Category Archives: Religion - Page 2

A Good Book

Posted by on July 10, 2011 No comments

I started reading “Confession of a Buddhist Atheist” by Stephen Batchelor the other day.  It’s an excellent read so far, and I am starting to see things of interest.  Especially as his questioning, skeptical frame of mind seems similar to my own views.

I find it interesting that Zen Buddhist thought should be considered heretical and outlawed in Tibet.  I find it fascinating that a Buddhist sect should hold belief in spirits and the supernatural, even though the Buddha’s stance was skeptical.

I have recently starting visiting a local New Kadampa centre in order to try to find out more about them.  All of the other local Buddhist centres are much further away or are just difficult to approach.  The New Kadampa approach is Tibetan in origin, with some supernatural elements and this leads me to a few thoughts.

I think that the heresy (or otherwise) of the various approaches to Buddhism is up to the individual, not a priesthood.  After all, we were warned about arguments from authority by a certain someone!  The question of the supernatural and gods is simply one for an agnostic skepticism, after all where is the evidence?  You can’t just state that the world is a certain way, then expect everyone to accept it without proof.  Buddhists are supposed to be critics and skeptics, so let’s criticise!

What I can see developing, what I see a need for, is a very Western style of secular Buddhism.  The existing traditions have much to offer and draw on, but they’re very much a product of their culture and times.  I look forward to seeing what the west produces.

Applauding Canterbury

Posted by on June 11, 2011 No comments

You know, I didn’t think I’d ever write this but I really must applaud the Archbishop of Canterbury.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking, “Who are you and what have you done with the real Richard?”

I may not agree with some of the content of the religion he espouses, but I must applaud his recent article in the New Statesman.  But not for the reason you think.  I am neither pro nor anti cuts, but rather I take a middle ground that regards the cuts as a tragic nessecity.  From my point of view, to be pro or anti cuts, well, you may as well be pro or anti gravity.  The state machinery has enlarged beyond the means of the country to support it, it really is that simple.  The government blames everything on the New Labour years, but the responsibility for what happens from now is theirs and I’m hearing buck passing.  As for the left themselves, I hear a lot of reactionary shouting but what could (or would) they do that was any different?

My concerns are similar those of Rowan Williams, things feel stuck.  There is nobody who seems to be able to articulate a clear vision, those in charge just seem to be bumbling through.  There seems to be nothing orchestrated to protect the most vulnerable, but also where cuts fall they are likely to fall in the wrong places as middle managers seek (perhaps, understandably) to protect their own positions.  It seems that the axe is falling, but in the wrong places.  Further to this, I humbly suggest that what’s needed is a pair of Bonsai shears not a woodcutter’s axe.

Finally, it seems that the Archbishop himself has come under attack for involving himself in politics.  Those who attack him should really take a clearer look at things.  Our politics has been shaped, from it’s earliest days by religion.  The values espoused by a faith, its morality and its ethics have a very direct and fundamental bearing on the local politicians and some of our greatest political figures were influcenced by their faith.  The political opposition seems tongue tied and an awful lot that needs to be said was not being said; our politicians don’t want to face a few very unpleasant home truths.  I suspect, neither do the rest of us, but that’s a post for another time.  At a time like this it does need somebody who isn’t enmeshed in party politics and special interests to speak up, somebody exactly like Rowan Williams.

A Moment of Pause

Posted by on April 27, 2011 No comments

I was in Second Life the other evening when I came across an entry in the destination guide;  a small memorial to those who died, falsely accused of withcraft, in the town of Salem.   I must admit to having found the time to pause there and reflect as I read the names on the stone plaques around the central square.  This small area is part of a much larger pagan themed sim, click on any of the thumbnails here to get a screenshot of the memorial area itself.  If you have a Second Life client installed, you can click the following link to teleport directly there: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Primrose/170/218/88

salem-01For those who don’t know, Salem is a town in the US state of Massachusetts, whose name was given to an infamous series of Witchcraft trials in 1692 and 1693.  The trials didn’t just take place in Salem, but the two best known trials did.

26 people were tried for witchcraft and executed in these two trials alone and considering some of the “proofs” of being a witch, they really didn’t stand a chance.  Consider that simply expressing doubts about the trials was enough to put you in danger!

Salem is infamous, but it’s by no means the only place that witch trial happened.  Europe had it’s own infamy and here in the UK,salem-02 we didn’t escape.  Many people died at the hands of Witch Hunters and the Pendle Witch Trials[1] in 1612 are part of English history.  In truth nobody knows the exact death toll, but it is certainly horrific.

As I intimated above, the witch craze was international and in Europe the Catholic Church produced the “Malleus Maleficarum” or “The Hammer of Witches”, which basically said that if you were accused then you were a witch and detailed many torture methods. There was no right of the defendant, no opportunity to confront accusers and torture was considered an “infallible method” of determining guilt. [2]  The whole thing was a scam and innocent people were framed left right and centre, often people would name others just to get the torturers to stop.  When being hanged, one English witch hunter salem-03confessed to having sent over 220 women to their deaths![3]  In one small town in Germany there were 24 public burnings with an average of 4-6 victims each in one year. [4]

For me, seeing a place such as this was a stark reminder of why we must rally to fight superstition and ignorance, it was these things that were the breeding grounds that this horror arose from.   This is why scientific education and the promotion of critical thought and the teaching of the scientific method itself are so important.

—

References

1 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_witches

Source – “The Demon Haunted World” – Carl Sagan – ISBN 0-7472-5156-8

2 – page 113.

3 – page 114.

4 – page 116.