Re: MD Sit on my faith.

From: Steve Peterson (peterson.steve@verizon.net)
Date: Sat Dec 13 2003 - 15:05:29 GMT

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    Hi Mark, Scott, Khoo Hock Aun, all

    Mark said:
    > From what you have written, i now understand that it is not possible to define
    > a Christian or a Buddhist.

    I used to argue with my wife who is Catholic that she is not really a
    Catholic. (What nerve! ) I would explain to her that her beliefs are more
    consistent with this or that Protestant denomination or other religion, but
    she would still insist that she was Catholic. I finally realized that what
    defines her as a Catholic is simply that she identifies with Catholicism.
    For her it runs deeper than her intellectual beliefs, especially since she
    is Latin American. It is in her blood, she says.

    I recently read a book (which I highly recommend) called Life of Pi where
    the narrator describes his identity with his religion in this way:

    "I am a Hindu because of sculptured cones of red kumkum powder and baskets
    of yellow turmeric nuggets, because of garlands of flowers and pieces of
    broken coconut, because of the clanging of bells to announce one's arrival
    to God, because of the whine of the reedy nadaswaram and the beating of
    drums, because of the patter of bare feet against stone floors down dark
    corridors pierced by shafts of sunlight, because of the fragrance of
    incense, because of the flames of arati lamps circling in the darkness,
    because of bhajans being sweetly sung, because of elephants standing around
    to bless, because of foreheads carrying, variously signified, the same
    word--faith. I became loyal to these sense impressions even before I knew
    what they meant or what they were for."

    Intellectuals miss the point when they think of a religion as a set of
    beliefs to be affirmed or denied. Like Pirsig's statement on metaphysics, a
    list of religious beliefs would be like the "restaurant where they hand you
    a 30,000 page menu and no food."

    Regards,
    Steve

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