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It is like fist fights between two blind men
This weekend, Jon Stewart is holding "a rally to restore sanity" on the mall, two months after Glenn Beck's religion-infused "Restoring Honor" rally. Beck said he was called by God to hold the rally. Now atheist groups are planning to use Stewart's event to promote "reason." Are "reason" and "sanity" the opposite of religious belief? Is taking religion out of the political debate the answer for restoring reason? Or do we need more faith?
The American popular format of combining religion and politics may be helpful to some political factions. However, the combination usually does not promote or enhance religion; at public events or publicity-loaded rallies, what remains of religion is sometimes superstition and a certain amount of hatred.
On the other hand, atheistic rallies can also be cheap events. The claim that atheism is a form of sanity is just a slightly different expression of pseudo-religious fanaticism. When people have to proclaim their sanity, or their ability to reason, their slogans don't necessarily have any more depth, sanity or reason than those of their opponents.
These clashes between "reason" and "faith" look like fist fights between two blind men; mostly they hit the air, without touching anything of value.
Among those on the very long list of believers throughout the history, there's a glorious assortment of first-rate minds, individuals who might look on atheism as a downgraded, animal-like thinking.
Self-proclaimed sanity is not more convincing than self-proclaimed righteousness. Both mean very little, and fail to create in others a desire for an intelligent discussion.
By
Adin Steinsaltz
|
October 28, 2010; 9:40 AM ET
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Posted by: JB78 | October 29, 2010 1:10 PM
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In the context of everyday life, as ordinarily experienced by the majority of people, atheists would be walking about, and passionate believers would be flapping their hands and saying "I reject your materialistic reality and I fly, rather than walk". So the atheists would actually be saner, as an approach to life.
Some of the first-rate minds may have believed in flying, but they have all won awards for running (Newton, Darwin, Einstein etc.).
Some people may have actually flown (various miracle men), metaphorically speaking, but that's of no use if it can't be passed onto others without creating a cargo cult.
http://thepaintedone.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/cargo-cult1.jpg
The question and the title of the rally are a bit misleading though, as it seems to be intended as a rally for moderation. It is implicitly equating sanity and moderation and it probably means moderation.
Posted by: JB78 | October 29, 2010 1:09 PM
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(which is admirable)