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AR 26:45 - 'Truth always profits from a collision with falsehood'
In this issue:
ATHEISM - "the mass of a single dime" and its phenomenal meaning for the entire universe
WITCHCRAFT - "Why we need a Pagan Seminary"
WOKEISM - "a great film for ... anyone trying to make sense of the postmodern morass"
Apologia Report 26:45 (1,550)
November 24, 2021
ATHEISM
Is Atheism Dead?, by Eric Metaxas [2] -- in the face of a majority of readers' high ratings on Amazon, Publishers Weekly (Aug 23 '21) pans: "Conservative radio host Eric Metaxas attempts to put a new spin on Nietzsche's classic question - 'Is God dead?' - by suggesting the answer is an emphatic 'No.' Metaxas's argument boils down to three components: the 'fine tuning' theory (a glorified rehashing of intelligent design), archaeological facts as proof of the Christian Bible, and a consideration of what he believes to be the failings of atheism as a whole. Metaxas does employ the proper awe at some of the scientific facts pointing to the existence of a God - namely the stunning fact that if the universe were lighter or denser by the mass of a single dime, life on Earth (as we know it) wouldn't be possible. However, there is an unfortunate righteousness in Metaxas's approach which undercuts the strength of his arguments. Between questioning the accuracy of the history of the Crusades and referring to Quakers as 'violent and bloodthirsty' compared to other Christian groups, the book often wavers from suggesting the death of atheism to suggest the universe has one creator in the father of Jesus Christ (within the evangelical perspective). Even while posing a piquant question that yields abstract and profound answers, Metaxas is unable to get out of his own way. Those looking for an evenhanded treatment of the complex philosophical issues involved in echoing the existence of God should look elsewhere." <www.ow.ly/lBcRE>
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WITCHCRAFT
"Why we need a Pagan Seminary" by Lyn Baylis, Chair of the Pagan Seminary (Witchcraft & Wicca magazine [UK], 34 - 2020, pp36-40) -- [Just FYI: Other than for the sake of clarity, little effort has been made to revise grammar or spelling from that of the original.]
"Our biggest aim and probably one we will not achieve for a while is to establish a centre. A place where Pagans, Druids, Heathens, Wiccans, Shamans, Followers of Earth Centered or Ancient Wisdoms, the Craft, or Nature Based Spirituality can all come together."
Baylis, a former "prison chaplain for 8 years and a Hospital chaplin for 5 years," continues: "We already have Chaplains working in the community, in Hospitals, Hospices, Prisons and a few other institutions, most of them, are at a huge disadvantage compared to those from other beliefs or religious affiliations. We do not have a comprehensive infrastructure or same training systems in place. ...
"People have told us that setting up a Pagan Seminary will instigate a hierarchy which they do not want! Neither do we.
"But there are people already working within and for our society every day. ... [W]e should at least give them the chance to update their [skills] and to have the necessary back up should it be needed.
"Why are we using the word Chaplain? We use the word chaplain to denote any spiritual person across all of our beliefs as it is the one word that everyone understands and it has no negative connotations. ... With a properly structured and recognised training program [others] would be able to call themselves chaplains and be treated as equals, and acknowledged as such by other spiritualities and religious institutions. ...
"Who are we? We are a community of 10 like minded individuals who are dedicated to ensuring that our community has the ability to access spiritual help and guidance in the same way as all other belief systems. Our committee is structured to include representatives from the major pagan paths....
"The training facility we are setting up will improve the quality of service available to our community...." The seminary's first course "will cover no only the fundamentals of rites of passage and that are covered by celebrant courses, but will look at the deeper issues for example safeguarding our people.... Giving them expert knowledge to recognise and help with issues around domestic violence, FGM [female genital mutilation], mental health, gender, age, colour, ethnicity, and the ability to understand and deal if necessary with extremists of any type." <www.bit.ly/3clSoDw>
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WOKEISM
This year's documentary film, Better Left Unsaid [1], notes that it's generally clear when the Right crosses the line into extremism, but "where is that ideological line of extremism for the left-wing?" The film's promotional site <betterleftunsaidfilm.com> explains that the premise behind the production "lies in the unconfined analysis of the often violent extremism of today’s Western political landscape. As liberal democracy becomes increasingly challenged in the West, we expose the dangerous tactics employed by the radical-left and far-right, alike. In a world where political polarization frames the way in which we live, a new path forward of unity is needed more than ever before. The value of the film lies in its impact, brevity and digestibility - as we confront the philosophical underpinnings of the radical left and their extreme right counterpart."
