This Will Put The Cat Amongst The...
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Did Richard Dawkins’s ‘New Atheists’ spark a Christian revival?
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No best answer has yet been selected by Khandro. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.vulcan - // andy-hughes, will you be mentioning Elvis was a devout christian? //
It depends what you mean by 'devout'.
If ingesting so many drugs that your ears fall off the side of your head, and grooming a child for imoral purposes in a manner that would result in your incarceration under today's laws, while making Gosepl albums makes you 'devout', then possibly.
But since I have to condense ome of the most groundbreaking and influential careers in this history of art and culture on this planet into two forty-five minute Talks, I suspect not.
In the interests of focusing on what is important in terms of a legacy and legend unequalled in popular music, I have to sacrifice Elvis's human frailites in order to include clips of him singing ' Long Tall Sally' and similar, and changing the world forever.
Atheist, //We should be trying to muddle through by using our intelligence, not by promoting one religion at the expense of all the others.//
I don't think Richard Dawkins has sparked a Christian revival as such, but with the situation in the Middle East I wouldn't be at all surprised if the time is coming where, as one Muslim doctor who runs the British wing of an Islamist extremist group says, we will have to make choices. 'Victory is coming' he said, 'and everyone has to choose a side. Whose side are you going to be on?'
For anyone who doesn't adhere to the Islamic faith - including Buddhists, Hindus, etc., that will be a choice between life as we know it and an Islamic way of life. 'Who's side are you going to be on?' could be one of the most important questions you've ever been asked.
It baffles me how any rational person can believe in a god or desire to take part in any organised religion. Unfortunately billions do (or profess to) and are prepared to further their cause(s) with aggressive behaviour up to & including the murder of any who disagree with them.
I see no good coming of it.
Atheist, //I haven't seen any signs of a christian revival.//
What have you seen signs of?
davebro, //It baffles me how any rational person can believe in a god or desire to take part in any organised religion//
Religion can certainly be described as being irrational, but so can so many other life-enhancing factors, Art, Music, Dance etc.
Many who identify as 'Christian' don't practice, and many who do practice don't believe (including some clergymen!)
All religions have three components, in Buddhism they are called 'the 3 jewels' The Buddha, the Dharma & the Sangha; The Teacher, the teaching & the spiritual community.
Which translates into Christianity for example as, Christ - the teacher, the bible - the teaching and the church - the spiritual community. The same can be applied to other religions.
It is possible to have varying views on each part and still be religious. I have just happened to read by Ed West, "Putting your foot on the fist step, hugely increases the probability of reaching the second, It is the same with all beliefs."
Khandro - // Religion can certainly be described as being irrational, but so can so many other life-enhancing factors, Art, Music, Dance etc.
Do you pluck these comparisons out of thin air?
I assume you must do, because here is another one that makes no sense whatsoever.
Art, music, and dance have no connection with a religious belief whatsoever.
By definition, belief is something you believe, but cannot actually see, or touch, or create individually for yourself.
With your examples, you can do all these things.
Maybe you should re-read your comparisons before you post them, and then I can save space demolishing them in a couple of sentences, because they absolutely fail to under the most casual analysis.
Khandro - //
All religions have three components, in Buddhism they are called 'the 3 jewels' The Buddha, the Dharma & the Sangha; The Teacher, the teaching & the spiritual community.
Which translates into Christianity for example as, Christ - the teacher, the bible - the teaching and the church - the spiritual community. The same can be applied to other religions. //
That's because all religions are based on the same human need to find explanation and comfort for things we can't explain, and wewant to make ourselves feel better about our future when we die.
The reason why the same thread runs through all religions is because they are all made up and developed from those identical traits in human nature.
And because we are all human, we all have the capacity to question, and look for something 'bigger' than us to make us feel better.
Not all of us need it, more don't than do, but it is still human nature, nothing more than that.