Transplanting Religious Beliefs
Through Heart Surgery
Michael Haldin
From: "Michael Haldin"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: October 10, 2001 11:56 AM
Subject: Transplanting religious beliefs through heart surgery
Being logically inclined I had a revelation today (though not of the religious kind):
A Jeremy Biffert (or something) states in one of his letters:
"The statement God is Love makes no logical sense to the human mind and yet the heart can know it is true." |
If true, this is very troublesome, because thanks to the wonders of modern medicine it is actually possible to transplant a heart from one person to another. If, as J.B. states, the religious belief resides in the heart (it clearly has no place in the logical mind), shouldn't heart donors and recipients be checked for religious compatibility, just as other cellular, etc., compatibilities are tested for. It really has to violate some law or another on religious freedom getting another person's religious belief implanted through a heart transplantation.
Michael Haldin
Helsinki
Finland
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Michael Haldin"
Subject: Re: Transplanting religious beliefs through heart surgery
Date: October 10, 2001 3:11 PM
This is cute!
Even though it commits a very strange form of inverted Equivocation, it still basically lays it out on the line! Of course the kid is using metaphors that are more than simply archaic -- but then, such metaphors have no place in a philosophical discussion of this nature, wherein he's trying to convince me of the usefulness, practicality, truthfulness, etc., of his position!
Thanks much!
Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
From: "Michael Haldin"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: October 11, 2001 9:42 AM
Subject: RE: Transplanting religious beliefs through heart surgery
<grin>
You can do what you like with it, it was meant as a joke (though it seems the best jokes are those that hit close to home). Ridiculing the opposition never wins any arguments (though one might be able to defeat ridiculous points), but it sure is a lot of fun. And in the fight against religion humor has to be allowed as a "weapon" (there will never be any shortage of ammunition).
I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks for your site, found it by chance the other day. With the current guy at the helm over there (and all that has been happening lately) every beacon shining in the enveloping darkness is surely needed. Once again it has become clear how religion (or dogmatic belief systems) is at the heart of the worlds problems.
Michael Haldin
Helsinki
Finland
From: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Michael Haldin"
Subject: Re: Transplanting religious beliefs through heart surgery
Date: October 11, 2001 12:34 PM
Ridiculing the opposition never wins any arguments (though one might be able to defeat ridiculous points), but it sure is a lot of fun.
Not so fast! Voltaire! Twain! Mencken! Lenny! They all carried lots of influence because they were widely read -- because they were funny! The most carefully crafted argument is useless if the reader falls asleep on the second premise.
Once again it has become clear how religion (or dogmatic belief systems) is at the heart of the worlds problems.
I'm not sure of the chain of causality, how much blame can be laid at the feet of religion and how much of the religion is the result of the unprecedented problems we face, especially in a society that is as fast paced and rabidly competitive as that in America (although I still lash out against fundamentalism of all stripes).
I will, however, continue to popularize the notion that there are always more than three or four ways to see any situation. I will also keep my eye open for techniques that work (in any area).
Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
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