Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 06-05-2009, 06:27 PM

Decoding God's Changing Moods

An interesting article in Time Magazine, with a few errors.

It is illustrated by a photo of "Symbols of the three Monotheistic religions" - which seem to be Christianity, Judaism, and Jainism? (the latter is usually classified as an atheistic religion.)

Quote:

. . . If you juxtapose the Abrahamic Scriptures with what scholars have learned about the circumstances surrounding their creation, a pattern appears. Certain kinds of situations inspired tolerance, and other kinds inspired the opposite. You might even say this pattern is a kind of code, a code that is hidden in the Scriptures and that, once revealed, unlocks the secret of God's changing moods.

And maybe this code could unlock more than that. Maybe knowing what circumstances made the authors of Scripture open-minded can help make modern-day believers open-minded. Maybe the hidden code in the Bible and the Koran, the code that links Scriptural content to context, could even help mend the most dangerous of intra-Abrahamic fault lines, the one between Muslims and Jews.

PhilosopherJay · 06-06-2009, 07:09 AM

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic." Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

Religions do reflect and contribute to complex historical relationships of peoples and groups. A careful study of diverse religions in themselves reveals nothing about the mind of any God, but when combined with a careful study of the history of peoples and texts, it does reveal the imaginations. desires, positions and passions of many different peoples throughout history.

However, these types of studies in themselves are flawed if they do not take into account the histories and text of the vast majority of non-religious people who combat or tolerate the games, tricks and habits of the religious groups.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

Decoding God's Changing Moods

An interesting article in Time Magazine, with a few errors.

It is illustrated by a photo of "Symbols of the three Monotheistic religions" - which seem to be Christianity, Judaism, and Jainism? (the latter is usually classified as an atheistic religion.)

Quote:

. . . If you juxtapose the Abrahamic Scriptures with what scholars have learned about the circumstances surrounding their creation, a pattern appears. Certain kinds of situations inspired tolerance, and other kinds inspired the opposite. You might even say this pattern is a kind of code, a code that is hidden in the Scriptures and that, once revealed, unlocks the secret of God's changing moods.

And maybe this code could unlock more than that. Maybe knowing what circumstances made the authors of Scripture open-minded can help make modern-day believers open-minded. Maybe the hidden code in the Bible and the Koran, the code that links Scriptural content to context, could even help mend the most dangerous of intra-Abrahamic fault lines, the one between Muslims and Jews.

xaxxat · 06-06-2009, 09:13 AM

Does this go along with the idea that Israel was polytheistic when times were good, monotheistic when times were bad?

Not sure where I heard that...

Susan2 · 06-06-2009, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic."

Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

Wow! I don't know what to say Jay.

I didn't realize infants were so shrewd upon birth.

Toto · 06-06-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilosopherJay

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic." Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

...

You say this like making money is a bad thing to do with religion.

I think a better translation would be that people tend to accept others' religious beliefs if they will gain more by being tolerant than they would by being intolerant.

The people involved don't even need to be aware of their own motivation. They just need to realize that they stand to gain by cooperating with that group over their, and the cooperation will work better if they don't cling to a religious ideology that says that other group is intrinsically evil.

PhilosopherJay · 06-06-2009, 01:48 PM

Hi Susan2,

I am not sure that we can say that infants are more open or less open to religion. Religion is kind of put upon them, a little like a curse is put upon new born babes in many fairy tales.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan2

Quote:

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic."

Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

Wow! I don't know what to say Jay.

I didn't realize infants were so shrewd upon birth.

PhilosopherJay · 06-06-2009, 01:49 PM

Hi Toto,

Your interpretation is the more accurate one.

Warmly,

Philosopher Jay

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilosopherJay

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic." Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

...

You say this like making money is a bad thing to do with religion.

I think a better translation would be that people tend to accept others' religious beliefs if they will gain more by being tolerant than they would by being intolerant.

The people involved don't even need to be aware of their own motivation. They just need to realize that they stand to gain by cooperating with that group over their, and the cooperation will work better if they don't cling to a religious ideology that says that other group is intrinsically evil.

Susan2 · 06-06-2009, 03:14 PM

Well Jay, I’d think that you had better learn to beware of those babies, they curse back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilosopherJay

Hi Susan2,

I am not sure that we can say that infants are more open or less open to religion. Religion is kind of put upon them, a little like a curse is put upon new born babes in many fairy tales.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan2

Quote:

Hi Toto,

I like the last sentence in the article, "people are more open to the religious beliefs of other people if they sense a non-zero-sum dynamic."

Translated, this means that people join a religion if they think they can make money out of it.

Wow! I don't know what to say Jay.

I didn't realize infants were so shrewd upon birth.

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06-06-2009, 09:13 AM	#3
xaxxat Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Space Station 33 Posts: 2,543	Does this go along with the idea that Israel was polytheistic when times were good, monotheistic when times were bad? Not sure where I heard that...

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