A Proper Religion

A proper religion must properly speak to human nature, and in Socratic fashion we should study human nature, if for no other reason than to ensure that we get the biggest questions of all right, the question of everything and the question of the direction of our entire lives. The question of the subject and the object.

In examining human nature an obvious observation we make is that we have desires. Buddhism tells us to silence our desires, in their third noble truth. There is merit to this. Suppose I see a cookie while I'm trying to lose weight; my desire tells me one thing and my reason tells me the opposite; when reason and desire are at war, and I listen to my desire, I receive a moment of pleasure but a month of despair. Buddhism gets it right when they cast suspicion on the person being led by desire.

Whenever we listen to desire, it only serves to increase our desire. This must be one of the most basic things of the human condition. If I get a new house, soon I wish I had a bigger house, if I get a new car, a year later I want a nicer car, when I get a promotion, I soon thereafter want another promotion, if I get a raise, that's quickly not enough for me. I desire, and subsequently acquire, only to desire something greater. Thus, we're in an endless process of desire and acquire then desire and acquire yet again, only to desire and acquire even further. I want to argue that this process doesn't end, until we desire, and subsequently acquire, that which is infinitely great; God. Buddhists argue we must cease desiring altogether.

I think there are two criticisms of the Buddhist answer to our human condition, one is logical, and the other is passionate. Like the two strands of philosophy, the analytics who study logic and science, and the continentals who study desire and context.

First, Mr. Spock's logical criticism. How can you perpetually eliminate the desires without desiring to do so? How can you follow the 8-fold path without craving to follow it? It strikes Western philosophers as a self-contradiction, to want to have a life of not wanting, and as a self-contradiction it's impossible.

Second, Dr. McCoy's emotional criticism. Suppose you do manage to eliminate passions, you no longer are empty, but you're certainly not filled. You no longer hate, but you no longer love either. You no longer feel unsatisfied passion, but you also don't feel satisfied passion. You no longer feel the emptiness of not having, but you don't feel the joy of the chase. This criticism of Buddhism boils down to, it's simply not a religion that is desirable.

The proper religion is the synthesis, Captain Kirk, who must end this war of love and reason from his top officers. This is the view of desiring the infinitely great. Stealing a thought from C.S. Lewis, passion, most clearly seen in that beautiful sea of poetry found pre-Christian Pagan mythology, meets reason, championed in post-Christian scientific rationalism. Everything Lewis loved, prior to his conversion, was contrary to what he believed was literally true. The problem with the beautiful sea of poetry is that there is a such a thing as reason, which we must follow. The difficulty with the glib, bland, brutal, uncaring nature of scientific rationalism is that it is empty, it speaks of atoms randomly clashing together, but there really is beauty in life, there is value beyond our own subjective valueless valuations; there is such a thing as objective purpose, my human nature speaks of “oughts” and “ought nots” beyond my own invented “oughts”, these seem every bit a part of our human nature as desire does. We need a philosophy that champions logic, or dare say the Logos (that divine mind often translated as Word), that isn't afraid to stand up to our passions, but we also need a philosophy that gives us love, and meaning with purpose. God, if He is God, must be both Logos and love. A proper religion is the religion of the Logos, who is love.

John wrote truly in his gospel and his letter:

“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God” -John 1:1

“God is love” -1 John 4:16