I watched Bill Maher`s film, Religulous, and while the host was interviewing a guy called Dr. Andrew Newberg, I thought to myself...hmmm...he looks familiar. And indeed, he is not a new face to me, I`ve seen him on What the bleep to we know? and a BBC documentary called God in the Brain. What I find absolutely intriguing is the idea of biologically breaking down the idea of god, the chemical and anatomical make-up that facilitates our perception of some sort of transcendence, or presence or all the other forms people have associated with divine nature. And I must admit it, I like the idea of bringing the haughty perception of God to the same level as other feelings such as ...say...love, the need for protection and certitude, etc because it takes away a poweful means for legitimising a lot of crazy stuff by people who - consciously or not -abuse the incontestable magnetism of this idea. Let`s face it, if the guy who threatened you you`ll suffer the consequences of your not living according to his (questionably) moral standards, would tell you it is his own voice that assures him of your demise, and not that of a high and mighty being, you`d laugh in his face. Plus, it will re-light an interesting conversation I had with a friend a while ago (at the cinema, over a popcorn and during the commercials!) over consciesness, the big deal that we make of it (come on, we think it is the reason why we are chosen by god or...providence or how you want to call it, to reign supreme, to explore new boundaries to...bla bla bla, you get the idea!) but that it is merely a mutation, an accident almost of evolution. From a survival point of view, it is really a crappy thing to have, since it doesn`t really get you far, and we can all agree it is not always easy to live with it and the angst it brings along. So, will have to chit-chat more on that one...
No comments:
Post a Comment