There’s
a very rational appeal for me in the idea that the great theological texts are a
narrative metaphorical history of the emergence, and evolution - not of the
material world, measured by empirical means - but of the world of human values - I.E –
humanity.
Not by conscious intent - at least not in their original pre-text, early expressions of the ideas that became the seeds for the written texts - but through a continued shared desire of post self conscious man and woman to give expression to the monumental event that everyone knew had occurred, but could not understand or even conceptualize.
Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor for the birth of human self consciousness through becoming self aware, forever cast from the unconscious bliss of animal life, and thrust into the world of matter considering matter - self conscious existence, as Jordan Peterson posits - feels correct to me, as a storyteller myself. Essentially, the concept that theological myths are “dreams” of the collective unconscious, expressed in narrative metaphor speaks to my sense of truth in a way I cannot ignore.
Whether intentional, or manifested collectively and unconsciously, doesn’t really matter, although if my own process for how my stories manifest are any indication, I’d suggest it’s a bit of both.
But, irrespective, its validity doesn’t have to be proven, for its use to be clear.
Religion for Atheists
A reading like this makes religious texts accessible to all, essentially introducing the idea of religious secularism to the masses, and perhaps even becoming a true first step towards unification of the theist/atheist/agnostic conflict. It removes the barrier that is the requirement of literal belief of the narratives as material history, or complete rejection if not.
The story of Adam and Eve is an unconscious expression of the magnificence born the moment man and woman became conscious; the pain and suffering that would follow the metaphorically ascending path ahead – the pain of knowledge that comes when we abandoned the bliss of unconscious, primal thought.
To deny value to theological myth, is to deny the importance of the unconscious expression of the emergence and evolution of human values, which in essence is our only true creation, since it is immaterial, yet "real".
God
Spinoza defined “God” as an infinite substance from which material reality emanates. This echoes the ancient Egyptian Hermeticist idea of God as "one" I.E - a being that is the sum total of all that was, is, will, and can be. Perfection. How does a being which is infinite, and perfect, create without adding to itself? It cannot, except the way we do, through thought and imagination. Conscious human being's invention of the world of human value, is echoed in the metaphor of God creating human beings. Creation without addition.
If god created humans. Humans created humanity. The latter echoes the former, and the former is a metaphorical narrative expression of the latter.
Religious text is a philosophical history of the development of human values, as presented in narratives that portray the two worlds - material and immaterial - as one.
To destroy religion is to destroy the spirit of man and woman’s only true creation - human values - free of nature and all its boundaries, existing purely in the conceptual mind of man and woman, acting as the key quality that separates us from wild beasts, an immaterial truth we experience and act out as "real".
Reality
The world of human values does not occupy any material space, yet Atheist and Theist alike treat this world as real, evidenced by the fact that we act out its reality. We differ on the details, but the broad strokes are relatively similar across cultures.
Icarus
With the rise of empiricism and our conscious acknowledgement of the literal material reality of these stories as incompatible with history; rather than reinterpret their meaning from literal to metaphorical, we’ve decided it’s all useless hocus pocus. Why? Does anyone hear the story of Icarus and think it’s meant to be literal history? Does the fact that it is not, reduce its value as a story?
The story of Icarus is reinterpreted in countless forms, embodying the same messaging, even to this day. The seed of moral value within that messaging transcends the story itself, which is why it can be retold again and again in different forms.
Why is modern religion any different?
Death of God
Nietszche predicted what would happen as a consequence of this act, and the twentieth century proved him right.
The way forward, the way towards unification, the merging of the North, South, East, and West, the way to become a society of all faith, and of none, the path to eliminating the boundaries that exist in the hearts that beat in our chest, can occur through this metaphoric reinterpretation. The way towards reconciling the religious world with the empirical world, is to cease attempting to synchronize the two by material empirical means.
Religion must not be destroyed, but reinterpreted.
Into what, I don’t know, but I think the concept of religious secularism/atheism/agnosticism might be a path forward.
