Religion: An Absolute Problem
August 26, 2007
One of the main problems that I have had with most fundamentalist religions is the need for absolutes. The claim of absolute knowledge or absolute guidelines is troubling and problematic on several levels.
The claim of absolute knowledge simply endeavors to stifle the natural desire we have as a species to learn more about the world around us and its’ workings. The idea of absolute knowledge of the nature of god through second hand information is simply hearsay and therefor cannot be just taken at face value. Second hand information offers little, if any, evidence to any claim as it is interpretive in nature. One cannot claim absolute knowledge of the existence of god simply because one read about it in a book any more than one can conclusively state the the moon is made of cheese simply because one read it in some periodical. The best that one can hope for is knowledge of god through god revealing itself to you personally. Even then, the moment you begin to speak about this momentous event to someone else, it then becomes second hand knowledge and is then a matter of choice for the second party as to whether or to believe the claim made by the first party.
Absolute guidelines, especially in the context of morality, holds its own dilemmas. “Thou shalt not kill, ” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness” are prime examples of this. These are absolute statements that leave little room for interpretive wiggle room. Is there a good time to lie? Or kill? Surely there is.
It is WWII and you are in Germany. You are hiding a family of Jewish descent in your home. The SS swings by to pay you a visit and asks if there are any Jewish people in the home. What do you say? I am of the belief that you are morally obligated to lie in this circumstance. I would say that there are few who would differ. This deviates from the absolute guidelines, however.
Surely we can all think of a circumstance when it would be more than acceptable to kill as well. (Don’t believe me? I just bought an H&K USC that I would LOVE to try out. Please, come to my home and try to harm my family.) Of course, this is an obvious circumstance, yet it does deviate from the absolute.
The problem with absolutes is simple. They leave no room for growth, social development, new knowledge or questioning. THAT is a huge problem.
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Well said.
Belief in absolutes of any nature (morals, knowledge, etc) serves only to stifle and inhibit progress.
What happens when the facts contradict beliefs held as absolute? Faced with a life and death situation, it appears most religious people will disregard their teachings and opt for the more beneficial path of lying/killing/whatever. In my experience, it rarely even takes a situation of that magnitude to put the absolutes temporarily on hold.
Why stick to it, when redemption is just a prayer away?