Staring ruefully at the stamp, Joe realized, even the 2,000 emoticons couldn't ask her the simplest question, "Will you marry me?" Instead, she took his ink-stained hand into hers, like coffee into a porcelain cup. She knew. [JapanTrendShop /OhGizmo!] More »
I listened today to an interview with Stephen Prothero, which outlined the argument in his book God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World-and Why Their Differences Matter. Prothero is a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University, and he certainly brings some heft to this argument. Not having read the book, but listening to his talking points in interview and discussion, he seems to have a problem as an empirical matter with the contention regularly made in interfaith circles that all religions fundamentally point to the same truth. The metaphor that Houston Smith used whereby religions are separate paths to the same mountain top is referred to repeatedly. Prothero suggests that this universalistic model denies the deep reality of sectarian difference in belief, practice and outlook, and tends to be favored by those of liberal bent at ease with multiculturalism. He also notes that the foundation of common unity can be traced back to the perennial philosophy. This philosophy lay at the heart of the Traditionalist School, of which Smith was arguably a member, as was Julius Evola. So the tendency that Prothero is putting into focus is not necessarily associated with liberalism, though in the American context it is because of the Right’s capture by low church anti-elitist elements.
An illustration of the problems which crop up when those of distinctive religions attempt to find common ground is that that commonality is often generated through an exclusion of an out group. Jews, Muslims and Christians all worship the God of Abraham. But of course Buddhists find the God of Abraham irrelevant to the central questions of religion. Prothero also observes that liberal universalism tends to put a premium on elite mysticism, a mode of religiosity which is notable for transcendence of sectarian distinctions. But the much more common mode of religious life is that of plain believers who take distinctive beliefs and practices rather seriously. Pragmatically this sort of consideration is critical when assessing whether a Sunni vs. Shia distinction will have any importance. At the level of Sufi mystics these distinctions may melt away, but the rest of humanity is still something one must consider if one is a more prosaic sort who does not expect to actively gain salvation before death.
And it is at the level of the rest of humanity that I think Prothero’s own methodological orientation may cause problems in interpreting the world as it is. From what I can tell he operates out of the framework of Religious Studies (which coincidentally in the United States was shaped by Mircea Eliade, who was strongly influenced by Traditionalism). Too often it seems to me that scholars out of this tradition operate as if religion is a concrete entity, distinct and unique, as opposed to being an emergent property of normal aspects of culture and cognition. It is scientists who start from a naturalistic perspective who I think can take a final step back, and see religion as but a piece of the painting. Prothero is correct obviously that adherents of different religions view themselves as distinct, as following different truths. Fundamentalist Christians are liable to dismiss Allah as an Arab pagan divinity, or even a demon, despite the widely held belief by many that Allah is simply a different name for the God of the Christians. But what if you don’t believe that gods exist except in the minds of believers? Then whether as a practical fact Allah and the Christian God Allah or Lord Buddha are distinct beings rests in large part on whether humans conceptualize them differently. It turns out that in general they do not. In other words religious believers tend to conceive of their supernatural agents very similarly, whose traits are rather interchangeable, with the main difference being semantic. The book Theological Incorrectness cites a wide range of literature in this area, with a particular reference to the religious landscape of Sri Lanka.
The disjunction between assertions and sincere beliefs of deep difference, and the reality that cognitively there’s little gap at all, shouldn’t be too surprising. Promiscuity of belief has been relatively normal for much of human history, as was evident in the pre-Christian Roman Empire, or is evident in Japan or China. The exclusive tribal aspect of Islam and Christianity combined with their universal ambitions are somewhat atypical, though this suite of characters has been highly successful in propagating itself. Additionally, religion is more than simply belief, it is about communal rituals and belonging, and the daily regularity of banal practices and customs. Prothero is correct that acknowledging the deep differences are important, but I believe to a great extent he is wrong as to what those differences are. That Buddhism emphasizes suffering while Christianity emphasizes sin is not particularly significant unless you’re a Buddhist or a Christian, and even then most Christians have no idea what soteriology means for example. Beliefs are shallow markers to group affiliations, not deeply held axioms which serve as starting lines for chains of inference. Religious elites construct many distinctive aspects of their brand, but it is the functional components which are essential in furthering community and human flourishing.
I think the Shia-Sunni split which Stephen Prothero gives as an example of the need to understand the depths of difference is a good case of how beliefs may be secondary. The division here began originally as a political dispute, whereby the partisans of Ali and his family dissented from the decisions of the Muslim majority in the succession to the position of Caliph. Over the centuries these partisans evolved into the Shia faction, while those who were not Shia or other assorted sectarians become Sunni. Some distinctions of practice and belief did arise across this divide, but in general those distinctions evolved after the original political division (because the Shia party was decentralized they have preserved more of the theological diversity of early Islam than the Sunnis).
On a deep level Huston Smith was right. Human psychology is universal, so human intuitions about supernatural aspects of the world exhibit deep commonality and intelligibility. But it really doesn’t matter, human tribalism is also a universal, and it co-opts these religious intuitions into its service. The fact that both tribes don tattoos does not elicit in them an appreciation of the universality of these sorts of markers, the importance of belonging. Rather, the markers often separate those who are your brothers, and those who you wish to kill. In other words, what you believe may matter less than what you believe about what you believe.
Dear sir,
Kindly confirm how the smoke detectors are directly connected with PLC.
Is it a possiblity to get electric shock to a person standing near HV or EHV busbar without touching?
