An effort in futility: Arguing God in article comments

It's practically a morbid fascination that prompts me to read the comments left under an article at most news/information sites, especially when it's anything about religion, and especially when that religion is Christian.

Case in point, here are a few screen grabs of comments left under this post at CNN's Belief blog. I think these sum up the spectrum of responses one generally encounters under pieces of this sort, and is hopefully illustrative of the sheer silliness in trying to wage the rational vs. religious debate in this type of forum. (And if it's not illustrative, you probably shouldn't be reading my blog. On second thought, maybe you should be.)

Click each photo to enlarge for legibility:

I actually kind of dig what Wayshower writes. It probably comes closest
to lining up with my own thoughts. I also like how the second commenter
starts his contribution with "Roar!!!" Silly. And while the third comment
is unoriginal in delivery, it's got just the right amount of snark to make
me chuckle.

Proof that you can bang out your well-reasoned, nine-sentence, "outside the
box of socialization" argument and still not change the opinion of
someone whose mind is already set. Pithy response, too, which
also earned a chuckle.

The first commenter is someone who has decided to focus exclusively on
the bad side of religion. That's probably the only angle of attack he has.
The second comment uses some highly specious reasoning to back up his
assertions about the Bible's validity. And the third commenter had me
until he brought up proselytizing, which strikes me as less an act of
morality and one rooted in the the very human realm of politics.

I don't have anything to add to the CNN post other than this: On a very general level, universalism, as it's defined in the post, appeals to me and is what I believe (though not necessarily the specific details of Heaven as traditionally envisioned in the Judeo-Christian view). However, I do like to think that the truly wicked and evil face some sort of punishment after they leave this plane of existence.

Empathy over apathy: The immediate benefit of prayer

I'll let theologians and scientists argue about what happens when people pray. The former might assert that prayer creates a direct line to a higher power, the latter that it produces electrical and chemical reactions in the brain that put the mind in a certain relaxed state.

In recent months, I've come to find another, more immediate effect of prayer: mindfulness.

I'm guilty of getting ensnared by my day-to-day life and as a result, I put the majority of my thoughts and efforts toward what I'm doing, what I should be doing, what I want to be doing, etc. I'm guilty of wasting too much time in idle pursuits, or vegging out after a day of work, essentially wallowing in ambivalence

Sometimes, however, I recognize the need to stop and focus on the issues affecting others in my life about whom I care. Sometimes, I feel the need to go the extra step to intentionally broadcast my hopes and well wishes for those people to the universe, to the higher power I believe is out there. Whatever it is. This is the act I call prayer.

When I do that, I become acutely aware that life is so much more than what's going on in MY daily existence. It helps bolster empathy and dispel apathy. I focus on the challenges, setbacks, or illness others are facing, and my desire for their happiness, good fortune, and health. Or, barring that, their peace of mind, comfort, and contentment. Sometimes, I actively imagine sending the love I have to that person directly, across the span between our physical bodies.

Does any of it work? Is there a higher power actually receiving these thoughts and feelings, and acting on them? Are those well wishes and all that love being piped to the recipients for which I intend them?

Again, I'll leave it to believers and non-believers to hash out. Personally, I feel I've had prayers answered and prayers ignored. And that's OK, perhaps to be expected, even. Mindfulness of others is both humane and fundamental for human existence. For me, it's the most basic essence of prayer, the core that remains even after all religious trappings or rational explanations have been stripped away.

That's something valuable in itself.

Evolution debunked: Still no sign of those half-monkey men

Here's one I missed from last week: Apparently Glenn Beck took to the airwaves of his radio show and used the fact he's never seen a "half-monkey, half-person" as a basis to question the theory of evolution. Now, this item at The Atlantic Wire, and the comments underneath it, cover all the points I would have wanted to make here: 1) Our closest genetic relatives are apes, not monkeys (yes, there's a significant difference); 2) There actually WAS an extended effort to promote the fact that the world is round; and 3) Beck's probably never seen God, before, either, yet has no problem accepting the idea that He's up there; 4) How does this guy have such unfettered access to the broadcast spectrum?

If anything, people like Beck and his zealous ilk (on both the left and right) are solid evidence of devolution: Of rational discourse, American education, scientific AND religious literacy, and a well-informed society.

The secret brain of God

Dan Brown's novel "The DaVinci Code" exploded in the mid-2000s, smack in the middle of the culture wars that motivated me to start this blog. But the first outing of Brown's protagonist Robert Langdon in "Angels and Demons" was set in the heart of the science vs. religion debate.

