Subject: Re: music as a process of religion
From: Robbie (shok@netcom.com)
Date: Fri Jan 07 2000 - 00:38:21 EST
ye spake:
<< We need to be careful we're talking about the same thing, however.
Religion
exists on several different levels. On one level it is a social
institution
-- but you also need to recognize that there are religions marginalized
by
society, and what do you make of those?
What I'm talking about, however, is really theology, and I'm defining
theology very widely here as being inclusive of Any statements about
God/gods/whatever you call it. >>
According to the New World Dictionary of American English, Third College
Edition, and casual speakers of the English language, religion is:
"a) belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and
worshiped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe b) expression
of such a belief in conduct and ritual"
According to dictionary.com, religion is:
reˇligˇion
n. Abbr. rel., relig.
1.
a.Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or
powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b.A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief
and worship.
2.The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3.A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a
spiritual leader.
4.A cause, a principle, or an activity pursued with zeal or
conscientious devotion.
And theology is:
theˇolˇoˇgy (th-l-j)
n., pl. theˇolˇoˇgies. Abbr. theol.
1.The study of the nature of God and religious truth; rational
inquiry into religious questions.
2.A system or school of opinions concerning God and religious
questions. Protestant theology; Jewish theology.
3.A course of specialized religious study usually at a college or
seminary.
No matter how you slice it, all of the above are social constructs. If
you were raised by wolves, you would have no concept of God or
religion. And you wouldn't care.
<< The pervasiveness of religion throughout human history (and in all
cultures
regardless of their stage of development), at any rate, testifies to the
fact
that it's a fundamental part of human nature, rather than a deviance
created
by societies. Our societal institutions are always reflective of human
needs, and this is a need that seems to exist across the boards. >>
A lot of things (particularly a lot of primitive things) are pervasive
throughout human history and cultures. The dominance of men and the
unrelenting oppression of women is pervasive throughout human history
and cultures. Is the oppression of women a deviance?
Mother nature gave men the physical advantage; they are generally
larger, stronger, and more aggressive. So men have ruled societies,
cultures, religions, families, tribes, and institutions of all sorts
throughout recorded history and very obviously for a long time before
recorded history. I do not believe, however, that the oppression of
women or of the small or weak are fundamental parts of human nature or
are necessary to our happiness and survival.
Likewise, mother nature gave humans the most complex and advanced brains
on the planet. So humans have been curious and inquisitive and often,
fearful of the unknown. This allowed us to become conscious of our own
mortality and of the inevitability of death. The fear of death, coupled
with our inability to understand where we and our Universe came from,
incited the formation of religion/mythology, the Big Watchful Daddy in
the Sky belief, and the I'll-Never-Die-'Cause-There's-Life-After-Death
belief. I do not believe, however, that such irrational silliness, as
beautiful or poetic as it may sometimes be, is a fundamental part of
human nature or is necessary to our happiness and survival.
Now that we, as a society and a species, have grown more knowledgable,
we have a much more firm understanding of where we and our Universe came
from, we have an intellectual obligation to question that which we once
accepted blindly, and religion, while still sometimes beautiful and
poetic, needn't be taken so seriously (or literally). I love Greek
mythology. I also love Christian mythology. But I accept them both as
mythology and as literature, never as literal representation of reality.
I contend that Atheism is to the mind what nudity is to the body - the
simplest and most natural form.
-robbie
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