I got a mail from wiprotechnologies regarding require software engineer on asp.net/sql server with 2yrs experience.
I have one&half yr experience in dotnet but does n't have that much of effective projects. How can I prepare effective resume & exposure?
Dear All,
I have a question, some engineers told me the Auto trans starter is better off in terms of application than star delta cos it transfer to full load amperes in steps also it works similarly like a star delta starter. Besides they are both reduce voltage starters for motors, i want
Construction began in December for what will be China's largest sports park, the Hangzhou Sports Park. It'll be green, sustainable, and will span around 400,000 square meters. Did I mention how it looks like a space city? More »
Lady Gaga gave Polaroid a helping hand with designing the latest range of cameras, but will she be lending her name to their gaming accessories? I can just see her modeling a headset in her next video with Beyonce. More »
Hi,
I have to replace a bearing in my car but it has an odd rating on it, could anyone tell me the meaning of a ball bearing rating i.e 6006DU3X
6006= is the size of bearing
DU= indicates the Rubber Seal
BUT
What does 3X stands for????
In just 16 days, it's soared up the charts with over a million downloads on the first day of availability. Now, the iPhone version is the third most popular for Opera Mini downloads worldwide, and number one in the US. More »
Administrator Bolden to Speak to NASA Workforce from Johnson Space Center
"Please join Administrator Charlie Bolden as he addresses the entire NASA workforce during a brief program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday, April 28, at noon EDT. The administrator's remarks will be carried internally on NASA Television on Headquarters channel 76. The program also will be streamed internally over the Web to NASA Headquarters employees at: http://aquarius.hq.nasa.gov/ramgen/broadcast/hq.rm"
It's time to focus on America's future in space, editorial, Charles Bolden, Houston Chronicle
"To make this dream a reality, we must identify quicker and less costly ways to develop new launch systems. We must speed the acquisition process so it doesn't take a decade to make a new system operational. And we must work diligently with the commercial sector to help them succeed at providing safe, reliable, redundant access to low-Earth orbit while NASA develops futuristic capabilities to reach deep space. These changes will not be easy, but they are by no means impossible."
Late in 2009, Francesca Galea wrote us to declare the completion of her doctoral thesis entitled Artificial Islands in the Law of the Sea. With her blessing, we posted the PDF of her significant and clarifying inquiries on our Research page, but it is more appropriate that we give her research the highlight it deserves. From the paper:
Marsh Harrier over - a record shotThe migrant front brought a deluge of summer migrants including two Marsh Harriers – an impressive sight anywhere never mind a seabird colony! However the ‘bird of the day’ award went to a very confiding Grasshopper Warbler which decided not to fly away despite two wardens (on hands and knees) approaching within 2 feet of it! On a personal note, the award for 'getting away with it' went to my football team Gateshead, who (somehow) managed to escape relegation on the final day of the season in the Conference on goal difference - by just three goals. What a weekend I've had...
Saturday 24th April Highlights: Shelduck 2, Teal 2N, Red0-breasted Merganser 1N, Red-throated Diver 2S, Golden Plover 1 summer plumage bird, Redshank 63, Dunlin 2, Whimbrel 1 on Ladies Path (first of year), Common Tern 12, Arctic Tern 4, Sandwich Tern ca 600, Sand Martin 2N, Wheatear 7, Redwing, Fieldfare 3, Blackbird, Dunnock 2, Robin, Willow Warbler 13, Chiffchaff 2, Blackcap 2, Carrion Crow 17 east together, Goldfinch and Common Redpoll 1 lingering on Brownsman.
Travels with a Nine Year Old is the work of Theodora Sutcliffe. Together with her son, Z, they are on a year-long sojourn of discovery, learning life’s lessons and simply sharing time together – something Theodora felt was long overdue.
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No surprise to my family but am going on a little trip Leaving on 30th April returning 21st May.I was sitting quietly one cold winter afternoon when my feet started to itch and my Mother Teresa syndrome started to kick in and before I knew it I was booked to go to Cambodia to volunteer in an orphanage for 2 weeks. Obviously the easy life isn't for me. The move to Norfolk turned out not the way
19th April We still have along shopping list. Still looking for a back door new tyres spring shackle bushes etc.224 Went to Bunderburg today. Not for Rum. We got a tow bar at the wreckers but still no door. Willhave to buy a near new one instead. Russel and Vikki took us for Chinese dinner at Hervey Bay. Very delicious.234 Murray is putting the tow bar on and doing several other jobs
Day 13 The weather is a bit nicer today but there are still showers on and off I walked to blockbuster took the movies back and rented New Moon since I have wanted to see it since it was in theatres. Matt and Sean are off to Surfers Paradise to look at a few SUVrsquos they have found. So I stayed at the house and watched my movie and cleaned us for Kristin and Joel. The boys were gone p
Day 15 Today started of good we relaxed for a bit and then off to meet the Swiss girls to get our truck. We walked into surfers and met up with them when we got there they told us that there was a bit of a problem the first thing that crossed my mind was oh crap what now. Lol. They took the car into the shop to make sure that we would be able to get it safetyied with no issues but it t
Day 16.5 continues... The adventures of Matt and Sean .....Lots of beautiful scenery and they got some good pictures of some wildlife. Birds and they even got lucky and seen a huge lizard. They both agreed that they had an excellent day and Matt canrsquot wait to be able to take me there to show me around the placehellip he even told me they kept off one of the routes so that when we all go
