I was just musing to myself about how utterly freaking boring the world would be if people didn't have varying beliefs. Alright, I'm exaggerating, but I'll go on anyway.
For instance, without the story of the exodus in the Old Testament, Metallica never would have written "Creeping Death." Without Islamic/Middle Eastern influence, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Thirteenth Warrior would have had very different story lines, and modern mathematics certainly would have taken different pathways. Without Shinto and other Japanese beliefs there would be no Noh theater. It is the beliefs of both the Egyptians and multiple South and Central American cultures that led them to construct the unmistakable edifices that remain today. The shared theology of the ancient Romans and Greeks has let to so much, from epic compositions of literature to a drawing point for paintings like "The Birth of Venus." It was also all these shared ideals that so easily allowed viewers to connect with what they were hearing and seeing in these works.
I have no doubt that the creative nature of man would still have led to many vibrant creations in the past, but I can't help but think that this human landscape as a whole would be much less diverse if it weren't for all the inspirations of mankind's beliefs. This was just spouting off from my brain, but feel free to offer your thoughts as you will. Point out other items of interest that would not exist if it weren't for the varied spiritual beliefs of man, and as well those great works that draw on nothing but experience and are not rooted in the world of religion and spirituality.
Don't mess with me, man. I'm hopped up on sweet tea and onion rings. =p
Varying beliefs does not imply the need for conflict in spirituality any more than it does in art, at least on the surface. I'm mulling over all the good that comes from diversity, that's all.
i don't agree that diversity is always a good thing when it comes to opinion. i don't deny that religion has contributed a lot but the fact is if it's not true then in the natural progression of our species there should come a time when we finally abandon it. and if a particular religion does happen to be true i'd think we'd be better off converting to that religion than maintaining 'diversity' for the sake of it.
well the way the world works is that we are all different both in the physicality and in nature, where we come from. Humans formed in groups to survive, not the other way around; the people that looked alike joined together and seperated, same goes with religion!
If we all believed in one god meaning the whole world there would be more room for conflict and an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand about how humans should live. Different religions all claim the same thing, that we will die and the there is nothing that will stop us from dying, but only some faiths differ from what will happen in thee afterlife.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
You're living in a fantasy. Many different beliefs don't harm one another or create division, true. But many do. If you want to focus only on the positive in some sort of hyper-selective cultural wank-fest, that's your choice. To me, it's a worthless hypothetical that might give us an ego boost in some sort of hippy "we're all human" sort of way, but would never forward our cultural knowledge in a meaningful way that acknowledges and confronts the struggles inherent in religious diversity.
The very opening line of your OP is also something of a straw man: I was just musing to myself about how utterly freaking boring the world would be if people didn't have varying beliefs.
It's a pleasant thought, but again needlessly hypothetical. Is there any chance we'd ever not have varying beliefs and opinions. Of course not. There's too many people on the planet, and too many different influences on their lives. The world would also be utterly freaking boring if we were all sea otters, but that has as much chance of happening as your scenario.
So you're starting with an impossibility in order to make the alternative - varying opinions - seem better by comparison. Of course it's better, but that doesn't mean it's always good. Thus the difference. A lot of variances of opinion, and opinions in general, are terrible and harmful, and have their roots in religion.
It would be much less cognitively strenuous if you had just framed it as our favorite myths or stories with roots in religion. That would allow us to discuss interesting religious ideas without trying to shoehorn in the idea that they're all part of a ducky whole that is to be praised.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Well, my intent was to as best as possible only really focus on the good. I mean, if I discuss the great parts of Peter Pan made possible by Native American tradition, we'd have to look at the warfare on their own end and their massacre carried out at the hands of European settlers and later the American citizenry.
If it suits you best then by all means let's pretend that I simply referred to the great stories that have drawn from the mythology and beliefs of the world.
KMC Community Forums
Jul 27th, 2012 10:29 PM
