Chapter 28 5. My Faith

I have never liked boring philosophical theories and philosophical terms, such as Plato's "image", Spinoza's "essence", "noumenon", "attribute", Kant's "supreme command", etc., which always make me Thoughts of skeptical philosophy have turned to the horns.Once the system of philosophical theories is too pleasant and the logic is too fascinating, I will inevitably be suspicious.Philosophical systems that are self-satisfied and logically dull, such as Hei Zhier's philosophy of history and Calvin's theory of the degeneration of human nature, just make me laugh.After all, political doctrines, such as popular fascism and communism, are simply nonsense.However, between the two, communism still attracts my respect more, because in terms of ideals, after all, its main purpose is to love the common people; as for fascism, it basically looks down on the common people.Both are products of Western intellectualism, and both seem to me to lack the spirit of self-control and self-denial.

I am quite patient in scientific research and analysis of trivial matters in life; but I am very tired of analyzing philosophical theories that are too detailed.Although, no matter science, religion, or philosophy, if expressed in simple words, it can fascinate me.In fact, to put it more briefly, science is nothing more than curiosity about life, religion is reverence for life, literature is appreciation for life, and art is appreciation for life; , is called philosophy.When I first entered university, I didn't know what was called liberal arts and what was called science, but it was a pity that I had to choose one of the two.Although I chose liberal arts, I always felt that this was a mistake.I have always been fond of science, so I also pay attention to scientific inquiry to make up for my lack.If it is true that science is a sense of curiosity about life and the universe, then I can also be said to be a scientist.At the same time, I am devout, so the so-called "religion" often confuses me.Although I am the son of a pastor, this difference cannot fully explain my attitude.

As an ordinary educated person, I have tried to adopt a harmonious and consistent attitude towards life, life, society, the universe, and creation.Although I naturally distrust the theoretical system of philosophy, this does not mean that I cannot have a harmonious and consistent attitude towards life-such as money, marriage, success, family, patriotism, politics, etc.I thought, however, that knowing the inadequacy of a solid philosophical system made it easier to adopt a closer, consistent, and harmonious view of life. I know very well that science has its limits, but I worship science, and I always let scientists work carefully and conscientiously. I firmly believe that he is honest and reliable.I let him seek for me to discover the universe of matter, the universe of matter that I long to know.But once scientists try their best to acquire the knowledge of the material universe, I remember that people are always greater than scientists. Scientists can't tell us everything, he can't tell us the most important things, and he can't tell us the things that make people happy.I still have to rely on "conscience" (bonsens), that eighteenth-century noun that seems worth reviving.Call it "conscience", call it common sense, call it intuition or touch, in fact, it is just a kind of sincere, heartfelt, half-humorous and half-arrogant, somewhat idealistic and somewhat boring but interesting. thinking.Let the imagination run wild first, and then sneer, like a kite with its string.A human history is like flying a kite: sometimes the wind is too strong, and the rope is shortened; sometimes it gets caught in a branch, and the kite just goes straight up into pleasant space—oh, maybe not so well.

Since Galileo, the influence of science has been so wide and deep that no one of us has been immune to it.Modern human beings on creation, the universe, on the basic nature and structure of matter, on human creation and its past history, on human good and evil, on immortal soul, on crime, punishment, God's reward and punishment, and on human animals The notions of the relation of human beings, etc., have undergone great changes since Galileo.In general, I can say: In our minds, God is getting bigger and bigger, and people are getting smaller; while the body of people becomes purer, the concept of immortality is also blurred.Important concepts related to religious belief, such as God, man, sin, and eternal life (or salvation) must therefore be re-examined.

I can't help but seek how the advances in scientific knowledge can strike at religious red tape, not because I'm impious, but because I'm very interested in religion.Although the teachings on the Mount of Christ and the beauty of morality and the virtuous life are still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, we must boldly admit that the instruments of religion - the ideas on which religion operates, such as sin, hell, etc. - have become scientific. It's devastated.I think that among today's college students, there may be very few people who can really imagine hell, or even very few people.Since these basic concepts have been greatly changed, religion itself, at least in the church, will inevitably be affected.

