Wednesday, March 04, 2020
The Rebirth of Religion (from 2013)
Early Nietzsche wondered
how art could create a religion out of the spiritual vacuum of the
day. But what Nietzsche said of art better applies to religion.
Nietzsche thought a
rebirth of art, tragic art, was needed. Later he lost his enthusiasm,
which I think might have been related to competitive problems with
Wagner and it was not all due to philosophical problems. If this is
true then it could have led to weakness in his later philosophy.
Nietzsche was not keen on
modern religions, he especially disliked Christianity. But art alone,
even great art, is not enough. Art does not fill the need of our lost
religion, although great art comes close when it affirms the sacred.
Philosophy and science also tried to take the place of religion. The
noble Raymond
Cattell sought a rebirth of religion from science.
It is religion which can
best synthesize all the fields. But religion needs to include modern
science, art and philosophy. Religion can best create that “sublime
simplification of the world” which Nietzsche looked for in tragic
art.
As Quentin Taylor said of
Nietzsche's work, it is the individual consecrated to something
higher than himself which is the highest function of art, philosophy,
and science, but I think this is best synthesized in a great
religion. We are separated, individuated, alienated, which puts man
in need of coming together in religion for comfort and redemption.
Science and philosophy can't communicate well a tragic art for the
people, but religion and art can---religion has its sublime rituals,
and art has it's tragic dramas.
A rebirth of religion is
needed. Perhaps the theological materialism of the projected Theoevolutionary Church will help bring
science, art, philosophy and religion back together. The material
world and mankind will materially evolve on earth and in the cosmos to ascending levels of real
Godhood, the Godhood first seen only virtually, as a mirror, in the inward
paths of the great religions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment