[Buddha-l] Conceiving God: The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Jim,

> Here is a review by A C Grayling (http://acgrayling.com/) that is available at http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2010/04/religion-religious-lewis. I think the book by Lewis-Williams sounds very interesting.

"I would wish people to live without superstition, to govern their
lives with reason, and to conduct their relationships on reflective
principles about what we owe one another as fellow voyagers through
the human predicament – with kindness and generosity wherever
possible, and justice always. None of this requires religion or the
empty name of “god”. Indeed, once this detritus of our ignorant past
has been cleared away, we might see more clearly the nature of good,
and pursue it aright at last."

Nothing "irrational" here, is that what we really want? Reason,
therefore democracy with its mate market economy and their bastard
children consumer society and monopolism? "Kindness and generosity
wherever possible, and justice always". Justice being the legal
justice and just wars as we know them? No empty name of god or any
other empty names? Not even kindness and generosity *always* as an
ideology or utopia? And only like-minded fellow voyagers?

What a horrible claustrophobic little world A.C. Greyling must be
living in. If that world is supposed to be a river of ambrosia, I
prefer wallowing in the detritus of our ignorant past.

It seems to me A.C. is fighting old battles (Sense and Sensibility?).
Superstition… What about superstition's new clothes: Spin,
Communication, Media, Advertising, Celebrities as the new gods and
role models, Competition as the ultimate justice, always. Talking
about empty names…

Then there is the empty name of Freedom for which millions have been
killed. God, meet Freedom and Reason. Splinter, meat Beam. Beam, meet
Splinter.

Joy