This week, I decided to do my reflection once again on religion. Religion is always a controversial topic, but it's fascinating to see how different people (believers and non-believers) act especially on this Talk.
You're typically stuck between being A: a believer or B: a non-believer/atheist/agnostic. Lots of atheists, in fact many of them would argue that believing in God is like believing in fairies or the supernatural, and essentially, the whole thing is rather childish. Believers would argue that you need religion for a sense of morality, to have salvation, to do good. Boton says it's too easy for non-believers to dismiss religion like that, so instead, he introduces a new version of atheism, Atheism 2.0. The very basic premise of this "new" atheism is that of course there's no God. And of course there aren't any deities or supernatural beings. But that's only the very beginning, you're barely scratching the surface.
But before he goes any further, he explores the thought behind the "people who are attracted to the ritualistic, the moralistic, communal side of religion, but can't bear the doctrine." And he says that until now, those people have faced the choice of accepting the doctrine and having the "nice stuff" or rejecting the doctrine and living in a "spiritual wasteland." And it's a tough choice that many non-believers and believers alike don't like to make, but Boton says we don't have to make that choice. He continues on and says that there's nothing wrong with picking, mixing, and taking out the best sides of religion, and for him, that's what Atheism 2.0 is about. The secular (non-religious) world isn't perfect, there are many holes and faults in it. And by having a thorough study on religion(s), it could provide us insight on the areas of life that aren't going too well; it could fill in the holes and gaps in our secular world.
One of the points that Boton brought up that I thought was interesting was the difference between a sermon and lecture. A sermon was (and still is) the non-secular/religious way of delivering information, and the lecture is of course, our own secular version. And Boton says the only difference between the two is that a sermon wants to change your life and a lecture wants to give you a bit of information. So Boton goes on and tells the audience how religion can affect different aspects or fields of life like education, art, business, and even how we speak.
So finally, Boton ends with this, "There is something to learn from the example of religion. Even if you don't believe in it." Religion is not something that we can just dissect a layer of and learn everything about it. It's been built upon layers and layers of different cultures and views and it's far more complicated than it seems. This makes me think about what aspects of the "atheist world" should believers adopt and vice versa. And like Boton says, "Religions are so subtle, so complicated, so intelligent in many ways that they're not fit to be abandoned to the religious alone; they're for all of us."
This Talk is by far one of the best ones I watched so far and ties with "The Power of Introverts" for the best Talk. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning about the different aspects of religion and what people believe in.
You're typically stuck between being A: a believer or B: a non-believer/atheist/agnostic. Lots of atheists, in fact many of them would argue that believing in God is like believing in fairies or the supernatural, and essentially, the whole thing is rather childish. Believers would argue that you need religion for a sense of morality, to have salvation, to do good. Boton says it's too easy for non-believers to dismiss religion like that, so instead, he introduces a new version of atheism, Atheism 2.0. The very basic premise of this "new" atheism is that of course there's no God. And of course there aren't any deities or supernatural beings. But that's only the very beginning, you're barely scratching the surface.
But before he goes any further, he explores the thought behind the "people who are attracted to the ritualistic, the moralistic, communal side of religion, but can't bear the doctrine." And he says that until now, those people have faced the choice of accepting the doctrine and having the "nice stuff" or rejecting the doctrine and living in a "spiritual wasteland." And it's a tough choice that many non-believers and believers alike don't like to make, but Boton says we don't have to make that choice. He continues on and says that there's nothing wrong with picking, mixing, and taking out the best sides of religion, and for him, that's what Atheism 2.0 is about. The secular (non-religious) world isn't perfect, there are many holes and faults in it. And by having a thorough study on religion(s), it could provide us insight on the areas of life that aren't going too well; it could fill in the holes and gaps in our secular world.
One of the points that Boton brought up that I thought was interesting was the difference between a sermon and lecture. A sermon was (and still is) the non-secular/religious way of delivering information, and the lecture is of course, our own secular version. And Boton says the only difference between the two is that a sermon wants to change your life and a lecture wants to give you a bit of information. So Boton goes on and tells the audience how religion can affect different aspects or fields of life like education, art, business, and even how we speak.
So finally, Boton ends with this, "There is something to learn from the example of religion. Even if you don't believe in it." Religion is not something that we can just dissect a layer of and learn everything about it. It's been built upon layers and layers of different cultures and views and it's far more complicated than it seems. This makes me think about what aspects of the "atheist world" should believers adopt and vice versa. And like Boton says, "Religions are so subtle, so complicated, so intelligent in many ways that they're not fit to be abandoned to the religious alone; they're for all of us."
This Talk is by far one of the best ones I watched so far and ties with "The Power of Introverts" for the best Talk. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning about the different aspects of religion and what people believe in.