Rog, all
> Rog
> PS -- The MORE MORAL course, imo, would be for them to find ways to protect and preserve their culture while absorbing the better elements of western
> culture and while spreading the better elements of their culture to others.
> By resorting to violence and destruction, they have only managed to lower
> Quality in the Universe.
3WE
Unfortunately it appears that the part of the terrorist culture they are
trying to preserve is the "power of authority" to which 'freedom' is THE
ENEMY. To borrow the title from Karen Armstrong's book this might be
"The [Ultimate] Battle for God" While politicians, on all sides, have
tried to assure everyone that this event has "nothing to do with
religion" , particularly Islam, not only am I not convinced, I find this
denial more terrorizing than the act.
Make no doubt about it this is yet another battle in the ongoing war of
reform and reconcilation between the Abramamic religions and cultures
that has been ongoing for thousands of years. In a nutshell the battle
is between the fundamentalist, authoritarian, catholic, interpretation
of God and the reformed, individualist, interpretation of God. And
there are large factions and blends of each of these groups in
Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faithful worldwide.
While I can't recall any indepth discussion about "God" per se in
Pirsig's books my early impression, (which I tacked on the the end of my
first submission to the MoQ website years ago) which I believe even more
strongly now, is that:
There is a crying need (currently in the wailing phase) for a
metaphysical foundation which could transcend and support all the world
religions (including the scientific ones). The MoQ, or something like
it, has that potential.
First at its core it claims that all experience is dynamic and mystical-
continuously changing, beyond complete understanding, awe inspiring,
ineffable, noetic, transcendent- just as all major religious traditions do.
But it stops , as the Buddahists do, just short of naming who is
responsible for this or how this is so. It just is. Believe it! And,
instead claims that the seeking of this dynamic, mystical experience is
good.
And the authority of religion is limited, limited to the social level.
Seeking the dynamic or the mystical is an individual endeavor and in
order to reach it one must go though and beyond the intellect. Develop
and subsume the intellect. The primary role of religion is to enable
this process. When it uses its authority to limit or stiffle this
process it is morally corrupt, when it follows this path it is good.
3WD
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