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View Full Version : JR overstates the case

allanb
15th April 2007, 02:00 AM
From the Commentary:

Religion, on the other hand, is set, hardened, incorrigible, dogmatic, and incapable of changing its notions.

No, it isn't. It's full of nonsense, but it does modify its nonsense from time to time. For instance, it is no longer the view of the Roman Catholic church that heretics should be burned to death, or that the earth is the immovable centre of the universe.
UnrepentantSinner
15th April 2007, 02:18 AM
I think there's some room for the nuance of language here and Randi was constrained by trying to be economical on a very nuanced subject.

Fundamentalism and fundamentalists are inflexible in their mindset.
Religion isn't flexible (the holy books say what they say) but how leadership and believers interpret their religion certainly is.
Religious believers certainly can be flexible or unwavering depending on the individuals.

That's a lot of nuance that anyone would have a hard time distilling down to one sentence, especially when he wanted to use all those adjectives. ;)
Slimething
15th April 2007, 09:50 PM
For instance, it is no longer the view of the Roman Catholic church that heretics should be burned to death, or that the earth is the immovable centre of the universe.

Don't be so sure. The RCC has lost most of it's power since Constantine. It used to basically act as a federal government over most of Europe. I am not so sure that, if the church ever regained its totalitarian power, the good ole days of witch and heretic burning wouldn't come back.
CynicalSkeptic
16th April 2007, 12:17 PM
Religion isn't flexible (the holy books say what they say) but how leadership and believers interpret their religion certainly is.
Even that isn't exactly true.
Two very quick examplts:

The Book of Mormon has changed over time:
http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/bomchanges.htm

Different translations of the bible, change things. The KJV uses "unicorn" where the NIV uses "wild ox"
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2023:22;&version=9;
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2023:22;&version=31;
UnrepentantSinner
16th April 2007, 06:32 PM
Even that isn't exactly true.

Pedant. :D I meant that once canon become canon for a particular sect, it tends to stay that way. Translations of course are another issue. Good point about the BoM, I wasn't aware of that. Looks like Joseph Smith needed to adjust the settings on his Uma and Thurman when he had the gold plates.