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A forum for Blog Community #1 of CSCL 1001 (Introduction to Cultural Studies: Rhetoric, Power, Desire; University of Minnesota, Fall 2011) -- and interested guests.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Just me and my Imaginary friend


Viewing the position of an atheist ( e.g. Richard Dawkins, David Hume) I can clearly see why so much effort has been exerted to scientifically explaining away religion. Fantastical scientific notions coupled with disastrous human tragedies in the name of religion have given the skeptics every right for their skepticism. Much of atheism is founded within realms of modern science and indeed it is well rooted in empiricism and rationality.

Let me however build a bridge of rationality that may explain why I personally stand firm in my Christian faith though I do promote the expansion science. I am not a literal reader of the Bible hence that gives me a large amount of “scientific growth room” and though the idea that a belief in an intangible/imaginary object is far from scientific, it is far from irrational.

I believe the idea of morality comes dangerously close to individualism, where if we believe that morality should be defined as a product of culture and society mixed with individual experiences and cognitions; who’s to say Hitler or Bin Laden was wrong to do what they did. If evolution is all there is, why should we begrudge individuals who attempt to be dominant within a certain environment? It is only natural. This is not a claim that the Christian Bible and its interpretations should be held as the Universal Moral Law of the Universe but something (I believe in all of us) claims there should be one. If the contrary proves to be right than it is appropriately summed by Nietzche; Might is right. Hence morality is then defined by those who have the power to define it.

Modernity seems to be the answer for our problems that eventually science will make us all civil and humanistic. I find modern society to be like any other society; a culture, appropriated and held in high esteem by its members. Fundamentally, modernity is lacking in direction because with all our fancy technologies and ideas of progress, we fail to understand the end goal. What is the goal of Modernity? What do we hope to achieve? If civility and humanism is the goal, modernity is failing. We are inventing more and more technologies that brings us away from human contact, we are taught to love material more than people or any other living object and the very environment that breeds the knowledge of science has left us void of the very thing that( in my opinion) fulfills us as human beings; love.

Though lost in a sea of institutional lies, I could not believe in anything other than a God who claims altruistic and unfailing love; something already beyond my human understanding. So I think I’m going to stick with my imaginary friend.

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