Post by darklight on Dec 6, 2006 15:47:47 GMT -5
The Bible's attitude toward knowledge can be summarized as follows.
The acquisition of knowledge was so evil in God's eyes that it caused him to curse all of humanity and the entire creation. Moreover, human reason is untrustworthy and should not be used. There's little point in studying the world, anyway, because it belongs to Satan and will soon be destroyed and replaced by another. Besides, superior results can be obtained from the assistance of supernatural beings. And pursuing knowledge of this world brings misery. People's main focus should be on heaven and not earth.
As for any knowledge needed while waiting for the new world to arrive, research and study are not needed. Wisdom is simply a gift bestowed by God and is available for the asking, such as by prayer. Another way God imparts wisdom is through the influence of the Holy Spirit. And wisdom can be obtained by relying on God's words contained in the ancient, pre-scientific writings of the Bible.
Because human reason is unreliable and God provides all necessary information by religious means, people should disregard evidence and logic in choosing their beliefs. They must rely on faith to believe religious dogma regardless of what their eyes, thoughts, or feelings tell them. They may not even consider the contrary opinions of others. They should kill the holders of those opinions if possible, and should at least avoid them.
Further, because God supernaturally provides knowledge, there's no need to plan what to say. Just start speaking whatever pops into your head, for God is supplying the words.
Could any philosophy be more opposed to science, learning, and intelligence? As Annie Besant wrote in the nineteenth century: "Never did a religion do more to foster ignorance, more to destroy learning, than has been done by the Church of Christ."
Conclusion
Science has enabled humanity to make enormous improvements its technological capabilities, material prosperity, and moral philosophy. These results led Carl Sagan to say: "Science is supported because it provides spectacular benefits at all levels in the society. . . ."
Bertrand Russell similarly observed: "Almost all the changes which the world has undergone since the end of the Middle Ages are due to the discovery and diffusion of new knowledge."
But the Bible contains numerous teachings opposed to scientific inquiry and the increase of knowledge. The teachings are dangerous and continue to produce harm.
Former Christian fundamentalist Richard Yao maintains: "Perhaps the unpardonable sin of fundamentalism is its effort to make people suspicious and afraid of their own minds, their own logic and thinking process. . . . If we cannot depend on our minds to process reality and make choices and decisions in life, then we are more likely to depend on fundamentalist preachers. . . . How can a democracy survive if all of us renounce reason, thinking and logic?"
Harold Bloom states that the problems are not confined to fundamentalism: "Fundamentalism . . . is viciously anti-intellectual, but so, alas, is most American religion, of whatever camp.".
Bloom's observation will be true as long as American religion looks to the Bible for guidance. No other outcome is possible when people follow a book that instructs them to distrust and reject their sensory perceptions and reasoning abilities.
The Bible's anti-intellectual teachings are a recipe for being out of touch with reality - which is a path to ignorance, misery, and disaster.
Those irrational and harmful biblical ideas need to be replaced by science - with its methods of reason, observation, experience, and compassion.
The acquisition of knowledge was so evil in God's eyes that it caused him to curse all of humanity and the entire creation. Moreover, human reason is untrustworthy and should not be used. There's little point in studying the world, anyway, because it belongs to Satan and will soon be destroyed and replaced by another. Besides, superior results can be obtained from the assistance of supernatural beings. And pursuing knowledge of this world brings misery. People's main focus should be on heaven and not earth.
As for any knowledge needed while waiting for the new world to arrive, research and study are not needed. Wisdom is simply a gift bestowed by God and is available for the asking, such as by prayer. Another way God imparts wisdom is through the influence of the Holy Spirit. And wisdom can be obtained by relying on God's words contained in the ancient, pre-scientific writings of the Bible.
Because human reason is unreliable and God provides all necessary information by religious means, people should disregard evidence and logic in choosing their beliefs. They must rely on faith to believe religious dogma regardless of what their eyes, thoughts, or feelings tell them. They may not even consider the contrary opinions of others. They should kill the holders of those opinions if possible, and should at least avoid them.
Further, because God supernaturally provides knowledge, there's no need to plan what to say. Just start speaking whatever pops into your head, for God is supplying the words.
Could any philosophy be more opposed to science, learning, and intelligence? As Annie Besant wrote in the nineteenth century: "Never did a religion do more to foster ignorance, more to destroy learning, than has been done by the Church of Christ."
Conclusion
Science has enabled humanity to make enormous improvements its technological capabilities, material prosperity, and moral philosophy. These results led Carl Sagan to say: "Science is supported because it provides spectacular benefits at all levels in the society. . . ."
Bertrand Russell similarly observed: "Almost all the changes which the world has undergone since the end of the Middle Ages are due to the discovery and diffusion of new knowledge."
But the Bible contains numerous teachings opposed to scientific inquiry and the increase of knowledge. The teachings are dangerous and continue to produce harm.
Former Christian fundamentalist Richard Yao maintains: "Perhaps the unpardonable sin of fundamentalism is its effort to make people suspicious and afraid of their own minds, their own logic and thinking process. . . . If we cannot depend on our minds to process reality and make choices and decisions in life, then we are more likely to depend on fundamentalist preachers. . . . How can a democracy survive if all of us renounce reason, thinking and logic?"
Harold Bloom states that the problems are not confined to fundamentalism: "Fundamentalism . . . is viciously anti-intellectual, but so, alas, is most American religion, of whatever camp.".
Bloom's observation will be true as long as American religion looks to the Bible for guidance. No other outcome is possible when people follow a book that instructs them to distrust and reject their sensory perceptions and reasoning abilities.
The Bible's anti-intellectual teachings are a recipe for being out of touch with reality - which is a path to ignorance, misery, and disaster.
Those irrational and harmful biblical ideas need to be replaced by science - with its methods of reason, observation, experience, and compassion.
