from
The Case for God by Karen Armstrong (2009)
But
a myth would not be effective if people simply
"believed" in it. It was essentially a program of
action. It could put you in the correct spiritual or psychological
posture, but it was up to you to take the next step. The only way
to access the value and truth of any myth was to act upon it. Myth
and ritual were thus inseparable.
Religion,
therefore, was not primarily something that people thought but
something they did. Its truth was acquired by practical action.
... There are some things that can be learned only by constant,
dedicated practice, but if you persevere, you find that you
achieve something that seemed initially impossible. ... You do not
always understand how you achieve these feats, because your mind
directs your body in a way that bypasses conscious, logical
deliberation. But somehow you learn to transcend your original
capabilities. Some of these activities bring indescribable joy. It
is a satisfaction that goes deeper than merely "feeling
good".
Religion
is a practical discipline that teaches us to discover new
capacities of mind and heart. It is no use magisterially weighing
up the teaching of religion to judge their truth or falsehood
before embarking on a religious way of life. You will discover
their truth - or lack of it - only if you translate these
doctrines into ritual or ethical action. Like any skill, religion
requires perseverance, hard work, and discipline. Some people will
be better at it than others, some appallingly inept, and some will
get nowhere at all. Religious people find it hard to explain how
their rituals and practices work, just as a skater may not be
fully conscious of the physical laws that enable her to glide over
the ice on a thin blade.
Our
scientifically oriented knowledge seeks to master reality, explain
it, and bring it under the control of reason, but a delight in
unknowing has also been part of the human experience. Even today,
poets, philosophers, mathematicians, and scientist find the
contemplation of the insoluble is a source of joy, astonishment,
and contentment. |
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