{"id":1671,"date":"2011-04-26T09:43:27","date_gmt":"2011-04-26T09:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2011-04-26T09:43:27","modified_gmt":"2011-04-26T09:43:27","slug":"creed_or_chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/?p=1671","title":{"rendered":"Creed or Chaos?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Very good opinion piece by David Brooks in the <a class=\"zem_slink\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorktimes.com\/\" title=\"New York Times\" rel=\"homepage\">New York Times<\/a>.&nbsp; He uses the new musical, &#8220;The Book of Mormon,&#8221; as his backdrop. This notion of speeding away from anything that distinguishes us or makes us peculiar or diminishes the rigors of the Faith will in the end result in nothing but decline and a faith that has little real impact on the world, particularly for the cause of Christ.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<blockquote><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A couple paragraphs:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\nThe only problem with &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bookofmormonbroadway.com\/\">The Book of Mormon<\/a>&#8221; (you realize when thinking<br \/>\nabout it later) is that its theme is not quite true. Vague, uplifting,<br \/>\nnondoctrinal religiosity doesn&#8217;t actually last. The religions that grow,<br \/>\nsuccor and motivate people to perform heroic acts of service are<br \/>\nusually theologically rigorous, arduous in practice and definite in<br \/>\ntheir convictions about what is True and False.        <\/p>\n<p>\nThat&#8217;s because people are not gods. No matter how special some<br \/>\nindividuals may think they are, they don&#8217;t have the ability to<br \/>\nunderstand the world on their own, establish rules of good conduct on<br \/>\ntheir own, impose the highest standards of conduct on their own, or<br \/>\navoid the temptations of laziness on their own.        <\/p>\n<p>\nThe religions that thrive have exactly what &#8220;The Book of Mormon&#8221;<br \/>\nridicules: communal theologies, doctrines and codes of conduct rooted in<br \/>\nclaims of absolute truth.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology provides believers with a map of reality. These maps<br \/>\nmay seem dry and schematic &#8212; most maps do compared with reality &#8212; but<br \/>\nthey contain the accumulated wisdom of thousands of co-believers who<br \/>\nthrough the centuries have faced similar journeys and trials.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology allows believers to examine the world intellectually<br \/>\nas well as emotionally. Many people want to understand the eternal logic<br \/>\nof the universe, using reason and logic to wrestle with concrete<br \/>\nassertions and teachings.        <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\" class=\"zemanta-pixie\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: medium none; float: right;\" class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/img.zemanta.com\/pixy.gif?x-id=5dcfbdde-c39a-49c6-879a-53acfe857825\" \/><span class=\"zem-script more-related pretty-attribution\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/static.zemanta.com\/readside\/loader.js\" defer=\"defer\"><\/script><\/span><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h6 class=\"kicker\">Op-Ed Columnist<\/h6>\n<h1 class=\"articleHeadline\">Creed or Chaos<\/h1>\n<h6 class=\"byline\">By <a href=\"http:\/\/topics.nytimes.com\/top\/opinion\/editorialsandoped\/oped\/columnists\/davidbrooks\/index.html?inline=nyt-per\" title=\"More Articles by David Brooks\" class=\"meta-per\">DAVID BROOKS<\/a><\/h6>\n<h6 class=\"dateline\">Published: April 21, 201<\/h6>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/04\/22\/opinion\/22brooks.html?_r=1\">Source, NYT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brooks has it right. That which is enduring, rigorous, and tried is what will in the end appeal to those who wish to understand themselves better, their world better, and the significance of their part of all creation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"articleBody\">\n<p>\nThe jolts keep coming and the audience I was part of rose up at the end<br \/>\nwith a raucous standing ovation of the sort I&#8217;ve rarely seen. There are<br \/>\nfour musical numbers that are truly fantastic, and the rest of the show<br \/>\nis clever, fast and surprisingly warm. The play is about Mormon<br \/>\nmissionaries who find themselves in an AIDS-ravaged, warlord-dominated<br \/>\nregion in Uganda. It ridicules Mormonism but not the Mormons, who are<br \/>\nloopy but ultimately admirable.        <\/p>\n<p>\nThe central theme of &#8220;The Book of Mormon&#8221; is that many religious stories<br \/>\nare silly &#8212; the idea that God would plant golden plates in upstate New<br \/>\nYork. Many religious doctrines are rigid and out of touch.        <\/p>\n<p>\nBut religion itself can do enormous good as long as people take<br \/>\nreligious teaching metaphorically and not literally; as long as people<br \/>\nunderstand that all religions ultimately preach love and service<br \/>\nunderneath their superficial particulars; as long as people practice<br \/>\ntheir faiths open-mindedly and are tolerant of different beliefs.