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The Truth Shall Set You Free
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Copyright 1996 - 2006 Charles Kluepfel
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in religions, including a number of books which point out the errors in the literal interpretation of the Bible, as professed by the so-called Fundamentalist Christian denominations.
Less attention has been devoted to examining the more liberal churches. These include the Catholic Church, liberal in the sense of not considering the Bible to be literally true. It is also the major Christian denomination and wields considerable influence in America and the world today. It would behoove us to take a rational look at the bases and influences of the more liberal churches, to see what value they have in informing our policies, both personal and public, in the light of Catholic/Protestant cooperation in the political arena, such as the Christian Coalition, and Operation Rescue, and papal pronouncements on birth control, war, capital punishment, and the third world.
An example to consider is the fairly recent tenure of Governor Mario Cuomo of New York. He was pro-choice regarding abortion, a fact which led the local cardinal to suggest he might be subject to excommunication. He claimed to be personally opposed to abortion, in deference to his Catholic roots and constituents, but his opposition to abortion always seemed to me hypocritical, never reaching the level of his opposition to capital punishment, which he vetoed each year of his terms. We are not here to examine the relative merits of allowing women the choice of abortion or allowing the voters the choice of capital punishment, but I ask why the governor was afraid of excommunication so much as to denounce the threat of its use. What hold does the church (the Catholic Church, and religion in general) have over people? Was the governor concerned over his "immortal soul" or over his Catholic constituent/voters?
Is the Bible, or any one religion, a valid guide to our morality? If the Catholic Church, or any other church, is true, then it deserves a say, regardless of how unpalatable its conclusions may be. If it is not, then we should come to the conclusion that we should decide courses of action on their merits, and not upon mythological beliefs. There are very real consequences to belief, if truly believed and acted upon. And this is just as true of liberal religions as of fundamentalist ones.
Here's my book on the subject, chapter by chapter:
Note: In the chapters on my leaving Christianity, I want to make clear
that I appreciate the importance of spirituality (for some in the
form of religion) in the lives of many people. Those who enjoy what
religious believers call the gift of faith do indeed have a valuable
life-enhancing ability not to suffer the uncertainty that comes of
the belief that there are no known answers to, say, the question of
life after death.
Even those who reject religion and the spirit can have a life-enhancing
faith that when they die, that's all there is. This is in some ways
more comforting than the unknown. To someone, such as I, who sees
the spirit as separate from the body, but without a known destiny for
that spirit, the thought death can be terrifying. This is especially
true for such a person who also is in comfortable circumstances, such
as nearly everyone in the United States as compared to the innumerably
more people in the "third world". If reincarnation is a fact, then
more likely than not, a person in comfortable circumstances would come
back in less comfort. The only comfort that might be available
is what is called by scientists the "principle of mediocrity", that is
the use of current circumstance as the sampling of the totality of
the rest of reality. It's the idea that our star, the sun, is an
average star, and our galaxy an average galaxy, etc. Taken in the
context of reincarnation, one's current life is an average life.
Perhaps.
My belief in utilitarianism--the seeking of the greatest good for the
greatest number--tells me that religious faith can be a great good for
people, enabling them to enjoy life in their own way while they are
here. This is even true for the atheist, who can enjoy life in his
own way, while it lasts, without fear of a worse afterlife.
So the best advice I can offer is to go with whatever you can believe.
What follows on these pages is my journey. It's here for you to view
if you wish. Of course my journey continues, and I can't tell where
it will lead.
Early Misgivings
How a child's idea of truth can exceed an adult's.
False Advertising
Sold as one thing, organized religion contains another.
What I Say, Not What I Do
Hypocrisy in religion.
Friends' Helpful Caring
Well meaning religious friends reinforce error posing as tradition.
Surprised by "Truth"?
Catholic apologists speak.
On "The Handbook of Christian Apologetics"
More Catholic apologists speak (professors, including a Jesuit, this time).
Beginning Catholic Apologetics
I attend a series of seminars on Catholic apologetics. Read what they teach, and why it's wrong.
Defending the Church
Fundamentalists attack Catholic dogma ... sometimes rightly.
With Friends Like These
Harsh critics of religion can turn off those who may otherwise be
sympathetic with a skeptical view.
Where Is He?
Biblical non-prophesies.
Elvis
... another Jesus?
But What About Morality
Is religion a way to get people to act morally, the way Santa makes
children behave?
What Am I?
My Personal views on God and reality -- Charlieism.
Bibliography and Links
Order books through Amazon
Many interesting books on Christianity and the psychology of belief.
Letters
-- Some comments from readers.
Recent Mail
Why I Am Not a Christian by Miklos Jako
Why I Am Not a Catholic by Miklos Jako
Was Jesus Real?
Politically Incorrect TV Discussion of Religion 12/21/2000
Politically Incorrect TV Discussion of Religion 12/22/2000
An Alan Watts lecture sample.
Dialog with Dave Armstrong
Fundamentalist turned Catholic: one of the subjects of Surprised by Truth.
Armstrong supporter writes
Three e-mails from a Catholic with my replies.
Dialog with a reader, on Abortion
Parallel Dialogs
Two Christians of differing denominations try to win me over, but only show the futility of trying to win Pascal's Wager.
Featured Books:
Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus.
![[new]](http://members.aol.com/chasklu/religion//private\new.gif)
How transcription and translation changed the wording and meaning of biblical
content, both deliberately, for doctrinal reasons, and by accident.
White, L. Michael From Jesus to Christianity.
A history of early Christianity, its scriptures and practice.
Horgan, John Rational Mysticism.
Horgan has chapters on various people in mystical, new age or spiritual fields,
including Ken Wilber, Huston Smith and skeptic Susan Blackmore. Horgan describes his various
interviewee's ideas, and his own take on them, describing his own ideas at
length near the end of the book. They agree a lot with my own.
To quote a bit:
"I do not believe in miracles, at least not defined in the conventional
religious manner as divine disruptions of the natural order.
But if a miracle is defined as an infinitely improbable phenomenon,
then our existence is a miracle, which no theory natural or supernatural
will ever explain."
"What can be ruled out is that science will answer the ultimate question:
How did something come from nothing?"
"This is by far the greatest gift that mystical experiences can bestow on us:
to see--really see--all that is right with the world.
Just as believers in a beneficent deity should be haunted by the problem of
natural evil, so gnostics, atheists, pessimists, and nihilists should be
haunted by the problem of friendship, love, beauty, truth, humor, compassion, fun.
Never forget the problem of fun."
Harris, Sam The End of Faith.
Faith has consequences. Acting on faith rather than evidence is dangerous.
But the author values spirituality, as explained in the last few chapters.
Freeman, Charles The Closing of the Western Mind.
The Roman emperors take up Christianity and turn it into what it is today.
Price, Robert M. The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man.
An examination of what's left of a "historical Jesus" after mythology has been removed.
Mencken, H.L. Treatise on the Gods.
Thoughts on the origins and evolution of religion.
Freke, Timothy and Gandy, Peter Jesus and the Lost Goddess.
Explorations on the early Christian Church.
Pagels, Elaine Beyond Belief: the Secret Gospel of Thomas.
Covering more than just the Gospel of Thomas, explores the scriptural
history of the early church.
Bloom, Howard The Lucifer Principle
Davis, Kenneth C. Don't Know Much About the Bible
Callahan, Tim Secret Origins of the Bible
Shermer, Michael How We Believe
Review:
Huston Smith's Why Religion Matters
Musings
Faith
Bible Code?
Tough Questions for Christianity
South Park Christmas Episode
The Ex-Christian Webring 
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