Educational Religion
I think I am beginning to understand. I do not say yet, "I understand," but rather that I am beginning to. And what, you ask? The enemy's devices for deeper and deeper deception.
They claim that the "academic study of religion" gives every "tradition" an equal focus... that by the "academics" all of these religions are treated equally... but this is a lie, vicious and devious. For if you try to speak up, and claim that they are wrong on some point or another... beware! They will first strive to smother your argument condescendingly -- for what, after all, could /you/ possibly know of the matter? And if condescension does not suffice, they will proceed to more and more extreme methods -- for you are a threat to the fragile (though well-guarded) glass mansion they have constructed for themselves.
When we come to the point in any "academic" field at which the authorities are willing to dismiss theories because they "don't like the implications for [whatever -- in the case of this quote, for 'this class']" -- when any study reaches that point, we are in a very sad and frightening state indeed. For at that point it is no longer science, but simply a forum for discussing personal viewpoints -- and /that/ should have no place in educational institutions -- higher or otherwise.
No one has ever (barring pathology) had a problem with having an opinion -- all of this modern focus on "your opinion" is very, very cleverly- and maliciously-wrought rubbish. Clever, malicious, and devious, I say, because it serves a crucial purpose for the enemy of our souls: namely, it teaches all to have -one- opinion, while assuring each that it is his own.
Studying something just to study it is as futile and fruitless as writing a letter just to use a pen. What results will be at best a lump of meaningless fluff which gives no benefit to anyone. There cannot be a "purely academic" study of religion except as an exercise in behavioral psychology or as history. The feeding of raw information does no good to anyone -- ask them, rather, to find out what is right and true; THAT will be a well-educated group.
There is no need to fear excited emotions or heated arguments -- the determination of what is truth does not call upon these. Those who become emotionally "charged" when asked to defend their beliefs know neither what they truly believe nor why.
"Opinions" are meaningless, like a discussion of the weather. People do not need to know a single thing about a topic to have an opinion about it... people do it all the time, as naturally almost as breathing. An "opinion" is not an end in itself -- it is a tool, a reason to find out more about something -- a reason to seek out and discover Truth.
You do not need to go to college to say, "I have an opinion" -- although you /do/ in order to say "I have an opinion that was fed to me by those who 'know'."
They claim that the "academic study of religion" gives every "tradition" an equal focus... that by the "academics" all of these religions are treated equally... but this is a lie, vicious and devious. For if you try to speak up, and claim that they are wrong on some point or another... beware! They will first strive to smother your argument condescendingly -- for what, after all, could /you/ possibly know of the matter? And if condescension does not suffice, they will proceed to more and more extreme methods -- for you are a threat to the fragile (though well-guarded) glass mansion they have constructed for themselves.
When we come to the point in any "academic" field at which the authorities are willing to dismiss theories because they "don't like the implications for [whatever -- in the case of this quote, for 'this class']" -- when any study reaches that point, we are in a very sad and frightening state indeed. For at that point it is no longer science, but simply a forum for discussing personal viewpoints -- and /that/ should have no place in educational institutions -- higher or otherwise.
No one has ever (barring pathology) had a problem with having an opinion -- all of this modern focus on "your opinion" is very, very cleverly- and maliciously-wrought rubbish. Clever, malicious, and devious, I say, because it serves a crucial purpose for the enemy of our souls: namely, it teaches all to have -one- opinion, while assuring each that it is his own.
Studying something just to study it is as futile and fruitless as writing a letter just to use a pen. What results will be at best a lump of meaningless fluff which gives no benefit to anyone. There cannot be a "purely academic" study of religion except as an exercise in behavioral psychology or as history. The feeding of raw information does no good to anyone -- ask them, rather, to find out what is right and true; THAT will be a well-educated group.
There is no need to fear excited emotions or heated arguments -- the determination of what is truth does not call upon these. Those who become emotionally "charged" when asked to defend their beliefs know neither what they truly believe nor why.
"Opinions" are meaningless, like a discussion of the weather. People do not need to know a single thing about a topic to have an opinion about it... people do it all the time, as naturally almost as breathing. An "opinion" is not an end in itself -- it is a tool, a reason to find out more about something -- a reason to seek out and discover Truth.
You do not need to go to college to say, "I have an opinion" -- although you /do/ in order to say "I have an opinion that was fed to me by those who 'know'."
posted by Oladon | 6:34 PM
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