Reverence

PZ Myers has written an excellent, well-reasoned piece regarding reverence for those who have gone before. While he's not a religious man, he does have a great deal of respect for life and even for the bible. In this piece, he reflects on how many bibles it would take to write out all of human history. It's beautifully written, not derogatory I didn't find it deragatory, and just plain wonderful. No matter what your leanings, you should give this a read.

Comments

[Izzy]

"And, you know, there are people now who claim that one book is sufficient, that it is complete, that it is enough to explain who we are and where we came from...To me, though, they are the ahistorical, unthinking ones who fail to offer the proper reverence due those who have gone before."

The Bible (to people who believe in it's message and value it) is not a history book or just a record of human lives. Characterizing it as such shows a misunderstanding of it and it's purpose, and leaves me wondering if he writer of this post has ever read it (and I don't mean selected passages, I mean the whole thing).

I've seen bones. I've seen the inner workings of the human body. I've held a beating heart in my hand. None of them compare to the beauty of the promises contained in the Bible. To call people like myself "unthinking" is the very definition of being derogatory.

[Juliana]

Nicely stated, Izzy. :)

[Karen]

"derogatory : adj : expressive of low opinion"

"Strangely enough, these are the same people who claim to be "spiritual". To me, though, they are the ahistorical, unthinking ones who fail to offer the proper reverence due those who have gone before."

Ohhhh, I'd say that fits the definition... pretty much spot-on.

[Leah]

Karen, notice how I changed my post? I don't find it derogatory.

Also, where did you find your definition? Every definition I've looked at has said:

1. Disparaging; belittling: a derogatory comment.
2. Tending to detract or diminish.

Those definitions are a good deal harsher than the one you list. Merely expressing a low opinion is not derogatory. Being derogatory is calling someone a dickhead if s/he doesn't agree with you.

Is the bible supposed to be the be all and end all of God and what God has to say? Some say so, but there are many who believe that God is still speaking. Personally, I find beauty in bones. I find truth in growing tadpoles. And I find goodness when I hit the trail and enjoy nature. To me, there are many more promises contained in growing life and watching nature than there are written in a book. The bible is a collection of stories from our forebearers about what they believed and how they interpreted the world around them. We, as humans, have the freedom to reinterpret the world around us.

Don't put a period where God has put a comma.

[Karen]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=derogatory

And I'm quoting here...

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2 entries found for derogatory.

de·rog·a·to·ry     P   Pronunciation Key  (d-rg-tôr, -tr)
adj.
1. Disparaging; belittling: a derogatory comment.
2. Tending to detract or diminish.
de·roga·tori·ly adv.
de·roga·tori·ness n.

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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

derogatory

adj : expressive of low opinion; "derogatory comments"; "disparaging remarks about the new house" [syn: derogative, disparaging]

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

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Sometimes you have to scroll down, babydoll.

[Leah]

I looked my definition up in the dictionary that's sitting on my desk. It doesn't list the princeton definition. If we want to go for sources that should be trusted, I'd put more faith in the first definition.

That aside, calling me babydoll is not appreciated. Don't patronize me. Just because we don't agree on something doesn't mean that you need to talk down to me.

And please notice that I did change my post in regards to the comments left here. I'm acknowledging the fact that people don't agree with me.

The point of PZM's article was that there are years upon years of people on this earth who have lived, loved, fought, conceived, rejoiced, and died. The bible is a small slice of that. Yet there is so much more to history and to those who have gone before us. For PZM, the other events of history are just as important, but they are lost. His piece is a small attempt to bring some of this history to life.

I'm frustrated that all of you chose to focus on the very last sentence of his piece instead of commiserating with the story of Nariokotome boy. Doesn't this sentence resonate in you? "Here instead is a vigorous young fellow on the edge of adulthood, someone to carry on the line, someone to help on the hunt, someone to be proud of, and suddenly, he's dead.

You wonder—did his mother weep over him?"

or what about this?

"what's left to us is a record of the dead, and it's hard to avoid the sense that human history is one long tragedy. Joy is rarely preserved."

This is the true beauty of this piece, and that's why I linked to it.

[Jatser]

I don't think Karen meant to be patronizing, Leah. I just think that's her southern drawl coming through.

In regards to the article, I think the general tone is one of a person who views the Bible as a flawed, human artifact. To anyone who thinks that it is the Word of God, the article comes off as belittling, I would say.

Not that there is nothing to be said of nature... I continually wonder at the magnificence of God's creation whenever I'm on a nature walk or marveling at someone's open abdomen.

But to say the two points are mutually exclusive, as the author suggests, is in my opinion not warranted.

I guess it all comes down to your ceratain point of view.

BTW, that last line you quoted is pretty depressing to me.

[Chuck Currie]

Thanks for your post. You're right: God is still speaking.