Imagine reading the science section in the huffingtonpost or yahoo news and seeing an article that went something like this:
A group citing “traditional Greek Religious traditions” has successfully stopped the placement of critically important scientific instruments atop Mt. Olympus, citing “spiritual” objections to what they termed “a violation of one of their most sacred sites.” You go on to read how in ancient Greek Religious traditions, Mt. Olympus is considered to be the home of the ‘Dodekatheo’ or the twelve Olympians. The article does not really go in to detail but being the inquisitive person, you look at the ESA site and see that the instrument in question is designed to detect the effects of gravity waves, and if it was successful, it would unlock some of the secrets of the earliest moments of the early universe.
You wonder what “spiritual” beliefs could stop such an important area of inquiry, and are surprised that anyone still would profess adherence to such ancient polytheistic beliefs.
Can you imagine such a thing? What would the sentiments of the news media be? What kind of support would such a group get from the political right? How about the left?
Well lucky for you, you don’t have to imagine it. It’s happening, but not on Mt. Olympus.
I am, of course, talking about Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawai’I, and the group that has stopped the building of the $4B telescope project citing concerns about the violation of a “sacred site.”
I know I may be just about to anathematize myself with the more empathetic members of this community, but I cannot imagine how such a thing can really be taken seriously and it’s really crystallized for me what’s wrong with the place religion holds in our culture and society.
Look at it for a second. Ancient and obviously dead or dying religious beliefs about the power of a volcano that were hatched in the birth-pangs of our race are usually things that are studied as quaint antiquities in history class and oftentimes with a certain amount of scorn. See my “deconversion story” for my personal experience with this kind of attitude.
But the religious are quick to recognize a slippery slope when they see it. Criticize a Muslim, and you will get a quick chorus of agreements from Christians. Criticize Islam and its tenets, and you get that same chorus squirming and looking at their shoes.
Sam Harris said it best when he said (paraphrasing) “it’s not like anyone ever proved that Poseidon doesn’t exist.” So why did we stop believing in him?
So now we have a “tenet” situation facing us: If Mauna Kea can’t be sacred, then neither can Lourdes, or the Wailing Wall or the Black stone….the slippery slope gathers a lot of credulous people, all hanging on with great tenacity.
But it’s not just the religionists…it’s the “spiritual” too: joining in we also have the Deepity crowd….the “spirit science” adherents. There is support coming from the people who believe in the power of crystals and totems and so-called “ancient wisdom.” Those people have piled on.
So Religion is …. As it does so successfully and so often…. Smothering scientific progress yet again.
And for what benefit to humanity?
You can argue with me that Mauna Kea is beautiful and it should be left alone as a natural wonder. That might be a better argument to make. You can also argue that Native Hawaiians have seen their home and way of life eviscerated by western and eastern invaders for hundreds of years and they had to draw a line somewhere.
Either point might make me back up and think a bit. I can, of course, make arguments to counter those positions, but at least we’d be having an argument based on something resembling premises that we can both accept.
But that’s not really what’s at the center of this debate. It’s “sacred,” so a 4 billion dollar project is stopped.
Do you see the Christaliban at Fox news criticizing this stultification? No…
How about the lefties at MSNBC? No….
And now we know why.
- David Drahmann (Jun 9, 2015)
A group citing “traditional Greek Religious traditions” has successfully stopped the placement of critically important scientific instruments atop Mt. Olympus, citing “spiritual” objections to what they termed “a violation of one of their most sacred sites.” You go on to read how in ancient Greek Religious traditions, Mt. Olympus is considered to be the home of the ‘Dodekatheo’ or the twelve Olympians. The article does not really go in to detail but being the inquisitive person, you look at the ESA site and see that the instrument in question is designed to detect the effects of gravity waves, and if it was successful, it would unlock some of the secrets of the earliest moments of the early universe.
You wonder what “spiritual” beliefs could stop such an important area of inquiry, and are surprised that anyone still would profess adherence to such ancient polytheistic beliefs.
Can you imagine such a thing? What would the sentiments of the news media be? What kind of support would such a group get from the political right? How about the left?
Well lucky for you, you don’t have to imagine it. It’s happening, but not on Mt. Olympus.
I am, of course, talking about Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawai’I, and the group that has stopped the building of the $4B telescope project citing concerns about the violation of a “sacred site.”
I know I may be just about to anathematize myself with the more empathetic members of this community, but I cannot imagine how such a thing can really be taken seriously and it’s really crystallized for me what’s wrong with the place religion holds in our culture and society.
Look at it for a second. Ancient and obviously dead or dying religious beliefs about the power of a volcano that were hatched in the birth-pangs of our race are usually things that are studied as quaint antiquities in history class and oftentimes with a certain amount of scorn. See my “deconversion story” for my personal experience with this kind of attitude.
But the religious are quick to recognize a slippery slope when they see it. Criticize a Muslim, and you will get a quick chorus of agreements from Christians. Criticize Islam and its tenets, and you get that same chorus squirming and looking at their shoes.
Sam Harris said it best when he said (paraphrasing) “it’s not like anyone ever proved that Poseidon doesn’t exist.” So why did we stop believing in him?
So now we have a “tenet” situation facing us: If Mauna Kea can’t be sacred, then neither can Lourdes, or the Wailing Wall or the Black stone….the slippery slope gathers a lot of credulous people, all hanging on with great tenacity.
But it’s not just the religionists…it’s the “spiritual” too: joining in we also have the Deepity crowd….the “spirit science” adherents. There is support coming from the people who believe in the power of crystals and totems and so-called “ancient wisdom.” Those people have piled on.
So Religion is …. As it does so successfully and so often…. Smothering scientific progress yet again.
And for what benefit to humanity?
You can argue with me that Mauna Kea is beautiful and it should be left alone as a natural wonder. That might be a better argument to make. You can also argue that Native Hawaiians have seen their home and way of life eviscerated by western and eastern invaders for hundreds of years and they had to draw a line somewhere.
Either point might make me back up and think a bit. I can, of course, make arguments to counter those positions, but at least we’d be having an argument based on something resembling premises that we can both accept.
But that’s not really what’s at the center of this debate. It’s “sacred,” so a 4 billion dollar project is stopped.
Do you see the Christaliban at Fox news criticizing this stultification? No…
How about the lefties at MSNBC? No….
And now we know why.
- David Drahmann (Jun 9, 2015)
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