As circumstances dragged me into all this about 16 years ago, I feel that at least I am able to understand the basics of religions if not more.
I must appreciate your intention. But, before doing what you mentioned, we must understand what religion is, how it takes birth and works. This issue is so pervasive that even a book is not enough to cover it completely so I am sticking to the definitions only.
First of all, you must be a theist to start with; not necessarily in the established ways but you must have a concrete faith in the bottom of your heart that there is something, somewhere that supersedes everything else in the universe. After this, you must have found such a new way that enables you to cross some primary stages at least if not all. If this is done successfully, a new religion is born automatically as all religions are different ways to reach the ultimate.
We have to understand one this very clear here that starting a new religion must be an invention and quite naturally, it has to be done by an individual instead of any group of people. Any predefine and well thought off rules proposed by a group of intellectuals cannot be nouned (named of classified) as a new religion technically.
After this stage is successfully crossed, this new way or religion, attracts others to adherent with it and as well as to its founder. If it grew large enough with time then, the founder have to formulate some basic social guidelines to keep its followers in the right direction. This phenomenon is evident in all popular religions. So, these guidelines are not the part of main course. They are just the byproducts of the process.
The impression I got from your post that you are talking about the second part only.
You mentioned all good points about running a good society. Even accepting that what you are saying is not wrong but I feel you should name it a society instead of a religion.
A long time ago, I remember watching an interview on PBS, where a scientist was saying that the evolution of life was proceeding in the direction of solid-state electronics. I imagined this happening all over the universe, and that when the universe eventually contracted, there would be a convention of all these electronic life-forms which would have the combined intelligence of God himself. It would be a church called the Solid-State Convention, a religion for the Space Age.
It's not about being beyond the pale...it's about evolving; maturing.
At some point in human history people begin to take responsibility for their own actions, and therefore also for their society. According to Julian Jaynes of Princeton it all began with a major cognitive shift which took place with, and in the times of the Old Testament and the codification of the Ten Commandments. These represented ideas which permeated the then known world as well as the major religions. According to Jaynes’ theory, there followed a cognitive shift toward personal responsibility and with it a sense of individual identity.
The theory holds that the cognitive shift was so profound as to be a brain-altering phenomenon. As more and more people ceased to believe themselves the playthings of the gods, they perceived themselves as separate individuals responsible for their own actions. They had stopped being helpless pawns in the hands of the frequently malevolent gods and spirits.
This sense of individual identity and therefore personal responsibility demands that people look at the outcome of their choices. Evaluating outcomes cannot be achieved without an understanding, a conclusion, that some choices are constructive and others destructive. Therefore there is a fundamental linkage between being responsible for one’s actions and perceiving a difference and meaning of what is good and what is evil.
I am a strong advocate for the concepts and contracts of today's existing Organized Labor agreements.
I am so enamored with the undeniable hope and inherent good found in legal, recognized labor agreements that Organized Labor is my religion.
For the rest of humanity Organized Labor exists as a mega-religion; a concept that transcends time, culture, and language.
Much more profound and contemporary, my God is a God of acceptance & understanding, with a brotherhood that knows no bounds.
Organized Labor solves the two major hurdles that mankind as a species faces today:
The ECONOMIC race to the bottom
The EMOTIONAL hole in the house where our collective soul used to be
As Julian Jaynes extolled, there is a fundamental linkage between being responsible for one’s actions and perceiving a difference and meaning of what is good and what is evil.
Choosing to ingrain Organized Labor into one's life to an ever larger degree undeniably promotes all that is good. To choose not to is...well, it is irresponsible.
Bill, it seems you first posted a longer version of this to The Daily Kos earlier this year but a section of it is directly lifted from a 2001 piece by Renée Fuller without any attribution.
It's one thing posting your photos that you've acquired from god knows where but to present a piece of writing, an idea, as your own when you've either stolen parts of it from, or at the least been heavily influenced by, someone else without admitting as such is downright deceitful and fraudulent.
If others think I'm overreacting then I'll reconsider but to me it just seems indicative of the cut-and-paste philosophy you've been indulging in for quite some time now. The sad part is that you probably do have a lot to say and a lot of it is probably worth hearing but this is a poor way to go about it.
bobevenson wrote:... I imagined this happening all over the universe, and that when the universe eventually contracted, ...
I thought the latest from astrophysics was that the universe will not be contracting but will expand until the heat death of the stars. After that no-one knows.
The research you are referring to indicates that the the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate due to some type of dark energy that is not fully understood at this time. The research results have not been duplicated yet, and many astrophysicists question their authenticity.
Dear Bill,
Thanks for that you endorsed my opinion.
You asked me to tell how I got into this. Initially I wanted to mention all what you asked in my introduction but I thought that it is a forum based on philosophy so I refrained myself doing this as my experiences are not directly linked with philosophy but on the other hand all those experiences enabled me look into the things deeply and objectively and perhaps, that is philosophy.
I will try to narrate my background in a nutshell. I am a slightly lethargic, introvert but imaginative person and Hindu by religion. I belong to an upper middle class business family but due to some wrong decisions and family disputes, we found ourselves in a deep financial crisis. It was about 20 years ago. We have to sell our family business and other belongings including our home to repay our debt. It took about two years to settle all law suits and at last I managed to come out of it. Now I was left literally with nothing but myself and an uncertain future.
But I have to earn for my family so I tried many thing but without any success. But, I kept trying a hand in almost everything that came across. This desperation compelled me to come out from my shell and suddenly, I am encountered with an all new world around me which cannot be seen sitting in my comfort zone.
Here I learned my first lesson of life that no living creature in this world, including humans, wants to leave its comfort zone unless and until circumstances force them to do and learning, in real terms, is possible only in adverse times if one’s will is strong enough to keep the head above the water.
At that time, I did not have much belief in all that religious or spiritual stuff. I came in touch with a Muslim person and we both became friends and our intimacy is still intact. He advised me to take help from his spiritual guru. Initially, I hesitated but he forced me and I thought at least there is no harm in meeting his guru. So both of us went to see him.
I became a bit disappointed when I met him. He was about 30 years old, married, lived in a small village and dependent on a small of agriculture land for his survival. He has no academic knowledge except the ability of reading and writing in Hindi (Indian national language). He offered us a tea made of goat’s milk and asked me for the purpose of my visit. I told him about my circumstances which he listened very patiently without interrupting me once.
When I finished, he asked what I was expecting from him. By this time, his calmness had been nullified my desperation to some extent so, against my preoccupied thoughts, I was not able to mention in clearly what I want. But, he understood it all and replied by a simple parable. He said; when a thorn is struck deep in the foot then, even if it is removed, the pain does not tend to go immediately. It takes some time to subside. With this one line, he said all and I understood all that I should not be impatient and the things in life will be normalized automatically in due course though I am not financially comfortable even now.
Here, I learned my second lesson that there is no correlation between wisdom and academic knowledge. Later, this assumption proved right as I meet some likewise persons.
Before leaving from his place, he gave me two mantras and asked me to learn them. I took his advice very seriously and started repeating those mantras as a prayer whenever I got free time and especially at night before sleeping. After 2-3 months, this practice, which became completely a default habit later and still intact, started causing spiritual experiences.
So, as the time passed, the intensity of mediation and spiritual experiences, both increased. Life carried on with up and downs in those years. Now, I am trying to write a book since last six months.
