Faith & Reason
I’ve been watching a Bill Moyers program called “Faith & Reason.” It is a series of conversations with people, some of whom I know something about, like Salman Rushdie and Mary Gordon, and others who I’m embarrassed to admit are new to me, like Anne Provoost, Colin McGinn and Jeanette Winterson. So far I’ve watched four hours out of the seven that will be presented.
“Faith & Reason” is quite extraordinary. Before it began I was resistant to even checking it out. As an atheist who holds the view that religion is just about the most destructive scam with which humankind has been burdened, I wasn’t interested in wasting time with a group of intellectuals who would try to convince me there was more to see on this subject than I was seeing. Certainly consistent with my view of myself as an open-minded person, yes?
In her own effective way, Sandra persisted and I agreed to give it a try. If I hated it I didn’t have to watch. Surprise! I’ve totally enjoyed it. It’s not at all what I thought it would be. It approaches faith and reason as mutually inclusive, not as enemies. Each interviewee, some believers, some not, brings a unique perspective to the subject based on his/her life and work. And as usual, Bill Moyers brings out the best in them.
I’ve been enlightened without needing to change my views on religion. I still think the Freedom From Religion Foundation is a charity worth supporting. And again I’ve been taught the value of ideas and the cost to us when we close our minds to them.
If you don’t see it when it airs on PBS you can catch up with it at the following website: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/portraits.html
“Faith & Reason” is quite extraordinary. Before it began I was resistant to even checking it out. As an atheist who holds the view that religion is just about the most destructive scam with which humankind has been burdened, I wasn’t interested in wasting time with a group of intellectuals who would try to convince me there was more to see on this subject than I was seeing. Certainly consistent with my view of myself as an open-minded person, yes?
In her own effective way, Sandra persisted and I agreed to give it a try. If I hated it I didn’t have to watch. Surprise! I’ve totally enjoyed it. It’s not at all what I thought it would be. It approaches faith and reason as mutually inclusive, not as enemies. Each interviewee, some believers, some not, brings a unique perspective to the subject based on his/her life and work. And as usual, Bill Moyers brings out the best in them.
I’ve been enlightened without needing to change my views on religion. I still think the Freedom From Religion Foundation is a charity worth supporting. And again I’ve been taught the value of ideas and the cost to us when we close our minds to them.
If you don’t see it when it airs on PBS you can catch up with it at the following website: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/portraits.html
posted by Dan at 5:43 PM
1 Comments:
I thought the show was somewhat sophomoric, pedantic, abstruse, smug self important and reminiscent of the kind of conversations that were prevalent in fifties coffee houses when the biggest line of the day was ... "I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness." Nothing seems to have changed Dan except now it's starbucks and the conversations are sophomoric, pedantic, abstruse smug and self important....... well ! ...... so what ........ho hum . As for atheism ...... all I can say is "no god is better than no god at all." So I will continue to bow down to the great HO HUM.
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