bed-of-nails religion
Many proponents of "design" these days
emphasize that the purposes which the designer of the universe had in mind are
not necessarily very understandable to us humans. In fact, such an enormously
intelligent designer might be expected to have purposes that we couldn't
possibly fathom, with our weak minds. They despise simple-minded concepts of the
god (let us be bold enough to use the word*) who created the world; they are
proponents of what I would call "bed-of-nails religion." They prefer a religion
that really hurts to lie down on. But I would have thought that one of the main
reasons most religious people have for being religious is that it comforts them
in the rough patches of life: death, illness, loneliness, discouragement, and
depression. But how could such an incomprehensible designer comfort anyone?
Of course, with enough faith, I suppose, even a
totally incomprehensible god could be comforting. Perhaps this is the intended
message of the Book of Job: even a god that treats poor Job this way can't
disturb his confidence that everything is still all right. But I don't see most
people having their hearts warmed by this
designer.
Much the same is true of Buddhism. In the austere form in which most Western Buddhists accept it, it really isn't very comforting. Right you are, folks: you want the Dharma (the Truth)? Here it is: the Four Noble Truths. Life is hell (we know that); it's hell because of greed, hatred, and ignorance; we can get rid of them and thus the hellishness of life; and here's an Eight-fold Path to getting rid of them. That's it, folks; take it or leave it. Grab a meditation cushion and get to work.
In the traditional Asian Buddhist countries, of course, the Dharma cherished by most people was never like that. The Buddha was considered a warm, comforting figure who would take away all of the bitterness if only one believed single-heartedly in his compassionate nature, or if only one recited a mantra or did some other simple ritual practice with total faith. In other words, the common Buddhist believers in those countries were not so very different from the evangelical/fundamentalists of our day and place.
The aspect of religion that provides comfort and hope for those overwhelmed by despair over the suffering imposed by life in this world, what Marx called the "opiate of the masses," is constantly misunderstood or dismissed sarcastically by the "bed-of-nails" crew, both religious and secular. Even persons who are intelligent enough and sufficiently well trained philosophically to accept rational, critical arguments against religious belief will often respond: "Yes, but I still need to believe!" At that point, it obviously does no good to keep pouring on the rationalism. A well-rounded dose of Buddhist Dharma might help, but even that doesn't always prove efficacious.
* As Jon Stewart says, "Basically, Intelligent Design is the idea that life on earth is too complex to have evolved without a guiding hand. We're not saying it's God, just someone with the basic skill set to create an entire universe."
Much the same is true of Buddhism. In the austere form in which most Western Buddhists accept it, it really isn't very comforting. Right you are, folks: you want the Dharma (the Truth)? Here it is: the Four Noble Truths. Life is hell (we know that); it's hell because of greed, hatred, and ignorance; we can get rid of them and thus the hellishness of life; and here's an Eight-fold Path to getting rid of them. That's it, folks; take it or leave it. Grab a meditation cushion and get to work.
In the traditional Asian Buddhist countries, of course, the Dharma cherished by most people was never like that. The Buddha was considered a warm, comforting figure who would take away all of the bitterness if only one believed single-heartedly in his compassionate nature, or if only one recited a mantra or did some other simple ritual practice with total faith. In other words, the common Buddhist believers in those countries were not so very different from the evangelical/fundamentalists of our day and place.
The aspect of religion that provides comfort and hope for those overwhelmed by despair over the suffering imposed by life in this world, what Marx called the "opiate of the masses," is constantly misunderstood or dismissed sarcastically by the "bed-of-nails" crew, both religious and secular. Even persons who are intelligent enough and sufficiently well trained philosophically to accept rational, critical arguments against religious belief will often respond: "Yes, but I still need to believe!" At that point, it obviously does no good to keep pouring on the rationalism. A well-rounded dose of Buddhist Dharma might help, but even that doesn't always prove efficacious.
* As Jon Stewart says, "Basically, Intelligent Design is the idea that life on earth is too complex to have evolved without a guiding hand. We're not saying it's God, just someone with the basic skill set to create an entire universe."
Posted: Tue - September 20, 2005 at 12:03 AM | |
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Published On: Dec 09, 2005 10:19 PM
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