Again, as before, I find myself chasing an old tail this morning:
No man, born of woman, ever issued from the womb burdened by God.
By whatever name and in whatever format, God is an acquired taste, like onions.
This observation may make atheists chortle, "I toldja so!" but that is far from the point. Atheism, like God, is an acquired taste.
Yet what is this life outside its acquired tastes? Wake up in the morning, saddle up with one acquired taste after another, and ride out to greet the day and tussle a bit. To say that God is an acquired taste is not a criticism or a means of demeaning the acquired taste that is God.
I think acquired tastes deserve to be honored and then examined. Which shirt will I choose for today's rambles? Does it fit? Is it warm enough? Does it clash with or complement the trousers below?
To say that God is an acquired taste is just a reminder, a nudge, a somewhat wry query: If God had wanted to burden the newborn with God, he/she/it would have laid on the burden ... which, judging by the pink lumps swaddled in adjoining bassinets in the hospital, he/she/it did not do. There is no indication, whether interior or exterior that God was some sort of imperative ... whether imperative in a positive sense or imperative in the negative sense.
Eventually, everyone is forced to consider acquired tastes. A positive conclusion? OK. A negative conclusion? OK.
But examine and then relax.
No woman, born of man, ever issued from the womb burdened by God.
No man, born of woman, ever issued from the womb burdened by God.
By whatever name and in whatever format, God is an acquired taste, like onions.
This observation may make atheists chortle, "I toldja so!" but that is far from the point. Atheism, like God, is an acquired taste.
Yet what is this life outside its acquired tastes? Wake up in the morning, saddle up with one acquired taste after another, and ride out to greet the day and tussle a bit. To say that God is an acquired taste is not a criticism or a means of demeaning the acquired taste that is God.
I think acquired tastes deserve to be honored and then examined. Which shirt will I choose for today's rambles? Does it fit? Is it warm enough? Does it clash with or complement the trousers below?
To say that God is an acquired taste is just a reminder, a nudge, a somewhat wry query: If God had wanted to burden the newborn with God, he/she/it would have laid on the burden ... which, judging by the pink lumps swaddled in adjoining bassinets in the hospital, he/she/it did not do. There is no indication, whether interior or exterior that God was some sort of imperative ... whether imperative in a positive sense or imperative in the negative sense.
Eventually, everyone is forced to consider acquired tastes. A positive conclusion? OK. A negative conclusion? OK.
But examine and then relax.
No woman, born of man, ever issued from the womb burdened by God.
It seems to me that only a zennie who took the trouble to look at it experiences that burden. Acquired tastes are comforts that go unquestioned, without investigation. Getting to the truth of one's self requires an effort that is burdensome. But having done so, a lot of burdens are set down and left behind.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you prattling about today?
ReplyDelete#1. "No man, born of woman, ever issued from the womb burdened by god." Or some such variant.
#2. [Belief in] "god" is an "acquired taste."
These statements are serious insults to thinking people everywhere throughout history. (They are also sophomoric writing exercise starters. Let's take the assertions at face value.)
#1. No man, born of woman, ever issued from the womb burdened by god."
Really? Come on!
Since rather early on there have been people all over the planet that have had an impulse to learn about or to study the nature of reality (or some aspect of the world). From those among us with such an impulse philosophies and the sciences have evolved. For better or worse not everyone buys into a particular philosophy or (god help us) into science. (Without being pressed, I'll concede that there have been people who just made stuff up,)
#2. Belief in] "god" is an "acquired taste."
While I am not comfortable with calling belief in "god" an acquired taste, I do agree with that the related notion that there are plenty of people who are more than willing not to do their own questioning, thinking or research. It is unfortunate when those in this group decide to become"teachers" or, worse, "defenders of the 'faith.'" In the current American political climate, there are those who may be the people most suspectible to both "fake news" and to the assertion that factual reporting is "Fake News."
Olcharlie touches on an important topic: some of those who have the impulse to deeply understand reality (or themselves or something else) do feel burdened. That impulse can set the questioner apart from the person's family or community. (E. g. The trial and condemnation of Galileo Galilei by the Roman Catholic Inquisition in 1633 for his support of heliocentrism..) The isolation or even ostracism can be seen as (or is clearly) a emotional, social or financial burden.
Andy -- The next time you're in town, please bang on my door and we'll visit the new-born corral at the local hospital and you can point out to me which of these creatures has any interest in or love of or fear of or need for anything as shiny as a God. Later, perhaps, but not at birth.
ReplyDeleteYou really intend make this concrete and about new born babies?
ReplyDeleteI'd put "born without the notion of god" beneath the notion "finding god when at death's door."
Neither of which are hardly worth mentioning much less discussing.