From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Sun Mar 09 2003 - 01:26:07 GMT
Sam and y'all:
DMB had said:
Again, I reject the notion that any judgement of value is theocratic.
Sam replied:
Do you have a word that could be used to describe the intellectual
evaluation of systems of value? That's what I think theology is, you see.
DMB now says:
Oh. I see. The word I'd use "to describe the intellectual evaluation of
systems of value" or just about anything else is "PHILOSOPHY". You can call
that theology if you like, but I think that is extremely misleading and
confusing. As I understand it, philosophy and theology are two different
things. THEOLOGY: noun. 1.)The field of study that treats of God and God's
attributes and relations to the universe; study of divine things or
religious truth; divinity. 2.) A particular form, system, branch or course
of this study. By contrast, according to the OXFORD COMPANION, philosophy is
thinking about thinking. As I already mentioned, it is certainly possible to
get philosophical about religion, to systematically analyze our thoughts
about the divine, to compare the various theologies. But when the discussion
turns to matters like "the fall" or "the trinity" we're back at the social
level and, philosophically speaking, these notions have no meaning. Remember
Pirisg's distinction? The intellectual can only grasp these things as
symbols, while the theologian says they are ACTUALLY true.
DMB had said:
I think I really do understand what you're saying. You say it better than
most, but I've heard it many times before.
Sam replied:
Rush Limbaugh again?
DMB says:
As far as I know, Rush doesn't say much about God. And maybe things really
are quite different in merry old England, but here in the USA religious
concerns, and specificaly a rejection of the seperation of church and state,
has dominated the conservative "intellectuals" since world war two. I
suppose this offers little consolation, but I was thinking of guys like
Scalia, Buckley and Bozell.
Sam said:
BTW I've just received my copy of the Kingsley book. I'll let you know how I
get on with it.
DMB says:
I hope you like it as much as I did. There is a new book by Campbell that
really seems to get at many of the issues we've been discussing. He died in
1987, but scholars are now assembling his lectures and papers into books.
This one is called "THOU ART THAT: Transforming Religious Metaphor". It is
one of a pile of books I recieved as a gift and so I haven't yet read it,
but thumbed through it enough to get the gist.
Thanks for your time.
DMB
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