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June 30, 2006 When Dan Brown wrote his mediocre novel full of suspense, espionage, lust, romance, power and money he was tapping into a popular preoccupation with conspiracy theories that intrigue the imagination and fuels our fascination for mystery. Before he popularized this dark story of passion, greed and sabotage, very few had ever even heard of Opus Dei or any other cryptic references to Catholicism and the theory about the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene was only a remote figment of delusional imaginations. Now this make-believe story has been made into a major motion picture and as a result our perception of faith, fact and fiction is seriously challenged. It is amazing how many people are willing to suspend disbelief in favor of the delusion that what someone created in a work of fiction might actually be true. This is especially so when the subject matter is something we traditionally believe to be sacred. Whether or not we truly practice this kind of veneration is beside the point. The seduction of our senses by overwhelming curiosity is a thrill few can resist. Therefore we suspend logic and reason in order to fully revel in the adrenaline narcosis of fear and discovery. In some cases our curiosity about the unknown has served us well and we make important discoveries about the universe that enhance our lives in the long run. However, this lack of caution can also have fatal consequences. It is this balancing act between fear and curiosity that makes us uniquely human. It is our human nature that gives us the power to alter our evolution like no other species yet the dangers inherent in this ability demand diligent observance of logic and reason. This is the human paradox. In simple layman's terms we need to be very careful about what we believe and whether or not it's true. For instance, it may be true that we don't know if Jesus was married or not but we shouldn't rush to fill in this missing piece of his biography just because it sounds intriguing. Furthermore, the context of this story is purely fictional and any conclusion we draw needs to recognize the proper role of this kind of literature. It is not a reliable source of accurage knowledge or truth. This is not to say there aren't elements of the story that are true. There certainly are but they tend to only be props to support the plot of the story. This is also a good example of how important it is to distinguish between mere fiction and hard facts. While a novelist may indeed use elements of truth to enhance their storyline, science cannot afford to be misunderstood. A historian or an archaeologist or any other profession seeking accurate knowledge must be brutally honest when evaluating evidence from the past. Preconceived ideas are dangerous if they blind us to what the cold, hard evidence is saying. Hence the basic weakness of religious belief. If something cannot be proven or experienced, it cannot be true. But religion only demands devotion without question. This can only lead to the tyranny of ignorance which proves that religion is nothing more than myth disguised as truth. If allowed to prevail this religious bigotry can only lead us down a path of blind obedience culminating in certain destruction. The remedy can only be a sincere pursuit of truth and nothing but the truth. By employing reason and logic we discover knowledge which leads to truth and this will be the only way humanity will ever save itself from complete annihilation. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell lives in a small town in Oregon where he was a fundamentalist, born-again, evangelical Christian for over 35 years. After many years of questioning and research he has finally become an agnostic. He has written a book entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book" and it tells the history and origins of the Bible. It's the only book on the market that takes the Bible from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation and explores who wrote it, where it came from and how it all got put together. It's the 21st century. Isn't it time you knew the truth about the Bible? This book is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks and Amazon.com. Read it and tell me what you think! After all, I could be wrong! Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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