The missliberty.com site describes it as "A critical look at the social justice movement and its drift into anti-liberal and often violent extremism."
Terrell Clemmons reviews the film for Salvo (57 - 2021) and asks "were the demands of the extreme left simply the price of progress?" Filmmaker Curt Jaimungal "considered himself moderately left of center politically, but what he was seeing was something altogether foreign to the liberal values he'd always associated with the left. ... What delineates the moderate left from the extreme left? When does the left go too far?"
Clemmons calls it "a fast-paced documentary that combines interviews, news clips, and Curt's own analysis into a fascinating foray into the world of ideas, complete with snazzy digital animations to help you visualize the concepts as he 'thinks out loud.' ...
"The film is organized into four chapters. Chapters one and two cover the decade of the 2010s, when we saw a radical strain of politics emerge. ... To hear them tell it, their political opponents are so bigoted and so racist, there's no point talking with them, no reason to even allow them a hearing. Physical force is not only acceptable, it's the only thing that works." Jaimungal "walks us through some shifts that have taken place in academia."
Along the way, the film reveals redefined terms like systemic racism, which "brings about a wholesale overhaul of what counts as racism." Similarly, social constructivism, "or the notion of socially constructed truth, is a product of radical skepticism predicated on the belief that there is no enduring, absolute truth about the world."
Better Left Unsaid "doesn't dismiss incoming ideas with any shallow reaction. [It] barely even presents arguments to the contrary. Rather, [it] extends to them the dignity of being taken seriously. [It] thoroughly examines what is being said and meticulously strings out the logic of it, analyzing its tenets all the way down to their philosophical roots. Or lack thereof...."
The film postulates "if social constructivism is true, then Marxism itself, along with all its derivatives, is a social construct. This means that systemic racism, too, is a social construct. And it gets worse. In the very act of asserting that social constructivism is true, social constructivists are presupposing the existence of absolute truth. 'You can't make a truth claim denying the existence of truth,' Curt says flatly. 'That's a contradiction.'"
Clemmons adds: "The ideological basis of the SJL [Social Justice Left] is, at root, incoherent. ...
"Chapters one and two also show several examples of SJL closed-mindedness, circular reasoning, and specious manipulation of language such that SJL activists are always 'right' and everyone else 'wrong.' ...
"Chapter three takes up a third question. Does identity politics lead to totalitarianism? ... [BLU] delivers a philosophical history lesson that shows how class-based determinations of guilt and innocence did, in fact, lead to mass murder. ...
"Chapter four warns of danger ahead if the oppression narrative and group-based politics are not checked. ... [Jaimungal explains:] 'We don't all want the same thing. "We actually want different outcomes and obey different rules." What it came down to was a difference in values. ...
"Shared values are necessary for holding a society together." And, as Jaimungal sees it, "this dilemma is the unfortunate but inevitable consequence of the modern science and religion divide.
"Now, if you've been reading Salvo, you know there is no real divide between science and faith and that his dilemma is perfectly resolvable. Nevertheless, although Better Left Unsaid signs off on that glitch.... If Better Left Unsaid leads to nothing more than well-meaning moderates rejecting the dictates of the SJL in favor of conserving free speech and open debate, Curt's efforts will have been well spent, in my book. ...
"[Jaimungal's] dilemma is the dilemma of anyone raised on postmodernism yet hungry for transcendent truth. The existential questions he raises veritably beg for reasoned explanations of the Christian faith. ...
"Better Left Unsaid is a great film for parents and youth pastors to watch with their kids and for you and me to see with anyone trying to make sense of the postmodern morass we find ourselves trying to navigate."
Clemmons wraps it all up with one of the best concluding lines we've seen: "Truth will always profit from its collision with falsehood." <www.bit.ly/3no6w5I>
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SOURCES: Films
1 - Better Left Unsaid: Directors, Desh Amila and Curt Jaimungal; Stars Daniel Bonevac, Noam Chomsky, Janice Fiamengo <www.bit.ly/3HIMTgD> 91 min
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SOURCES: Monographs
2 - Is Atheism Dead?, by Eric Metaxas (Salem, 2021, hardcover, 432 pages) <www.bit.ly/3wPqSYE>
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