So the question is ‘what belief systems can we evolve that are based on the reality of the world as we know it today?’
As noted in the previous post, I believe it is unhealthy for a culture and a society to leave its life rituals in the hands of an institution whose work is not as meaningful to that society as it once was. Its nothing against the contemporary institutions, I just believe that as a basic fact in any culture. But to date there has been nothing significant to replace it.
But I have a suggestion. What if we were to evolve a practical belief in the Earth and in our place among its grand systems? The Earth as the great stage where all of Life’s games are played out and all of its greatness is on show to behold. The Human as a natural being, borne from the earth, belonging to the earth, and returning to the earth when it dies.
It is a powerful idea, one that serves many of the basic needs of any belief system. The crucial point, considering the knowledge that we now possess (knowledge that is freely available on a global scale), is that it is based on an absolute reality.
There is a beautiful natural basic reality here and it is this – the basis of everything you see around you, everything in the universe, was created in one moment, the Big Bang. The evolution of different systems has allowed these basic particles to be taken up, used and reused. This is the true tale of the reality of which we now find ourselves a part.
As such, all in the universe is one. The parts that one day formed part of a meteor millions of years ago could very well be pumping through your veins as your read this. You are the universe.
On earth, the same systems that created all that you see around you – the mountains, the rivers, the oceans, the herds – created you. You are the earth. All through your life your body consumes elements from the earth around it in order to live, it gives back to the earth as it grows, and it will return to be used by the earth’s grand systems once you finally fade into death.
As intelligent beings, we can logically understand this. We can study the evidence in front of our very eyes. We can dig through the evidence laid down over the millennia. We can speed up the process and watch the elements and the systems as they interact and create a visible whole. We can map the evolution of these systems over time to our own age.
As I said in the beginning – it is an absolute truth. But this is not enough on the face of it, to form a true human belief system. For this we need to truly ‘believe’. But what does this mean?
Filed under: Thoughts | Tagged: belief, environmentalism, Nature, religion
Thomas Berry said something very similar to what you’re saying here.
However, I think you’re right to point out that empirical evidence is hardly worthy as the basis of a human belief system or religion. There’s something inside humans that call them towards something more metaphysical and transcendent.
Anyway, interesting ideas.
I like your post. I try to answer your last question here:
http://onlymoments.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/why-where-who-and-whens/
Keep up the open thought process!
Cheers,
Nick
Why do you feel we need to have a belief ’system’ and that we need an institution to supply us with rituals?
Aren’t you just trading old men in beards who tell us what to do and believe that we are a bunch of hellbound sinners for another bunch of old men with beards telling us what to do (though shalt recycle!)
Won’t we end up with the quick run down to the bottle bank turning into some bizarre ritual where we light candles and crap?
Well thats an interesting point stu – we dont need institutions but they will evolve somewhere so its nice to guess. Bottle banks as the new churches? i dont think so.
What i will say is that we have a basic spirituality, it is good, it is healthy, it is very human and it should be explored.
It should be explored on an individual basis, it would be great if it could be explored in a communal way, and it think rituals (and i aint just talking about incense and recycling) are a great thing.
Forget all this green washing bullshit that you hear now, remove yourself out of contemporary arguements and prejudices.
Imagine instead what it feels like to sit with a group of friends on the edge of the Grand Canyon at sunset, admiring the greatness in front of you and feeling like you belong. Thats the kind of belief system I am aiming at here.
I think having ritual is extremely important; one of the reasons American society is so corrupt (I mean, just think of how greedy and exploitative we are) is that we don’t have any sort of sense of sacredness.
Let’s face it: secular society hasn’t proven to be that much better at making the world a better place than a purely religious society. Our connection with nature, if anything, has only gotten worse since we abandoned seeing God in nature (I have post about that on my blog, but I won’t post the link so you don’t think I’m spamming
).
That’s not to say that we should revert back to premodern religion. That’d be silly. But I do think that we should move forward, and integrate the best parts of a secular society with a religious one. Seems reasonable enough to me, even if it would be difficult to do.
People get scared when they see the word religion as it conjours up ideas of men in robes and a congregation blindly following ancient rules and institutions.
Thats why I prefer the term belief or belief system.
When people argue that religion is the cause such destruction and death and that to remove it would remove all that conflict, they really have no clue about human history or about the history of war itself (or they’ve never seen the South Park double bill with Richard Dawkins – genius).
On a personal level I agree with people when they argue against inventing a bunch of stories about stuff we dont know in order to make us feel safer, knowledgable of more important, espcially in this day and age. Its not good enough to invent or take on certain rituals and beliefs just because you think its a good thing to do so.
But I aint talking about that here. What I am saying is we have a spirituality (anyone who argues against that is not human) and its healthy to express that physically in a communal way. Its like your sexuality, nice to do it alone, great to do it with other people.
It’s belief systems that blind us from seeing what is really going on. Just because we invent a belief, doesn’t mean it’s correct. At one point, people believed the earth was flat; and that was totally incorrect. How many belief systems are we using to not-see what is true? If we eliminated all our beliefs, would we have total and unfiltered clarity and be able to choose something that actually worked with Earth, rather than choosing what we believe is right … that obviously isn’t?
Hi Stephen
Thanks for the comment.
You are right in what you say but I believe you are confusing the word belief with ‘religious mythology’.
A belief in the earth and in our place among its grand systems is not a mythology, but fact. Instilling that belief in our culture and our daily practices will greatly aid the earth and humanity at large.