I consider myself to be a realist. As an atheist, I tend not to believe in things that cannot be seen, heard, touched, or proven in a scientific way. I can understand why religion, the occult and other strange beliefs came into being many centuries ago. People were just trying to explain the world they saw around them, and the science they had was rudimentary at best.
But we live in a different world today, and I really don't understand why people cling to religions, occult beliefs and other things such as ghosts -- beliefs created in the frightening world of thousands of years ago. And I find it especially strange when people mix those beliefs, which would seem to be mutually exclusive.
But that is exactly what is happening in our supposedly modern country. Large segments of the American population believe in astrology, curses, psychics, ghosts, talking to the dead, spirits in inanimate objects and other strange beliefs. Now very few of these people are atheists, since atheists are skeptics and would find it as hard to believe these things as it is for them to believe in god(s).
That means the people who believe these things are largely religious people -- christians, since that is by far the dominant religion in America. I don't know how christians, whose religion speaks against occult beliefs, can still have occult beliefs, but millions of them do. A new poll by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that many Americans are very comfortable at mixing different beliefs -- sort of cafeteria style.
The poll surveyed 4,013 people by phone (both landline and cell) in August of 2009 about their beliefs. I found the poll to be rather shocking. Here are some of the things that a large segment of our population believe in (and remember, each 1% is about 3 million people). The first percentage is the total number of believers and the second is the number of christian believers.
Have been in touch with the dead..........29%.....29%
Have experienced a ghost..........18%.....17%
Have consulted a psychic..........15%.....14%
Believe trees, etc. have spiritual energy..........26%.....23%
Believe in astrology..........25%.....23%
Believe in reincarnation..........24%.....22%
Believe in yoga as spiritual practice..........23%.....21%
Believe in evil eye or casting curses..........16%.....17%
After seeing the huge number of people who accept these strange unproven beliefs (for instance 87 million Americans believe they have been in touch with dead people), it no longer surprises me that millions of Americans can have strange and illogical political beliefs. It looks like people choose to believe whatever they want to, regardless of facts or proof.
Ha-ha. What a bunch of idiots, talking to the dead. Astrology. Nincompoops. Yog--wait a minute. Now you've stepped on my toes.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the pure materialism you're advocating here is that-- as even Christopher Hitchens acknowledges-- there is something "numinous" in humanity. That's his word, numinous, and while I think Hitchens would want to be very careful which definition of the word you understand there, the point is that we, through SOME mechanism, are more than the some of our parts.
Although I do yoga for physical benefits, you can sometimes feel something ineffable. I've experienced-- as has Hitchens and maybe you-- the moment in writing when it doesn't seem to come from you. When I was younger and wrote a lot, I went around talking as if I believed in the Muses. Maybe I was just speaking metaphorically, but I was never very clear on that.
Is it a problem in and of itself if people believe in crazy shit? Or is it only a problem when they throw their shit at you? Or do you believe that it is ultimately impossible to believe without eventually trying to force your beliefs on others?
Myself, I think there's plenty that's miraculous in what we can see and what we know without making up new miracles. But I also think that pure materialists close their eyes a little to some of the miracles we see and know.
Confusing? Yeah, that's the point.
I have never experienced writing that doesn't seem to come from me (as you can probably tell by my labored writing). As for miracles, I'm not sure what you mean. I see a lot of "miraculous" things in nature, but I don't doubt there is a scientific explanation (even if I may not know it).
ReplyDeleteWell, I would certainly want to be careful how my use of the word "miraculous" is understood, just as Hitchens wouldn't want all the meanings of "numinous" to be applied to his comment. There's just a wonder and an awe in things as allegedly materialist as the processes of evolution. It gives me a buzz that is irrelevant to explanation. Maybe that buzz is what Paul Simon once called "the memory of God," but it's also unaccounted for by materialism. Maybe it's something we as humans ascribe, but that, too, denies materialism.
ReplyDeleteMy point, as was Hitchens', is that materialism doesn't account for "Norwegian Wood," or for the paintings of Lyndon St. Victor, or for Hamlet. It just doesn't.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't have any problem at all in seeing creativity and talent as a part of the material world, wonderous though they may be.
ReplyDeletejust because you don't believe in the Goddess doesn't mean she doesn't believe in you...she said you need to wash your socks..
ReplyDeleteSocks are in the washer - I don't want to upset the goddess!
ReplyDelete