When I said just now that God is bigger in our minds than before, but people are smaller, I meant the material aspect.Because God can only be as vast as the universe at best, and modern astronomy tells us that the material universe is becoming more and more vast, so we naturally feel a sense of dread in our hearts.The greatest enemy of religion and anthropocentric beliefs is a 200-inch telescope.A few weeks ago, I read a New York newspaper report that an astronomer had recently discovered a cluster of stars 250,000 light-years away from the earth. Ridiculous.The influence of these things on our beliefs cannot be said to be insignificant.A long time ago, I felt how small and humble I was in the eyes of the creation universe, and how perverse and arrogant methods such as destruction, punishment, and redemption were.God punishes people for their shortcomings, just as humans make laws to punish maggots and ants, or make them repent and atone for their sins, which is equally absurd and unfounded.

The concepts of retribution for good and evil, and the value and necessity of human atonement have all been changed by the progress of science and modern knowledge.The idealized antithesis of good and evil is no longer credible.Knowing that human beings evolved from lower animals and inherited the instincts of animals, I feel that the debate between good and evil in human nature is quite meaningless.We can no more accuse a human being of lust than we can blame a beaver for lust.Therefore, the mystical idea of ​​the sin of carnality on the basis of Christianity obviously loses its meaning.So the attitudes towards the body and material life that were characteristic of the medieval, priestly, and religious religions disappeared, and were replaced by a more sound and reasonable view of people and everything in the world.It's frivolous to say that God is angry with human beings for their shortcomings or because they are halfway through evolution and have not yet reached perfection.

One of the aspects of religion that irks me the most is its emphasis on sin.I don't know that my sins are serious, and I don't even realize that there is something that is not tolerated by heaven.If most people can calm down, they must have the same opinion as me.Although I am not a sage, I am quite well behaved.I am perfect legally; I am not perfect morally.But my moral shortcomings, such as lying and spreading filth from time to time, I will give him a general account and ask my mother to go to trial. At best, she can only sentence me to three years in prison. It won't be said that I was sentenced to throw myself into the frying pan at Hades' place.This is not bragging; there are very few of my friends who deserve five years in prison.If I could see my mother in the ground and be ashamed, what fear should I have before God!My mother couldn't send me to the frying pan of hell, that's all I know.I firmly believe that God must be equally sympathetic and discerning.

At the other end of the spectrum of Christian teaching is the idea of ​​the highest good.The so-called supreme good is the realm of people in the Paradise of Eden; it is also the realm of the future kingdom of heaven.What's the best?I really don't understand.The so-called ultimate good is not actually produced by the instinct of beauty.The concept of perfection is a product of the logic of Asia Minor hundreds of years after Jesus was born. It means that if we want to be with God, and if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven with God, then we are not at the point of perfection. No.Therefore, it is just a product of the thought of entering the blissful state of heaven, without any logical basis, it is purely a mysterious thought.I sincerely doubt that if Christians are not granted the kingdom of heaven, would they still wish to be a perfect person?In practical everyday life, the so-called supreme good has no meaning.Therefore, I do not agree with the idea of ​​"perfect man".The ideal person is a fairly well-behaved person who can judge right from wrong with his own opinions.In my opinion, the ideal person is nothing more than a kind person who is willing to admit his mistakes and correct his mistakes, that's all.

A belief of the kind just mentioned is too disturbing to the sincere Christian.But we are not fit to speak of the truth unless we are bold enough to speak the truth without formality.In this regard, we should learn from scientists.In general, scientists are unwilling to give up old material definitions and accept new theories, just as we are unwilling to give up old beliefs.Scientists often quarrel with new theories, but they are enlightened after all, so they finally obey their conscience to reject or accept new theories.New truths are always unsettling, as sudden lights are always unnerving to our eyes.But after our mental or material eyes are adjusted, we feel that the new situation is not so bad after all.

