge and long-term vision in mind. It may be difficult at first to
imagine what that downside might be, but at some point you will come to
realize that there is more. It is not "better" to be more enlightened, and
where you are is perfectly fine, although I realize it's difficult for that
not to sound condescending. My belief is that there is more fun, power, and
contribution to be made from a more enlightened place.
Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com
Author, "Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme"
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