There's a religion test on the web. After answering a series of questions, the test taker is matched with the religion most closely aligned with his or her answer set. When I took the test, my answers most closely matched those of a secular humanist. I was thinking about this in relation to prayer. Secular humanists get screwed on this front, we don't have the luxury of sending a prayer up (or out, whatever) and waiting for fulfillment. Our faith rests in ourselves, and a prayer of petition is little more than the summoning of strength and will. World peace or good health, it's up to us and our fellow human beings to accomplish the task. Yikes.
Sometimes, it would really be nice to have some supernatural assistance, but a secular humanist knows this kind of assistance isn't available. In our world, the strong must carry the weak; the wise must be thoughtful and find a way to excuse the dipshits wihout divine intervention. Our collective power must move the mountain when necessary, and individual concern and understanding must prevail on a personal level. Hearts, minds, and muscle are what we have to carry us through a crisis. We save ourselves and clean up our own messes. Hope is the closest thing we have to faith.
Secular humanism is not for wimps.
3 comments:
I think I fall in very close alignment with you on religion. I still think its worthwhile to "pray" or whatever you want to call it. We have our minds and our muscles, but also we have the power to manifest what we put our minds to. I do beleive you can change reality by seeing a different way, but its very hard to do. The more you think one way, the more you live that way. I have friends who think they can totally change physical things with their mind, and I think that boarders on flaky. But I do think the more you think about something, the more you ask the universe (and if you beleive all is one, then you are asking yourself, but identifying yourself with the cosmos, something big and possibly more powerful than our little mortal selves) the more it is a possibility of coming into being. I also think meditation is useful to secular humanists. To learn the skill to quiet the mind and put it where you want it to be is really something. And it takes practice, and it is useful. I used to be in better practice myself but haven't meditated in a long while.
Also, I think it is useful to personify aspects of life and the universe with godly spirits, even if you don't beleive in a god. There is a lifeforce in most everything, since we know that on a nuclear level atoms have moving, rotating parts even in inanimate things. It can help us appreciate everything around us as sacred. Also, identifying yourself with legendary, godlike archtypes can help summon will and mindset in yourself.
I know that this is sort of in conflict with my view of humans, in general, as fleas on a dog, with the earth like the dog, giving us a good shake once in a while to get rid of some of the parasites. I heard a Jackson Browne song recently that maybe will change my mind, where he basically says to beleive in the goodness of Humanskind. It's called "for a dancer" and its on Solo Acoustic Vol. 1. Its one of my favorite songs right now, along with Sinead Oconnor's remake of old regge song "Downpressor Man". I always think of George Bush running around naked and exposed in rivers of molten lava when I hear that song. Anyway, back to the original topic. My friend Kurt Kruggel once told me that his elder Native American friend told HIM "walk your prayers. it is not enough to pray. you must walk your prayers for them to come to be. If you are praying for this, and not willing to walk this path, you are not ready to be praying for this" For me, a prayer is a tangible, vocalized emanation of my will. And just maybe a request for support, if there's anything out there listening. I like to think of swirling solar winds and particles of exotic elements and light from distant stars being shifted by my words and vibrations and floating into the orbit of earth and subtly changing the forces and motions and efforts of those things I would like to effect in my favor.
Do I sound flaky now?
Hiya!!!!!! (waving) Thanks so much for stopping off at my blog and commenting! I wanted to return the favor!! I enjoyed your post. VERY well said, and one of those cases of, "I may not agree with it, but I can't dispute the genuiness or value of the statement." John holds you in SUCH high regard and has so much to say about you and how you think. I hope you blog, blog, blog till the cows come home, because I look forward to getting to know you. By the way, if you haven't been by my place since Sunday, go do it. I got a couple of John pictures up. He's such a nutter.
Peace Out...as the kids say!
Hey Baby,
As you can see, I'm your man on this. Here is something from a college paper I once wrote : " It is good to look for the second coming, but in the meantime it is suggestive that we create some miracles of our own. "
I refuse to be Existentialist, but I also refuse the topography of being placed somewhere between Wannapretend and Idiotville.
You are miracle enough to me.
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