So what is left?There are still many, the appearance of the old religion has changed to blurred, but the religion itself is still there, and will always exist in the future.The so-called religion here refers to the sum total of faith motivated by emotion, basic devotion to life, and man's conviction of justice and purity.Some may think that by analyzing the colors of the rainbow, or by placing an artificial rainbow on a park fountain, our faith in God will disappear, and our world will become a world of unbelief.But no, the beauty of Hongni is as solid as ever.Hauni or Brook Breeze have not lost one iota of their beauty and mystery. We also have a world of simpler beliefs.I love this belief because it is simpler and more natural.The "instrument" of my salvation is gone; in fact, the purpose of my "saving" is gone.There is no more the God of the strict father, the God who inquires about our trivial matters.Theoretically related human beings are good at speaking, depravity, condemnation, punishment of human agency, and recovery of good nature, these have also been broken.Hell is gone, and heaven is gone with it.In such a philosophy of life, heaven has no place.This may make people who have heaven in their minds at a loss.In fact, it is not necessary.We still have a wondrous world, apparently physical, yet moving almost spiritually, as if divinely motivated. Human spirituality was not affected either.The realm of morality is beyond the reach of the power of the laws of physics.The understanding of Hauni is physics, but the joy of seeing Hauni belongs to the realm of morality.Understanding cannot, should not, and cannot destroy the joy of the heart.This is a world with simple beliefs. There is no need to use theology, nor to resort to groundless rewards and punishments. As long as people's hearts can still see the beauty and be happy, and they can still be moved by justice, justice and love, that's enough. It is right to be a well-behaved person and act according to the noblest and purest nature.In fact, this is also in line with the doctrine.Since we have the animal nature inherited from our ancestors—the so-called evil in the process of human evolution—we have a higher self and a lower self according to common sense.We have noble instincts and base instincts.Although we do not believe that our sins are caused by Satan, this does not mean that we must obey animal nature in our actions. Mencius said it well: "Everyone has the heart of compassion; everyone has the heart of shame; everyone has the heart of reverence; everyone has the heart of right and wrong." Mencius also said: Those who raise the big ones become adults, and those who raise the young ones become villains. In theory, materialism does not necessarily follow the disappearance of old religious concepts, but in fact materialism does follow.Because human beings are illogical animals, and human affairs are peculiar and ridiculous, in general, modern society is becoming more materialistic and farther away from religion.Religion is a consistent set of beliefs sanctioned by God, which is an involuntary emotional impulse, not a product of reason.Cold, reasonable belief is no substitute for religion.Again, religion has a long history, is deeply rooted, and has the power of tradition. If this traditional norm is lost, it is not a good thing; but in fact it has been lost.This era is not the era of Protestant leaders.We love to criticize too much.However, the power of personal belief in reasonable behavior is not as powerful as that of great religions.This kind of private belief is more than enough for a gentleman who is superior, but not enough for a villain who is inferior. We are already in an era of dilemma. The norms of Moses and Confucius both have religious meanings and methods of wisdom.But in modern society we can neither produce a Moses nor a Confucius, we can only take the path of mysticism in a broad sense, such as the one advocated by Lao Tzu.In a broad sense, mysticism is to respect the natural order between heaven and earth, let everything go its own way, and the individual melts into this natural order. The "Tao" in Taoism means this.Its meaning is so wide that it includes the most advanced cosmology of modern times and the future.It's both mysterious and realistic.Taoism adopts a lenient attitude towards materialism.From the point of view of Taoism, materialism is not evil, it is just a little dull.As for the hatred and jealousy, they are washed away with wild laughter.Taoism teaches simplicity to those who want to live in luxury; to those who live in the city, it is guided by the beauty of nature; The principle of the immortality of matter and the eternal existence of the universe is used to enlighten it.For those who go too far, teach them to use inaction as tranquility.As for the creative business, it is reconciled with the art of living.For rigidity, use softness to overcome it.For the worship of force in modern times, such as modern fascist countries, Taoism says that you are not the only smart guy in the world. Principles will eventually lead to evil results.As for Daoism's efforts towards peace, it starts with cultivating harmony. In other aspects of the religious reformation, I think the result will not be very satisfactory.My definition of religion, as I have just said, is reverence for life.All beliefs are always changing.Faith is the content of religion, so the content of religion must vary from time to time. Religious tenets are also timeless. "Observe the holy Sabbath" was regarded as an important and extraordinary dogma in the past, which must not be violated, but it is insignificant in the eyes of today's people.In today's world, a credo of "observe the sacred international treaty!" is of great benefit to the world. The dogma "Don't covet your neighbor's things" has a wide meaning in its original meaning, but it is much better and more powerful to have a separate "Don't covet your neighbor's territory" and adhere to it with religious zeal. Adding the words "do not kill people from neighboring countries" after "do not kill people" is even more progressive.These creeds should have been obeyed, but in fact they were not.Creating a religion that embraces these tenets in the modern world is no easy task.We live in an international society, but there is no international religion. We are living in a cruel age.People today are more pessimistic about themselves and mankind than the French encyclopedia 150 years ago.Compared with the past, we believe in freedom, equality and fraternity less.We are ashamed of Diderot and da Lambert.International morality has never been so bad. "It's unlucky to hand over the world to the people of 1930-1939!" future historians must write.As far as the killing of people is concerned, we have been in a barbaric age.Is it not barbaric to mechanize barbaric behavior?In this cruel age, only the detached cynicism of Taoism is not cruel.However, the world will naturally change for the better one day.Look farther away, and you won't be sad.