If you read the whole passage where this quote has originated, you will get a different idea. It's not like there is no god and by extension it never existed. Instead, the passage asserts that God did exist at certain point of time, but then he died and so there is no god as of the moment of writing of the abovementioned passage.
If you read further, then you can further grasp that in these passages God is something of a driving idea of society. Something that directs society forward towards some goal. A god like this existed in Middle Ages and during Renaissance, but by 19th century he ceased to exist and now there is a void in his place. Void that at various times was attempted to be filled by communists (in USSR during and after Stalin) and many others. None of them have succeeded.
Some believe that the void left by God has to be replaced with something else, some new god. I personally inclined to think that humanity simply outgrown god. For a Medieval human god and Catholic Church was something that brought civilization, education, knowledge and better quality of life. It was a broadly positive influence over the savage humans, that humanity was back them.
Modern humanity is rather different, however. Now civilization is part of everyday life, we have education, knowledge and quality of life without God or the Church. However, while we as humanity grew and improved, Church went the other way around.
Church became backward, superstitious. While once championing education and creating universities, it now clings to dogma and resist modernity. Religious people fervently oppose science, from the most learned people in Middle Ages, the religious people today are the most backward ones instead.
During Middle Ages monks and priest were the only people who could write or read and even Kings had to rely on them for these now ubiquitous skills. Back then Church and its members were actually useful to society. They administer the state on behalf of the kings, made all the books, funded universities, even brew vine and beer for people. Without them society will not have these many other things that make civilization. Back them Church was also innovative. Monks invented many new things that improved lives of people around them.
Finally, Church was politically left. Priest would oppose tyrannical Kings the same way modern democracy activists oppose dictators today and sometimes will be killed for that by the said Kings. That will be followed by an excommunication by the Pope, much like modern Western nations sanction dictators who repress their people. History repeats itself in curious ways.
Modern Church does nothing of the above, it just sits on the laurels, oppose modernity and preaches "moral" that increasingly makes no sense. As an institution it became an equivalent of an old person who is stuck in the past, no longer capable of doing anything, but thinks of themselves as a "moral guide" for younger generations. From house of innovation Church became the abode of reactionaries who keep talking about brining past back. Christianity now is an inversion of its former self.
You can see parallels of this development in communists, who used to be innovative, and progress driven, but by now became senile reactionaries who oppose all change, whitewash the time they were in power and hope to bring them back.
In light of all that is no wonder that people increasingly abandon their "faith" and become atheists, agnostics, irreligious or spiritual. Modern Church no longer does anything useful to anyone. Its "moral" role is as overrated as that of an average 90 years old.
Nonetheless Church was moribund and senile for several centuries already, why people turning away from it only now. The answer is that life has changed, and people no longer think that core Christian characters like Jesus or God are lovable or inspiring.
Back in the days story of Jesus inspired people. They actually loved him; they thought he was awesome. To them Jesus was like a superman who can solve any problem, cure ill, create food, stand up for the common people against Romans or Jewish clergy and more. They certainly wished that someone like him was real and will go and solve all their problems. Jesus could even defeat death by curing Lazarus and then rising from the dead after being crucified.
All that was very impressive in the eyes of Medieval man and so they believed because they truly wished he was real. Medieval people would want to meet Jesus and ask him to fix their lives too. That is why they would pray in hope he will listen and fix their problems.
Not only it was impressive, but it also addressed many of the problems, people of the past had. Not enough food, Jesus could conjure some. Death and disease, Jesus can cure. Jesus could deal with profiteering too.
Thanks to technological development all that is hardly impressive in the eyes of modern man. Instead, modern people will find it repulsive to display crucifixions as they depict an agonising man tortured to near death. Crosses extensively used in cemeteries and by now firmly associated with the cemetery. Love for Jesus sound too homosexual for modern men as majority are not gay.
All in all, modern people would vary of talking to Jesus and most will likely try to avoid him if he suddenly appeared on the streets today. Even those who will talk to him will likely do it out of curiosity rather than awe.
Miracles he performed sound either too trivial or too fake. Modern people know science and so they could not be easily impressed with a few tricks. Modern doctors will likely be able to cure Lazarus. They will also not pronounce Jesus dead on the cross as they will be able to feel his pulse and confirm it with electrocardiogram.
God himself was not spared either. Back in the days people probably found certain paternalistic comfort in thought that God is watching them like a loving parent. Pope's title as well as addressing priests as father further hints towards this theory.
Modern people who often have problematic and dysfunctional families do not find the same comfort in paternalistic god. They more likely think of him as a creepy stalker. Recent issue with NSA surveillance makes problem even worse as God is essentially supernatural NSA in that regard.
Virgin Mary's story, that perhaps was an ideal mother for the people of the past, looks more like an adulteress in the eyes of modern man. People no longer dream of having children and often suspect that their wives cheat on them with outsiders to be inspired by Virgin Mary's story. No one wants to be a cuckold.
Finally, priest's holy and respectable status attracted crooks who wanted to use it as a cover for their nefarious actions. Eventually these actions destroyed reputation of Christianity itself. Recent paedophile scandals among priests come to mind, but even long before that corruption of Borgias and many other priests already damaged the Church. Paedophile priests were the final nail.
All of the above clearly indicates that God is indeed dead. Christianity no longer inspires but rather intimidates people with a creepy by modern standards narrative and imaginary. It also does not give people anything valuable that will make them come to priests and churches. Modern attempts at religious revival at pathetic at best and completely pointless at worst. People could no longer believe in God or Jesus. Neither could they trust priests or institution of the church.
Religion come and go. Roman religion was at one point replaced by Christianity. Christianity had its time in the sun and contributed a lot to a civilization. However, that was long ago. By now Christianity run its course and no longer capable of anything worthwhile. By now it's a moribund sclerotic religion that lost almost all its followers. Time has come to close the door on its existence.
As for what can replace Christianity then there is hardly any cohesive answer. In fact, different aspects of what Christianity used to do is now done by different institutions. Education and science are their own distinct spheres of live, unconnected to religion. So is government bureaucracy that replaced administrative clergy. Entertainment industry now creates characters that people love and who inspire them. Finally, internet and community centers connect people like never before. There is no role for Christianity left, it's time for it to go.
Since everything that religion once done is now done by other structures, we no longer need church in our lives. It's time we phased out religious institutions from our life and make that final step into the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment