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From: ncss@mrvax.DEC (Ed Smith)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Wishful Thinking (religion)
Message-ID: <3582@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Sep-84 18:54:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3582
Posted: Mon Sep 10 18:54:55 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Sep-84 09:10:08 EDT
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	Religion is that which is at the core of an individual's belief, their
belief as a whole. Whatever they say they believe, there is some internal
completeness which organizes reality for them. Essentially, religion is about
reality...about uderstanding the organization of the world around us. 
Real-Region. Real-Ligion (perhaps) Real-Tounge. Re-Light-ion. Let's say, a
whole understanding of the world as it is (as opposed to how we might want it
to be) expressed in its own terms, on reflection. 

	Everyone has some whole feeling of the world, for the world. In order
to take any action at all entails a communion with the infinite, a bridging of
the gap between moments. For most of us, this bridge is completely invisible
to the intellectual consciousness (Ego self, reflective awareness, etc.) which
we identify with, and grasp onto as our identity. Yet, It is the lower force,
the bridge between moments, the wordless and purely emotional leap into the
void that is the future, which is what makes that detatched, intellectual, 
limited self possible. 

	This is not the newsgroup to hash out how the intellectual self 
and came to dominate the identity of people, but we can see that this has 
happened, so the question is simply, what do we do about this now? There is
no lack in the universe as it is, there is no lack in human experience as it
is. The problem is in people's intellectual beliefs about the universe, about
reality. It is people's beliefs in words given to them by others and words
arranged by themselves that make them anxious about the nature of reality, the
cause of events, the reason for life, and what happens at death. If they would
allow the words to stop holding them, if they would cease grasping for objects
outside of themselves, if they would stop trusting the words of idols and
graven images over their own visceral experience of the infinite world around
them every moment, then there would be no problem. 

	Except, in the vast majority of social situations around, this is very
difficult. At some point or another, you will feel the need to talk with others
about what cannot be worded. There are times when people come face to face with
some of the infinite that is always following them, and that they always 
follow. Their intellectual shell cracks...their barrier of exclusive beliefs
simply becomes inadequate to phrase what they suddenly feel on a much deeper,
much more complete level. It might happen crossing the street on a deserted
summer day. It might happen looking into the eyes of a child. It might happen
late at night staring at the incomplete logical diagram of an integrated 
circuit. It might happen watching the sunrise while tripping on acid. It 
happened to me staring at a streetlight during a light snow, smoking dope.
When it happens, you can forget about it, you can find someone else who has
written about something like it, you can find your own words for it, or some
combination. The key is expression. This sort of experience is generally the
culmination of years of hopes and doubts and fears and pain. It is a sudden
focussing of all that is real, of all that is wonderful and all that is 
horrible into something that is so childishly simple that any words only serve
to confuse the issue. It's a hard thing to explain to people who just saw the
streetlight, and who's hands are getting cold.
	
	Just as people have a lot of money invested in a certain type of
computer, or machinery, or system of measurement, or language, and they want 
to stay with something compatible, people have an awful lot invested in 
religion. When you are talking about an individual and wordless infinity, then
any words will do, but when you're talking about that individual talking to
someone else, then you need a definite (or just finite) exclusive vocabulary.
Of course, it is possible to reinvent the wheel and start a new religion, but
that never becomes particularly popular for at least a hundred years or so. 
So, you find a vocabulary that more or less fits what you remember of your
peak experience, pin it down by saying to yourself enough, "Yeah, that's it,"
and relax. 

	I've run on for a bit too long. Flames are welcomed, along with 
reasonable comments. I am particularly interested in hearing about 
"peak" experiences, especially from those who still consider themselves
"atheists."

	To put my article in religious perspective, I suppose I should say that
I was raised a Reform Jew, was a rather devout atheist through high school,
(Very "scientific") saw the streetlight my freshman year at college, and
stumbled around looking for something that I couldn't name, but which was just
so simple it made me laugh a lot (especially when I was high.) Buddhism finally
hit me as being just about right, and as holding the key to every problem of
existence, if it could just be integrated into western science and culture. 
That was further directed by a year and a half of philosophy grad work, 
concentrating on existentialism, phenomenology, and post-stucturalism. So,
if asked, I'm a Zen Phenomenologist. I like SF too, especially Delany. Then 
there's Eno...

						Ed Bernstein

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