Reply To: The Strong See Brutalizing the Weak As Their Prerogative. Only the…

[Simon Paynton]

“self-examination”  – I think this is a very relevant question.  The religions have a reputation for dogmatism and discouraging free thinking.  I think Christianity comes out of it better than Islam, perhaps because the Bible is acknowledged to have been written by people, while the Qu’ran is supposed to have been literally dictated word for word by God himself.  So Christianity is perhaps more open to self-examination, and leeway, than Islam.

Rationality is inherently anti-authoritarian and free-thinking; anything else is frowned upon as bad practice, because we can’t be fully rational if we’re not allowed to think.  QED.  Self-examination is seen as a healthy way to get nearer and nearer to accurate knowledge and ideas (“truth”).

There is something very healthy about basing our beliefs in free-thinking, self-examining rationality, while it can be deadening, and toxic, when the answer is “God said so, and that settles it, and if you disagree, that means you’re EVIL”.  The problem is that those texts might not have been as well thought through as they would be now, and God says basically whatever you want him to (especially if you’re a man).