[Vision2020] The Persecution of Quakers: Shame On Our PuritanForefathers

[Joseph Campbell]

Just a brief comment. Even if it is true that "all religions are human
inventions," it wouldn't follow that they would be a matter of choice. You
might think the same about morality, for instance, but that doesn't mean
that you could simply change your moral views -- suddenly believe that, say,
murder is OK on Sundays but not any other day -- just for the heck of it.

A better example might be the case of meaning. It is plausible that that is
a human invention -- the meanings of these words are determined by social
convention and nothing more. But that doesn't mean that I can choose to make
words mean what I want them to mean, or even that several of us could get
together and do it. This is a general point about belief, not just religious
belief, or moral belief, or meaning. I can't just decide to believe that I'm
a millionaire. I'm not sure how beliefs come about but they are usually not
a result of individual choice, no matter what your theory of truth is.

On 11/26/08 7:29 AM, "Chasuk" <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 23:01, deb <debismith at moscow.com> wrote:
> 
>> Surprise! For me, Witches are Real!
> 
> I'm going to ask you a question, Debi.  I can't help myself; I've
> always been curious.  It is intended respectfully, so I hope it comes
> across that way.
> 
> First, an instant of preamble:  I believe that all religions are human
> inventions.  Preamble finished.
> 
> Why choose a religion invented so recently that its origins can't even
> be cloaked by antiquity?  I often wonder this about Mormonism as well,
> invented by Joseph Smith.  The overlap isn't that great: Gerald
> Gardner died only about 7 years before Brigham Young (Smith's
> successor) was born.
> 
> I mean, if you aren't going to choose a faith hoary with age (which
> enrobes it in at least a little bit of plausibility), why not be a
> humanist, or some flavor of skeptic, or even invent your own?
> 
> for example, I'm a confirmed non-theist, but I've always found
> Hinduism attractive mythologically.  It is so joyously carnal and
> colorful.  If I was going to pick a mythology, that would be my
> choice.  Krisha and Ganesha and Hanuman rock.  The Mahabharata is an
> amazing document.
> 
> So why Wicca?
> 
> Chas
> 
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