Having once taught Religious Studies for Common Entrance, I have long pondered a method to reduce the amount of cramming the Subject requires and to re-constitute it on a logical and analytical basis. One great benefit that would flow from such an approach is that it would provide an introduction to comparative metaphysics, epistemology, and hermeneutics.
That this should be done, as far as possible, by encouraging the free exercise of the young pupil's own creative intellect, goes without saying.
The method. I propose, is to get the kids to compete to find the shortest logical chain, for any given Religion, from the three fundamental propositions viz.
to the big pay-off viz
X) so kindly hand over all your money to us and go kill, at our command, lots of people you never met and who did nobody any harm and remember you are a miserable pile of shite, God bless you, coz God is really really nice and loves and cherishes all beings etc.
Since Metaphysics and Hermeneutics help shorten the number of steps in the logic chain- the pupils interest in these fields will be greatly stimulated.
11 comments:
Okay how about we start with Hinduism? You just need 2 steps
1) Krishna is really really nice
2) Kill whoever coz you aren't killing them, it's Krishna doing the killing, and anyway they don't actually die. (This is the message of the Bhagwad Gita- the Bible of the Hindus) Also if you give me all your money- that's cool coz it wasn't real- and as for people being shit- your God says that a lot of people are actually lower than shit coz you touch the one when you wipe yourself but mustn't touch the 'untouchable' who carries your shit away.
So congratulations! Your religion wins!
Boy are you in trouble! You clearly haven't read the secret portion of the Gita where Lord Krishna describes what happens to people like you.
I'm not saying I'm offended by your comment- the truth is I only remain a Hindu coz of the massive tax break and the hot chicks who go totally wild at the glimpse of a sacred thread.
Xtianity
1) God is really nice
2) Coz of his niceness, God sent you his only son
3) You did WHAT TO his son? Whassamatter with you guys? God is like seriously ticked with you. Look, just get on your knees and do what you're told till the Second Coming.
Judaism
1) God is nice? What are you, meshugganah?
2) So study already! What? You think your parents get naches seeing you shlepp tables for a living?
3) So you're a Neo-con? Mazletov! There's a nice Likudnik I'd like you to meet...
Neo-con? Do they still exist?
No they are mythical creatures, like dinosaurs, invented by the liberal media to destroy family values and promote Homosexuality, Abortion and Socialized Medicine.
Islam
1) God is All Powerful, All Merciful and has foreordained all things.
2) Of his infinite Mercy and Power God has pre-established the Quran as a sure refuge and preordained who will adhere to it and what their fate will be and who will disbelieve in it and their manner of punishment.
3) Islam is in danger!
Buddhism
1) Out of compassion, Lord Buddha established a path to save all sentient beings through non-violence and mutual co-existence.
2) Tamils? What Tamils? There were never any Tamils here.
Actually the Gita isn't that simple. The structure is
1) Lord Krishna is tenderly attentive to his devotees, but- it turns out- even those whom he is sent to slay gain salvation by that act of his. This is his own dharma (duty)
2)In the Gita, Lord Krishna is discharging his duty as a charioteer. One duty of the charioteer is to stoke up the martial ardor of the warrior in his car. Lord Krishna employs various arguments and types of exhortations.
3) Arjuna gives as an excuse for not doing his duty (by which the warriors he would slay would gain heaven) the argument that the mixing of castes would result from this action. Lord Krishna shows that this hierarchy of society is based on delusions arising from tamsic (materialistic) and rajsic (spirited/ thymotic) psychological traits.
x) There is no warrant in Hinduism for surrendering all your resources to the priests and obeying them in all things- e.g. killing other people in the name of religion. Everyone has to abide by their own dharma- not that of somebody else.
I am sorry your argument fails.
My very dear Rajiv,
I am observing blogger dharma. Other comments are in accordance with the dharma incumbent on them. Can the same be said of yourself?
The challenge here was to find shortest possible logic chains for a given Religion. The suggestion was that Metaphysics would be valuable.
Since you have eschewed Metaphysics no conclusion can be drawn about my argument.
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