[FRIAM] cafeteria buddhism

[glen ☣]

On 01/24/2017 02:01 PM, Pamela McCorduck wrote:
> I’d need to know which part of Biblical morality we’re talking about.

I agree.  I like the Jefferson Bible, wherein TJ tried to extract Jesus' teachings from the rest of the hooha in the Bible.  I think those teachings _might_ cohere as a standalone work.  But most of the Christians I have experience with don't really focus on Jesus.  They tend to like the Psalms, Revelations, etc.  So, it's unclear how/if we can pull out the stuff they find attractive and have it cohere.

> On 01/24/2017 10:52 AM, Marcus Daniels wrote:
>> Can the yummy parts arise as a result of a small set of principles consistent with empirical facts?   If so, they could be presented in the usual prescriptive ways for this kind of audience, and then maybe life could go on without unpleasant extinction events and that sort of thing.

My favorite mathematician Raymond Smullyan has written a few books on religion that talk quite a bit about Christianity.  He seemed to suggest that it's overall a decent system _if_ you get rid of the concept of Hell.  And I think Hitchens used to identify Hell as the most abhorrent thing about it.

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☣ glen