❝❝Within our borders, absolutely we should have Truth, Justice, and the American way.

Outside, no. We should be an inspiration, not a hegemony.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ 9-11 ∙ inspire ∙ require ∙ meddle ∙ United Fruit Company ∙ Hawaii ∙ Iran ∙ military intervention ∙ taxpayer funds ∙ Muslim ∙ 20th Century ∙ America ∙ honor ∙ Character ∙ hegemony ∙ reputation ∙ Truth Justice American Way ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Donald Trump ∙ alphabet agencies ∙ conservatives ∙ goverment ∙ culture ∙ liberals ∙ Obamacare ∙ passion ∙ Isaac Asimov ∙ Roy Moore

Why are taxpayer dollars collected by force being spent on a playground? Any playground?

Tags: maxims ∙ culture ∙ syncretic ∙ works

““Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.””

— Rick Warren

Tags: Rick Warren ∙ culture ∙ lies ∙ lifestyle ∙ fear ∙ hate ∙ love ∙ agree ∙ nonsense ∙ compromise ∙ convictions ∙ compassionate

I'm not something less, I'm something else.

Tags: bureaucrats ∙ power ∙ government ∙ voters ∙ exploit ∙ government is not your friend ∙ advances ∙ culture ∙ technology ∙ plastic surgery ∙ kidney machine ∙ capitalism ∙ poverty ∙ competition

Tags: culture ∙ video ∙ guest content ∙ Thoughty2 ∙ music ∙ Beatles ∙ harmonic complexity ∙ timbre ∙ timbral diversity ∙ homogenized ∙ pop music ∙ orchestra ∙ loudness ∙ Keyboard ∙ drum machine ∙ sampler ∙ computer software ∙ creativity ∙ originality ∙ similar ∙ melody ∙ rhythm ∙ Patrick Metzger ∙ millennial whoop ∙ familiarity ∙ lyric intelligence ∙ Flesch Kincaid Readability Index ∙ Max Martin ∙ Lukasz Gottwald ∙ hook ∙ dynamic range compression ∙ dynamic range ∙ risk ∙ brainwash ∙ saturation ∙ mere-exposure effect

““The goal of our culture now is not the emancipation of the individual from the group, but the permanent definition of the individual by the group. We used to call this bigotry. Now we call it being woke.””
     — Andrew Sullivan, We All Live on Campus Now

Tags: Andrew Sullivan ∙ culture ∙ emancipation ∙ individual ∙ group ∙ definition ∙ bigotry ∙ woke

I remind you that no American political fact for the last two years has been easily ascertained. Or static.

Tags: Sweden ∙ culture ∙ DACA ∙ Democrats ∙ Donald Trump ∙ woke police ∙ smart house ∙ Newsweek ∙ grid girls ∙ Clarence Thomas ∙ commerce clause ∙ Internet of things ∙ IRS ∙ blockchain ∙ bad cops ∙ rape

❝❝If there is one thing I wish I could literally pound into Christian heads, it's this: Christianity is not the source of all that is good and righteous in our society. Other cultures and other faiths have contributed heavily. It's amazing that I even have to mention this where one house of the national legislature is called the Senate and the other has a ceremonial fasces. Even The Magnificent Seven was a remake.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ Christian ∙ Christianity ∙ culture ∙ good ∙ righteous ∙ faiths ∙ Senate ∙ ceremonial ∙ fasces ∙ The Magnificent Seven ∙ remake

Our problem is that we excuse people from the consequences.

Tags: choice & consequence ∙ freedom ∙ responsibility ∙ third wave feminism ∙ RSM ∙ conservative ∙ israel ∙ culture ∙ moral code ∙ Golden Rule ∙ Silver Rule ∙ Iron Rule ∙ Crux Files

Expanding civilizations, religions, and faith

Except for a few central issues, I really try not to tread on people's beliefs. I don't have time for one thing.

But every once in a while, something comes up that is just too silly.

David Warren was writing about the Gulf oil mess and rules and regulations. He made some great points about the limits of government ability. But then he tossed in this tidbit.

❝❝I like to dwell on the wisdom of our ancestors. It took us millennia to emerge from the primitive notion that a malignant agency must lie behind every unfortunate experience. Indeed, the Catholic Church spent centuries fighting folk pagan beliefs in things like evil fairies, and the whole notion the Devil can compel any person to act against his will -- only to watch an explosion of witch-hunting and related popular hysterias at the time of the Reformation.

In so many ways, the trend of post-Christian society today is back to pagan superstitions: to the belief that malice lies behind every misfortune, and to the related idea that various, essentially pagan charms can be used to ward off that to which all flesh is heir. The belief that, for instance, laws can be passed, that change the entire order of nature, is among the most irrational of these.❞❞

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the "triumph" of Christianity actually cost European civilization science, wealth, and much of what made life good.

This has nothing to do with the merits of Paganism or the faults of Christianity.

That's important. Read it again.

And yes, I know that paganism wasn't Paganism as we recognize it today. That's not the point. Nor is it important which had better beliefs or more superstitions.

It's one of my working theories. Cultures and civilizations expand when they have trade, immigration, and tolerance. Without trade, immigration, and tolerance, cultures contract and become more insular.

It's a generally accepted flexibility of thought that makes trade, immigration, and tolerance possible. The more trade, immigration, and tolerance there is, the more vibrant and interesting the culture becomes. You never know what will cross pollinate or what will take root where.

Thanks to Constantine, Christianity went from several competing groups to one ruled by a Church and an Emperor. Dissent was ruthlessly suppressed. Variations from the cultural norms were destroyed. This isn't inherent in Christianity, but it was inherent in the Christian belief system that the Council of Nicea propagated.

Believe me, there are forms of paganism that are just as intolerant. And oddly enough, those also retreated into themselves.

How we treat the Other may well be the defining characteristic of a great human civilization.

And then we get Stephen Hawking. Yes, that Stephen Hawking.

❝❝There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.❞❞

Two tiny little problems there. Religion does work for many people, but not necessarily because of authority. Faith works for many more, and not necessarily because of authority.

And the other problem. Well, it's hardly worth mentioning, but science is the bastard child of magick.

Oops! I revealed an untold truth!!

Religion, faith, and the desire to control or at least predict the universe led to science. In many ways, they still intertwine.

Just something for you to think about on this Wednesday.

Posted: Wed - June 9, 2010 at 02:02 PM  Morality & Modern Life

Tags: Original Vigil ∙ too silly ∙ Gulf oil mess ∙ trade-immigration-tolerance ∙ culture ∙ Constantine ∙ Christianity ∙ Pagan ∙ The Other ∙ Stephen Hawking ∙ religion ∙ authority ∙ bastard child of magick ∙ science

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