smb (03/28/83)
I hesitate to start a discussion on "what's this newsgroup for"; I've been through far too many of them, and generally to no avail. So I thought I'd state explicitly what I personally hope to see discussed here; I'll quite likely be silent on many other topics. Briefly, I'm interested in the history and meaning of religions -- how they developed, why they developed, and what the consequences and meanings are. None of these can be discussed independently; they all interact. Judaism and Christianity, for example, contain many transformed (or not so trans- formed) pagan elements -- and that's because they developed as religions of the people; many prior practices and beliefs assumed new garbs and labels. I've studied, at various times, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and I hope to learn more about all of these and others. My viewpoint is primarily secular; I tend not to accept "it is because it is" explanations because all religions have them, and they tend to conflict. I'd rather seek an economic or cultural explanation. (I should note parenthetically that an economic reason does not imply that the rule in question is not of divine origin; an omnipotent and benevolent deity would certainly institute rules that would benefit the people who followed them. I find it much easier to believe that many commandments are intended for the good of the believers, than for their intrinsic merit.) I'm also concerned the role and purpose of religion today. Does a set of religious beliefs serve any purpose, other than fulfilling divine commandments? I feel that it does, a topic I'll expound on at greater length in another message (I'm doing my best to keep this note devoid of content). How should one religion view adherents to another, both culturally and theologically? (The notion of strict church-state separation is very much a Western idea.) Some specific topics I'd like to see discussed are: a) Where did Scripture (all of them) come from, and how did it get its current form? (This is essentially the "inspiration" topic suggested a few days ago, though I'd carry it a bit further.) b) What are some specific cultural influences on various belief systems? How much did, say, Greek culture, influence Judaism and Christianity (a great deal), and how? c) What are some of the factual, theological, and philosophical underpinnings of assorted religions? I suspect that most of us know comparatively little about the real bases of other religions, and perhaps even our own (I know that applies to me). I've been quite active in this area already (as you've undoubtedly noticed...) The recent discussion of Genesis XLIX, 10 is a good example; I was interested in all of the comments, even floyd!dyl's (though I used my turn as an opportunity to make a methodological comment as well). This heading also includes "general education" about religions. Anyway, this note has gone on too long already. I'm about to reread Elaine Pagels' "The Gnostic Gospels", and I'll summarize for the net when I'm done. The book discusses the composition of the New Testament in light of certain archaeological discoveries. After that, I'll move on to either the Dead Sea Scrolls, or maybe I'll dig out my copy of the Koran. --Steve Bellovin