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThis warm theme infuses the play with humanity and compassion. It also<br \/>\nplays very well to an educated American audience. Many Americans have<br \/>\nalways admired the style of belief that is spiritual but not doctrinal,<br \/>\npluralistic and not exclusive, which offers tools for serving the<br \/>\ngreater good but is not marred by intolerant theological judgments.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe only problem with &#8220;The Book of Mormon&#8221; (you realize when thinking<br \/>\nabout it later) is that its theme is not quite true. Vague, uplifting,<br \/>\nnondoctrinal religiosity doesn&#8217;t actually last. The religions that grow,<br \/>\nsuccor and motivate people to perform heroic acts of service are<br \/>\nusually theologically rigorous, arduous in practice and definite in<br \/>\ntheir convictions about what is True and False.        <\/p>\n<p>\nThat&#8217;s because people are not gods. No matter how special some<br \/>\nindividuals may think they are, they don&#8217;t have the ability to<br \/>\nunderstand the world on their own, establish rules of good conduct on<br \/>\ntheir own, impose the highest standards of conduct on their own, or<br \/>\navoid the temptations of laziness on their own.        <\/p>\n<p>\nThe religions that thrive have exactly what &#8220;The Book of Mormon&#8221;<br \/>\nridicules: communal theologies, doctrines and codes of conduct rooted in<br \/>\nclaims of absolute truth.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology provides believers with a map of reality. These maps<br \/>\nmay seem dry and schematic &#8212; most maps do compared with reality &#8212; but<br \/>\nthey contain the accumulated wisdom of thousands of co-believers who<br \/>\nthrough the centuries have faced similar journeys and trials.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology allows believers to examine the world intellectually<br \/>\nas well as emotionally. Many people want to understand the eternal logic<br \/>\nof the universe, using reason and logic to wrestle with concrete<br \/>\nassertions and teachings.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology helps people avoid mindless conformity. Without<br \/>\ntimeless rules, we all have a tendency to be swept up in the temper of<br \/>\nthe moment. But tough-minded theologies are countercultural. They insist<br \/>\non principles and practices that provide an antidote to mere fashion.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous theology delves into mysteries in ways that are beyond most of<br \/>\nus. For example, in her essay, &#8220;Creed or Chaos,&#8221; Dorothy Sayers argues<br \/>\nthat Christianity&#8217;s advantage is that it gives value to evil and<br \/>\nsuffering. Christianity asserts that &#8220;perfection is attained through the<br \/>\nactive and positive effort to wrench real good out of a real evil.&#8221;<br \/>\nThis is a complicated thought most of us could not come up with (let<br \/>\nalone unpack) outside of a rigorous theological tradition.        <\/p>\n<p>\nRigorous codes of conduct allow people to build their character. Changes<br \/>\nin behavior change the mind, so small acts of ritual reinforce networks<br \/>\nin the brain. A Mormon denying herself coffee may seem like a silly<br \/>\nthing, but regular acts of discipline can lay the foundation for<br \/>\nextraordinary acts of self-control when it counts the most.        <\/p>\n<p>\n&#8220;The Book of Mormon&#8221; is not anti-religious. It just endorses a<br \/>\nno-sharp-edges view of religion that is all creative metaphors and no<br \/>\nharsh judgments. The Africans in the play embrace this kind of religion.<br \/>\nAnd in the context of a hilarious musical, that&#8217;s fine.        <\/p>\n<p>\nBut it&#8217;s worth remembering that the religions that thrive in real-life<br \/>\nAfrica are not as nice and na\u00efve as the religion in the play. The<br \/>\nreligions thriving in real-life Africa are often so doctrinaire and so<br \/>\nsocially conservative that they would make Pat Robertson&#8217;s hair stand on<br \/>\nend.        <\/p>\n<p>\nI was once in an AIDS-ravaged village in southern Africa. The vague<br \/>\nhumanism of the outside do-gooders didn&#8217;t do much to get people to alter<br \/>\ntheir risky behavior. The blunt theological talk of the church ladies &#8212;<br \/>\nright and wrong, salvation and damnation &#8212; seemed to have a better<br \/>\neffect.        <\/p>\n<div class=\"articleCorrection\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columnGroup \">\n<div class=\"articleFooter\">\n<div class=\"articleMeta\">\n<div class=\"opposingFloatControl wrap\">\n<div class=\"element1\">\n<h6 class=\"metaFootnote\"><i>A version of this op-ed appeared in print on<br \/>\nApril 22, 2011, on page A23 of the New York edition with the headline:<br \/>\nCreed Or Chaos.<\/i><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Very good opinion piece by David Brooks in the New York Times.&nbsp; He uses the new musical, &#8220;The Book of Mormon,&#8221; as his backdrop. This notion of speeding away from anything that distinguishes us or makes us peculiar or diminishes &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/?p=1671\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,9,24,26,6,20,10,30,12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-faith","category-generations","category-imagodei","category-politicsculture","category-post-modern","category-quotes","category-research","category-the-episcopal-church","category-theology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hypersync.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}