Paragraph Of The Day
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Quotes, ReligionWhy paragraph? Well, it’s much more than just a quote…
“Mother Teresa’s agonies of doubt are surely not all that unusual. What is unusual is that she put them in writing and now they are being revealed to the world, in spite of her explicit wish that they be destroyed. I get mail all the time from religious leaders who admit to me in private that they do not believe in God but think that the best way to continue their lives is to swallow hard and get on with their ministries, concentrating on bringing more good than evil into the lives of their parishioners and those for whom their churches provide care. I would never divulge their names without their consent, but I do wonder: How many millions of priests, pastors, rabbis, imams, nuns and monks around the world are living lives of similar duplicity?”
- Atheist Daniel C. Dennett, Co-Director, Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University
And so it goes…
This entry was posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 and is filed under Quotes, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:04 pm
That is indeed quite a paragraph. And though I generally dislike the stridency of men like Dennett, I have to say that I think there’s probably some significant truth in what he’s saying.
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I’m not sure it’s accurate to call it “duplicity”; that implies that religious belief is static, that you either have it or you don’t. It’s well known that religious belief waxes and wanes even among the clergy and members of religious communities. Many even go through a near-absence of belief, the “dark night of the soul”, on their spiritual journey.
Some come through unscathed, some lose their faith, some have their faith deepened, some take their faith in new directions. This is common. It doesn’t imply, as Dennett seems to, that there is some conspiracy to conceal the fact that the clergy consists of huge numbers of closet atheists.
September 4th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Personally, the fact that Theresa doubted her own faith adds to the humanity (human-ness?) of her as a person.
How should that affect the idea of the Catholic Church beatifying her? Not at all as far as I am concerned.
Going against her express wish? I can think of a few who might be standing just behind St Peter, tapping foot on the floor and pursed lips waiting to welcome the transgressor… Hey!! Do you think that they have “aunties” in heaven? No one would need a hell if they were in charge.
Dennet has a point; but he does not need to be an atheist to make it. And yes, there are “failed” Chrisitans. But he does not need to “claim qualification” to make that point either.
All rather tiresome really.
September 7th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I once considered a career in the ministry. I was told then — I wish I could document this, but I can’t — that a large percentage of practicing ministers didn’t believe in the literal existence of God, but had to keep going to be true to their vows — or to keep the money rolling in.
This was in the 1950s. I wonder what the figures are now.
September 7th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
I’m an “out” atheist, and the last thing I expected was the number of “religious” folk who confide in me that they really don’t believe, either! Sadly, they must stay “closeted” or risk upheaval by their friends/families/communities.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
While I do not know just what it takes to make rational choice and not live a life of duplicity, one of my stepping stones to the life of freedom from superstition was, having prayed “Help thou my unbelief”, nothing changed. The 3 or 4 “Musketeers” of atheism are no more strident than those who brought this nation to its superstitious knees (there is an intended pun, there). To walk as free people again, the more rational of us must use whatever means are necessary to publicize that there exists an alternative to superstition. The “movement” to reality needs every voice and varying approach.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:44 am
unity mutual life insurance…
tunics?Bilbo?talented?photocopiers snowy Zeus …
August 28th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Like all things closeted, the truth must be revealed. How many atheists have been condemned in one way or another by churches who themselves are chock full of closeted atheists. Theresa is proof that one does not need superstitious religion to be moral. One can just be good. May God damn superstition.