The novel centered around the centuries' old spat between the Illuminati (in Brown's version, founded by the enlightened scientific minds of the Rennaissance) and the stodgy Catholic church of the era. It was an entertaining read (always one to be chronological, I read it when "DaVinci" was big, but didn't love it so much to really want to read the sequel) -- as were the films.

It's the easy comparison to make given this story about two John Hopkins researchers who believe Michaelangelo painted a subtle, hidden image of the human brain in one of his images of God as depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (Indeed, the original post at Time's Newsfeed starts with: "Calm down, Dan Brown — it isn’t fodder enough for a new book. But a new study alleges Michelangelo painted a subtle message into his famous fresco.") In fact, the article cites evidence of other such hidden images in the master's work for the church.

Why? From the "Telgraph" article that Time linked to:

By merging an image of God with a human brain, Michelangelo may have been seeking a covert outlet to show off his anatomical knowledge at a time when picking apart cadavers was frowned on by the Roman Catholic Church.

Alternatively, he may have been alluding to the wisdom of the Almighty or – more dangerously - hinting at his growing belief that ordinary Christians had the wit and intelligence to directly commune with God, rather than pray to Him indirectly through the Church.

That was an idea that would have been seen as heresy, particularly as the fresco is situated directly above the chapel altar.

Very mysterious. Here's the comparison image from the "Telegraph." Follow the link above for more photos of the Sistine Chapel panel in question.

Well ... I guess I see it. Maybe. Let me squint ...

This is a fascinating story. To be fair, though, the skeptical part of me can't help but think about the reification principle of Gestault Theory, that basically says our brains perceive shapes and images even when no such image has been drawn.

It's interesting to reflect on how some of the "science and faith" themes from 500 years ago still resonate today.

Now reading: 'Religious Literacy'

Aliens haven't invaded since my last post, so we've got that going for us.

Speaking of unknown religions, several weeks ago I bought a book that's been on my want-list since it first came out: Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know - and Doesn't." I was quite pleased to find it in the bargain section of the store, too, priced at a whopping $5.98. (My cover is red, though, not purple).

I've finally gotten around to reading it. I'm not very far in, and I don't know if I agree with EVERYTHING Prothero argues (for example, that the most important elements of religious literacy in America are doctrinal and narrative - I happen to think ritual is just as clutch. But hey, HE'S the chair of the religion department at Boston University, not me), but it's hard not to nod in agreement when you read:

Religious illiteracy makes it difficult for Americans to make sense of a world in which people kill and make peace in the name of Christ or Allah. How are we to understand protests against the Vietnam War, which compelled Catholic priesets to burn draft records in Maryland and Buddhist monks to set fire to themselves in Vietnam, without knowing something about Catholic just war theory and the Buddhist principles of no-self and compassion? How are we to understand international conflicts in the Middle East and Sri Lanka without reckoning with the role of Jerusalem in the sacred geography of the Abrahmic faiths and with the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia? Closer to home, how are we to understand faith-based electioneering if the "reds" on the Religious Right and the "blues" on the Secular Left continue to stereotype one another as distinct species? Is it possible to weigh the merits of Supreme Court rulings on religious liberty if we are unaware of the legacies of anti-Catholicism, anti-Semitism, anti-Mormonism, and anti-fundamentalism in American life?

 Click here for more on the book at the Barnes and Noble website.

Hawking: Beware the aliens

In keeping with the theme of Sunday's post: The renowned Stephen Hawking warns humans that aliens could be bad news.

The parallel he draws: The arrival of Europeans to North and South America, " ... which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans."

Superior technology and foreign diseases could all contribute to mankind's decimation in such a scenario; of course, it could go the other way, too (these themes are nothing new in discussions of alien invasions: H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" hinged on it, and it sure saved Tom Cruise's butt in the 2005 film).

For the purposes of this blog, what interests me is alien cultures and, more specifically, any sense of supernatural or spiritual practices/institutions.

That could be an exciting TV show: Anthropologists in Space!

Another possible parallel to the arrival of Europeans: proselytizing. Imagine a scenario where erstwhile space aliens try and convert large swaths of the human populace to their religion.

Actually, I find the theme ripe for speculation; religion and space travel are a theme I intend to develop in this blog.

CLICK HERE for the article about Hawking's warning.

20 years of inspired awe courtesy of Hubble

If there's anything that stirs both scientific curiousity and spiritual wonder in me, it's photos taken of deep space.

The Hubble Space Telescope turned 20 yesterday. Here's the press release from the orbiting camera's official Web site, http://www.hubblesite.org/ (lots of great galleries on the site, too, which is where the photo at left came from).

CLICK HERE for some "Classic Hubble Hits" courtesy of MSNBC, including some sweet shots of colliding galaxies.