Defect of Religion
"Religion has a major defect.
It is an inhibiting force to the cultivation of self-awareness.
Religion is traditionally used as an escape route from understanding the problems of sorrow and sexuality. What enhances the inhibitory effects is the prevailing attitude of denigrating the influence of the analytical intellect. Where religion is vigorously healthy then self-awareness is minimal or even absent. Self-awareness only begins to develop as religion goes into decline.
Dynamic psychology, because of its unusual ideas about consciousness, morality and sexuality, can only arise in a society where the influence of religion is weak.When a religion is healthy, then ethical debate is lively, but the ethical codes propounded are often just imaginative, or confused and self-contradictory. (Imagination might centre on a theme such as whether or not man is a Noble Savage. Contradictions can only be identified once the subconscious mind is explored).
Interestingly, periods when religion goes into decline are usually labelled ‘decadent’ eras. Up till now the value put on such periods has been confined to the artistic styles that the periods give birth to. However, such periods (and modern times can be viewed as such a period) offer the opportunities for psychological progress in ways not otherwise possible.
Once religion goes into decline and self-awareness arises, then ethical debate can become based on the realities of consciousness. In my view, the purpose of religion is to be an intermediary in the transition of the person from amoral barbarian to New Age psychological person.
The contents of the subconscious mind radically affect ethical thinking. The repression of sexuality leads to a puritan ethics. When sexuality is rampant and used as a vehicle (or even as a substitute) for personality then ethical thinking becomes confused and retreats from centre-stage. Once self-awareness develops then ethics can finally centre on forgiveness, compassion and acceptance. In short:
Puritan ethics arise when sexuality is repressed.
Holistic ethics arise when sexuality is sublimated."
-Ian Heath, London, UK
Thoughts?
1 comment:
I think he makes a few good points although I would say that it is ethics alone that must be established for the instinctive barbarian to progress to the psychologically whole modern man; religion is unnecessary and extraneous except be it studied as an anthropological interest.
I don't know if you have ever read the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance, but this reminded me of that. In that book I think his primary problem was attempting to realize that in order for his ethical concepts to be valid, they did not necessitate a foundation of religion.
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