Far From Zion

Great Line

I love this line from Terry Eagelton:

When Christopher Hitchens declares that given the emergence of “the telescope and the microscope” religion “no longer offers an explanation of anything important,” Eagleton replies, “But Christianity was never meant to be an explanation of anything in the first place. It’s rather like saying that thanks to the electric toaster we can forget about Chekhov.” (via NY Times)

It reminds me of the debate between Hitchens and David Wolpe, in which they seemed to be having two different conversations. Hitchens insited on discussing the failings of people as they (often violently) asserted their religious convictions, and Wolpe was discussing the powerful role religion itself can play in the life of people. It is no coincidence that the children I met in war zones who were faring better than others, tended to be the ones with faith, usually (though not always) religious faith. None drew on the scientific or technological accomplishments of humanity to keep them going. In fact, those accomplishments often fueled the conflict, as the quest for precious minerals to build our technology made war lords of anyone with a gun. The longing for money and power has killed far more people than religion. Purely religious wars are few and far between, and have much smaller body counts than those fought for wealth. Faith can be the antidote to the lust for material gain and can be a powerful force for good, but only when it is embraced with knowledge and with reason.

Ignornace, secular or divine, is never good for anybody.