This may be how we avoid catastrophe, and how we bring the immaterial world of human value up to speed with the empirical world of Cartesian material reality.
Not by conscious intent - at least not in their original pre-text, early expressions of the ideas that became the seeds for the written texts - but through a continued shared desire of post self conscious man and woman to give expression to the monumental event that everyone knew had occurred, but could not understand or even conceptualize.
Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor for the birth of human self consciousness through becoming self aware, forever cast from the unconscious bliss of animal life, and thrust into the world of matter considering matter - self conscious existence, as Jordan Peterson posits - feels correct to me, as a storyteller myself. Essentially, the concept that theological myths are “dreams” of the collective unconscious, expressed in narrative metaphor speaks to my sense of truth in a way I cannot ignore.
Whether intentional, or manifested collectively and unconsciously, doesn’t really matter, although if my own process for how my stories manifest are any indication, I’d suggest it’s a bit of both.
But, irrespective, its validity doesn’t have to be proven, for its use to be clear.
Religion for Atheists
A reading like this makes religious texts accessible to all, essentially introducing the idea of religious secularism to the masses, and perhaps even becoming a true first step towards unification of the theist/atheist/agnostic conflict. It removes the barrier that is the requirement of literal belief of the narratives as material history, or complete rejection if not.
The story of Adam and Eve is an unconscious expression of the magnificence born the moment man and woman became conscious; the pain and suffering that would follow the metaphorically ascending path ahead – the pain of knowledge that comes when we abandoned the bliss of unconscious, primal thought.
To deny value to theological myth, is to deny the importance of the unconscious expression of the emergence and evolution of human values, which in essence is our only true creation, since it is immaterial, yet "real".
God
Spinoza defined “God” as an infinite substance from which material reality emanates. This echoes the ancient Egyptian Hermeticist idea of God as "one" I.E - a being that is the sum total of all that was, is, will, and can be. Perfection. How does a being which is infinite, and perfect, create without adding to itself? It cannot, except the way we do, through thought and imagination. Conscious human being's invention of the world of human value, is echoed in the metaphor of God creating human beings. Creation without addition.
If god created humans. Humans created humanity. The latter echoes the former, and the former is a metaphorical narrative expression of the latter.
Religious text is a philosophical history of the development of human values, as presented in narratives that portray the two worlds - material and immaterial - as one.
To destroy religion is to destroy the spirit of man and woman’s only true creation - human values - free of nature and all its boundaries, existing purely in the conceptual mind of man and woman, acting as the key quality that separates us from wild beasts, an immaterial truth we experience and act out as "real".
Reality
The world of human values does not occupy any material space, yet Atheist and Theist alike treat this world as real, evidenced by the fact that we act out its reality. We differ on the details, but the broad strokes are relatively similar across cultures.
Icarus
With the rise of empiricism and our conscious acknowledgement of the literal material reality of these stories as incompatible with history; rather than reinterpret their meaning from literal to metaphorical, we’ve decided it’s all useless hocus pocus. Why? Does anyone hear the story of Icarus and think it’s meant to be literal history? Does the fact that it is not, reduce its value as a story?
The story of Icarus is reinterpreted in countless forms, embodying the same messaging, even to this day. The seed of moral value within that messaging transcends the story itself, which is why it can be retold again and again in different forms.
Why is modern religion any different?
Death of God
Nietszche predicted what would happen as a consequence of this act, and the twentieth century proved him right.
The way forward, the way towards unification, the merging of the North, South, East, and West, the way to become a society of all faith, and of none, the path to eliminating the boundaries that exist in the hearts that beat in our chest, can occur through this metaphoric reinterpretation. The way towards reconciling the religious world with the empirical world, is to cease attempting to synchronize the two by material empirical means.
Religion must not be destroyed, but reinterpreted.
Into what, I don’t know, but I think the concept of religious secularism/atheism/agnosticism might be a path forward.
This may be how we avoid catastrophe, and how we bring the immaterial world of human value up to speed with the empirical world of Cartesian material reality.