Re: Conscience
- Subject: Re: Conscience
- From: Suzi <sands@cyberg8t.com>
- Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 23:32:50 -0800 (PST)
At 07:00 AM 11/3/96 +0100, Tom Maguire wrote:
>Hola, Jerome,
>
>Religious beliefs are part of our map, I believe, and one of the parts
>most difficult to change since it is so "natural" to believe in
>christianity for a westerner.(Some westerners might disagree - I'd like
>to hear them, especially the aetheists.)
Dang... I should be lurking lots longer, before jumping in, but you people
have great ideas and questions, and I just can't be quiet :).
Tom, I agree. Religious beliefs are part of our map, and IME can be very
difficult to change. It isn't so hard to change *religions*, (monotheism,
for example, seems to share many basic presuppositions... even if some of
the followers of the diverse types of monotheism seem to regard the other
forms as "wrong"). It is, however, hard to change the basic maps or
presuppositions when moving from very different forms of religion.
Monotheism to polytheism, for example.
Even if you weren't raised as a monotheist, you pick up the map from
cultural osmosis. I see people going through stages, in replacing their
religious maps. I also see large numbers of people getting stuck..
sometimes for years, in the shifting process.
The first stage seems to be whole hearted, unbiased, embracing of the
new/yet familiar map. (The "Honeymoon" Stage)
Second comes a time of definition. This second stage has three parts.
First, defining yourself as what you aren't. Second, finding a clearer
definition of what you are. Third, understanding how that clearer
definition affects all the other aspects of your life (ie "walking your
talk"). (I see too many people getting stuck in the first and/or second
stage. Few, IME, seem to reach the third stage. There may be more stages
beyond this, but since I have my own sticking points <grin> I can't see them
yet :)
Next comes a stage of questioning. "Is this map valid for me?"
Finally, a pivot moment occurs. Either the new map is tossed in favor of
the old, familiar, comfortable map, or a new honeymoon stage with the new
map is engaged. I find that people never leave this loop, but travel it in
larger and larger patterns.
I guess it really breaks down into; discovery, chaos, integration. The
stage of chaos, where the old map doesn't work anymore, and the new map
doesn't work yet, is the hardest, for most people I think. A strong
suppport system of people that can model what the new map looks like, help
people through the chaos stage. Fortunately, or unfortunately, in minority
religions, finding a group of people to successfully model the new map is
darned hard.
What all too often happens, is that people *say* they are using the new map.
They may use the terms/lingo/jargon of the new religious map, and model
certain forms of behaviour, but the shift in "seeing with new eyes" never
occurs. To me, this is the saddest and most frustrating thing about being
part of a minority religion.
walk in beauty
Suzi