Sep. 11th, 2002

sophiaserpentia: (Default)
This was a comment I posted in the [livejournal.com profile] religiousdebate group, but which I want to copy here for posterity.
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Our nature comes from the fact that we are primates.

Primates, just like other kinds of intelligent carnivorous mammals - felines, canines, cetaceans, etc. - are capable of cruelty (violence for the sake of sport or pleasure). This comes out in many ways, both overt and subtle.

Primates are also very social animals with fairly rigid heirarchies but also strong cooperation instincts.

Desmond Morris hit on something very powerful when he noted, in The Naked Ape and its sequel The Human Zoo, that many of the things humans do which religion has traditionally called sinful are elements of natural primate behavior that are counter to the intense kinds of cooperation that enabled agriculture and civilization.

For example, primates are in general non-monogamous, and humans have strong natural tendencies in this regard as well. However, strong pair-bonding between male and female is necessary for raising children, especially in post-tribal agricultural or urban societies. So marriage is largely a survival strategy.

A really interesting example here is that polygamy is favorable economically in agricultural settings, where large numbers of children are needed, while monogamy is favorable economically in urban settings, where children become more of a hindrance. Historically, societies have favored, allowed, or tolerated polygamy until a large portion of the population was urban -- in which case a shift towards expected monogamy occured. Contrast the situation in ancient Judea, which traditionally allowed polygamy, with the situation in classical Greece and Rome, which was heavily urbanized and which favored monogamous marriage. When Judea too became heavily urbanized, a shift towards favoring monogamy took place -- and was particularly reflected in early Christian morality.

Agricultural societies are also historically much more likely to look unfavorably upon homosexuality, which could be seen from an economic viewpoint as denying society the benefit of one's reproductive capability. Tolerance towards homosexuality has only evolved in urban settings, where reproduction is not a social duty.

So, a case could be made that moral codes reflect the economic and emotional needs of human beings. If this is the case, then we do ourselves a disservice by remaining tied to ancient moral codes.
sophiaserpentia: (Default)
'WASHINGTON, DC -- Vice-President Dick Cheney issued a stern admonishment to President Bush Tuesday, telling the overeager chief executive that he didn't want to hear "so much as the word 'Iraq'" for the rest of the day.

'"I told him, 'Listen, George, I promise we're going to invade Iraq, but you have to be patient,'" Cheney said. "'We need a halfway plausible casus belli. You know that, George. Now, stop bugging me about it.'"

'" ...Last Thursday, I nearly ran him over as I was coming out of a debriefing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Cheney said. "So he says, 'I was thinking of maybe talking to [CIA director] George Tenet, because the CIA helped spark that Kurdish uprising in '96, so maybe we could do something like that again with Iraq.' I said, 'George, I'm doing everything I possibly can to set things up for an Iraq invasion. Try to think about something else -- health-care reform, the economy, anything -- before I strangle you.'"

From The Onion: Bush Won't Stop Asking Cheney If We Can Invade Yet
sophiaserpentia: (Default)
The Onion has, over the years, published some of the best religious and theological satire around.

Read some of my favorites )
sophiaserpentia: (Default)
February 11, 1866. "PEACE! Lincoln, Davis Sign Treaty Ending War. Union to Formally Recognize Secession of 11 States."

April 14, 1914. "CSA President Annouces Formation of 'Homelands' For Freed Slaves In Georgia, Florida. Freed Slaves Denied CSA Citizenship."

November 19, 1919. "Riots In Washington, New York, Chicago Subside; Socialists Declare Victory, Mobilize Militias To Restore Peace"

March 16, 1927. "President Sanger To Sign Trade, Defense Pact With Soviets. 'Closer Ties Mean More Jobs, Security'"

April 14, 1936. "CSA Receiving Arms, Aid From Nazis."

November 11, 1938. "Another Night of Riots In Georgia Homelands; President Denies Smuggling Arms to Black Rebel Groups"

September 2, 1939. "War in Europe! Germany Invades Poland."

January 6, 1941. "Presidents of SSA, CSA to Meet, Discuss Rising Tensions."

July 26, 1941. "CSA Battleships Block New York Harbor, Confiscate Shipments of Aid Meant For Soviets."

December 8, 1941. "Invasion! Confederate Troops Cross Potomac, Enter Eastern Kentucky."

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