Posts Tagged: Religion and Society
Christmas a time for reflection as well as festivities
Most of us have our own impressions of what Christmas has come to mean in our modern culture. A time of festivity spent with family and friends; a time of goodwill and hopefully, charity. A time of beautiful decorations and colourful lights that lighten the night, of carols both secular and religious. Christmas is also a time for reflection. It is probably in the carols that many of us get a glimpse of the deeper meaning of Christmas. For example, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, just to name one:
“How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
The Politics of Envy
A woman somewhere in Africa, surrounded by dust resulting from drought, holds her dying child in her arms. There is nothing she can do. There is nowhere she can look for help. There is no food. A person comes by from the western world, from Australia. He speaks of how many people in Australia speak of ‘the politics of envy’.
As we know from the response to Labor’s so-called attacks on the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, over certain issues related to his wealth, Malcolm Turnbull replied by saying they were indulging in ‘the politics of envy’. Many Australians think that this was a good reply for it is not a criticism of the wealthy, it is a criticism of those who criticise the wealthy. Many Australians want to believe that they have the chance to be wealthy too, so they mindlessly support the right of the rich to be rich. When the Australian explains to the African woman what this phrase means, she is surprised.
A Universe from Nothing?
These are some reflections as I read theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Lawrence Krauss’s book ‘A Universe from Nothing’.
Krauss’s basic thesis seems to be that the laws of physics and particularly of quantum mechanics, show that the universe can have just happened without a Creator God.
If you look at my page on God’s existence (https://aquest-for-truth.net/existence-god/), I find it difficult to see this can be true. Krauss argues that resolving the infinite regress by arguing that an eternal being is necessary for there to be creation is logically fallacious. Consequently, as the infinite regress is unresolvable, then the best way to resolve it is to argue that the universe just happened or a universe from nothing. But of course that begs the point about what is ‘nothing’, which Krauss seems to consider in in terms of ‘dark matter’ and dismisses philosophical questions about the nature of nothing, not based on empirical science, as useless and a waste of time. This might be part of his problem. I will develop this more in later blog.
A fundamental paradox of life
In the very profound War Movie ‘A Thin Red Line’, the main character, Private Witt, says ‘one person sees a dying bird and sees death; another sees a dying bird and sees glory’. In this reflection on life, nature and war, Witt points to a fundamental paradox of life, that the essence of life is beyond logic.
Krauss makes crass statements
I always find it disappointing when people who are esteemed for their intellects make crass statements.
On his recent visit to Australia, I saw and heard Lawrence Krauss, Theoretical physicist and cosmologist, interviewed on the ABC 7.30 report and on the panel, at the moment, infamous ABC Q and A show.
On the 7.30 report, interviewer Leigh Sales gave him a seemingly Dorothy Dix question on God, namely
Profound gesture by Australia’s Grand mufti
It is wonderful news to hear that the most senior Muslim cleric in Australia, the Grand mufti of Australia, has flown to Jakarta to plead the lives of the Bali 9 ringleaders, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
The Grand mufti’s reasons enhance the implications of his visit. He said, quoted in the Age:
“On behalf of the Islamic community of Australia, we plead, with respect and humility, for mercy for the lives of two young Australian men, who have not only shown repentance for their serious crimes, but have rehabilitated themselves and indeed others” he also said that this plea for mercy and forgiveness ‘is the spirit of Islam’ and is central to its heritage, especially when there is true repentance.
A time to revisit Religious Freedom
Religious freedom has become an essential feature of modern secular democracies. Yet like any core value of society, it is in a process of evolution and needs to be revisited, at various times as the life of a society unfolds. This is particularly necessary at this time in the light of issues raised by religious fundamentalism and extremism and particularly, the Islamic version.
In many of the Western democracies such as ours, freedom of religion was developed in the light of the diversity within Christianity. Yet there was a stage when, not necessarily fully articulated but assumed, it was freedom for people to practice their particular Christian beliefs.
In our society, multiculturalism has changed the face of what religious freedom means.