Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
Having partly grown-up under a communist government that gently and not so gently persecuted Christians, I do not share your concern over bible stories being told to children in school or outside thereof. And creationism I perceive to be an American export that has little merit, but ultimately is also of little consequence over the long term.
As for critical thinking, I think people who laud it have a tendency to overestimate its place in and significance to human thought-processes... which I believe to be far more rooted in habits--even for the best, brightest, and most critically thinking among us--than in highly-conscious and deliberate weighing and evaluation. With the caveat though, of course, that a right-thinking man can do his best to break himself of harmful habits and to establish for himself helpful and beneficial ones.
Upon rereading, the above may sound a bit argumentative, but is not intended to be so. Just sharing my own views, being well aware that you and I disagree, and are unlikely to convince one another. 
Basically, I view human consciousness as a little man sleeping (possibly drugged?) inside a sensory deprivation tank well over 90% of the time, only occasionally when we are passingly shaken from established routine/habit finding the tank's doors opened with a computer terminal descending in front of him with a query: "What's the best way to proceed in this situation?" And, of course, once he types in the answer and presses enter, the terminal quickly ascends and back in the tank he goes to slumber until next time he is needed.
- Ahi |
No, I understand. You and I probably disagree on most things. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate your opinion, just that I don't share it.
I do have a huge problem with teaching Christianity, or any other religious belief, in a publicly supported school. About the only exception would be if they taught a balanced course on Comparative Religion. However, in this very right-wing part of the US, that is highly unlikely to happen.
Personally, I don't see myself as fitting in well with your idea of the conscious/unconscious brain model. I find myself analyzing everything and everyone I see. I am constantly in search of more information to answer questions, some of which just seem to pop into my mind for no particular reason.
For example, two nights ago I found myself wondering "Why Athena Parthenos?" Was it because she was born leaping from her father's head fully armored (no mother, thus a virgin birth of sorts)? Or was she a virginal goddess? I don't recall reading any mythology about any romantic life.
That goes on in my brain at least 16 hours a day, every damn day, while I'm working, or walking the dogs, or painting the walls. All my life, I have needed to know "why" down to the minutest details .... drove the adults in my life freaking mad, and still makes a lot of people uncomfortable. But there you have it .... that's the way my brain works.
Which reminds me .... I need to do a little research on that parthenos thing before I forget.