Belief

I was surfing the web for interesting photos to use in my blog and I came across this quote (pictured on right). It occurred to me how strikingly different the implications of this quote are from the teachings of St. Augustine. St. Augustine, as the type of christian that he is, is very focused on the bible and its interpretation. He is adamant that everything in the bible is truth if interpreted correctly. The bible is his way to understand what God wants. In opposition to this, according to this quote from Buddha, nothing written should be believed unless it is from the heart or reason of the person.This quote is very much encouraging a 'to each his own' interpretation of anything. If we apply this philosophy to the interpretation of the bible we get something much different from that of St. Augustine. This quote would seem to suggest that any interpretation could be just as valid as any other. So instead of a lamb metaphorically meaning Jesus, a lamb could also mean something entirely different as long as it did not go against the reason of the interpreter.
This point of view, while very accepting, could also be considered mildly problematic because the reason and common sense of any individual can vary drastically from that of another. A man who's reason told him to kill another has found something to believe in. Is this OK? Well, from a culturally relativistic perspective, yes. However, this way of thinking has no way to regulate morals, so theoretically, any action could be condoned by this thinking. St. Augustine's more rigid philosophy gives more of a right and wrong to the actions or thinking of people. What would Augustine think of this statement of Buddha's? He would probably be outraged, for, to him there is obviously something to be believed (the bible). However, the two philosophies are not mutually exclusive. If indeed we can believe nothing but that which goes with our reason and common sense, then he bible is a perfectly fine thing to believe because, according to St. Augustine, the entirety of the bible is reason and common sense once interpreted correctly.

Logic and truth

According to St. Augustine, "saying something perfectly true...only points out the truthfulness of it." In reference to the gospel of John which he says is true. His argument for the points of logical thought is based in the 'truth' that Christ did indeed rise (as according to the gospel of John.) This is the mindset of many religions -- that their religion is true in its assumptions and is the only truth -- This interpretation and surety in position can also be seen in the Psalms. The psalms are constantly talking about God as on a side, a protector of some and therefore enemy of others (non-believers and heathens such as the Babylonians). St. Augustine's idea that what is said (truthfully) is not a creation of truth but merely an observation of it is a very powerful statement. If applied to the psalms we can infer that God is indeed a mighty being capable of great strength and a shelter to the peoples in His flock. However, the logic of St. Augustine's argument appears to have a flaw. (I could be completely wrong about this seeing as I am not one of the brighter bulbs in the box when it comes to logical thinking but bear with me). His argument for the statement of truth is based on the assumption that we know what is truthful; that we know for a fact that Christ did rise. Basing an argument on an assumption provides loopholes that have the potential to eventually dissolve the argument.
I do recognize that as a certain type of Christian, St. Augustine (like others in other religions) thought his bible, and his religion, and his communications with God, and whatever else to be absolute truth, he does not address the issue of how truth is known and therefor stands in a bit of an arrogant spot and one that can be chiseled away at with logic. This is not to say that he is wrong or right, just that at this point his position is not as strong as he makes it appear to be.

To broaden the spectrum; for many religions (or branches of religions) there is this high stance that "my way is the only way and it is the right way." What does this perspective to for a religion?
1.) It gives a sense of security. If one believes that they are in the 'right' religion, then (as reflected in the psalms) on can count on God being on their side, fighting for them, or giving them eternal salvation.
2.) It increases the tight sense of belonging. The lines of the group are well drawn such that it is very clear who is or is not part of the 'right' group.
3.) It gives something to strive for and is very clear in its demands. Those who are unsure of their religion, or are not sure that theirs is the only one or the right one sometimes are more likely (and this is not a criticism at all) to question what they believe and thus be conflicted in their spirituality.

I think that the psalms are definitely a representation of this feeling of 'rightness' and that also in St Augustine's teachings this idea is quite apparent. I look forward to the discussion we can have in class about this book!

Lastly, this in not meant as a criticism of any sort of religion, just a few observations on the reading and how it relates to certain aspects of certain things we have touched on in class.

Cool video just for fun

This is an interesting video also. He is a little slow to get going, but some of the points he brings up are worthy of attention. This is not really related to anything and I will try to get it on the side somewhere, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet so here it is for now! Enjoy!