Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Possibly the best enunciation of the beliefs of a postmodern christian I've come across, the following quote was taken from an online essay written by the musician, Moby.

i used to be a rigid Vegan, Christian, Dance enthusiast, Marxist, etc. i was so locked into my beliefs that i genuinely believed that I was right and that anyone who disagreed with me was wrong. luckily time has passed and i've (hopefully) become less of an ideologically uptight jerk.

i'm still a vegan and i love christ and dance music (the marxism has fallen by the wayside...) but now i would never say that i was right in my beliefs or that someone who disagreed with me was wrong. the only time i'm willing to say that someone is wrong in their belief system is when their belief system leads or compels them to feel justified in violently forcing their will and their beliefs onto other people. i guess that democracy and a belief in an individuals right to self-determination would be my fundamentalism now. i do fundamentally believe that every person on this planet should be free to think and act and live however they choose, so long as their actions don't compromise anyone elses ability to think and act and live as they, in turn, see fit. the world is a complicated place, and it's safe to say that none of us are objectively correct in our beliefs. we can find comfort and utility in our beliefs, but that doesn't mean that we're right and that someone else is wrong. the central flaw in most fundamentalism is that fundamentalists try to subjectively establish and defend the supposed objectivity of their belief systems. humans are little creatures who live in a universe that's, apparently, 15 billion years old. we might get glimpses of objectivity every now and then, but we're so inherently locked into our temporal and corporeal selves that we're irrevocably locked into subjectivity.

...we can know things on a simple, human level, and that's it. our simple, human level is so tiny compared to the vastness of the universe, that we should never think that our personal beliefs are universal or objectively true. i believe that it's possible to have glimpses of objectivity, and who knows, maybe some people on this planet do have a profound understanding of the objective nature of the universe. it's possible, but statistically not too probable. so if you're one of the people who have figured out the objective nature and truth of the universe please let the rest of us know. but please respect our right to disagree with you, cos who knows, maybe you're wrong.

...i've said it before, and i'll say it again, the universe is a complicated place, and our belief systems should reflect and accommodate that fact, and our belief systems should be based on humility and a respect for the beliefs of others.

[to read the entire article - click on the blue text above]

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