Excellent point, and excellent post.

Mythological explanations explain nothing. They may be psychologically satisfying, but such satisfaction has nothing to do with truth.

Agreed. Truth and emotional motivation are not necessarily correlated. But which do you think actually moves people?

And, as Nietzsche pointed out, caring about what is true over what is not is a human value-posit like any other, serving human ends. Its value is its value for life.

The power of myth — ideals are myths — is emotive and non-rationally motivating. What “understanding” comes from mythological interpretations of nature, of human nature, or human action?

Mythological explanations explain nothing. They may be psychologically satisfying, but such satisfaction has nothing to do with truth. Truth, contrary to the lying line of idealist thinking, need be neither beautiful, nor good, nor emotively satisfying.

Western minds moved from mythological pseudo-explanation to conceptual explanation — beginning with the skepticism of Xenophanes in 600 BCE, to Democritus 500 BCE, to the Sophists and Thycidides 400 BCE, to Epicurus 300 BCE. Idealists always attempting and succeeding at demeaning and destroying the works of rational skepticism.

The dominant source of “ideals” in the West for 2,000 years, xianity has from its inception hated empirical knowledge and rationality. See 1 Corinthians 1:1-30.

Its faith in the ideal — a supernaturally ordered realm of moral hierarchy intended to be imitated on Earth — is dead, just as Nietzsche said.

Its vast metaphysical bulk slowly recycling into nescience through exposure to healthy derision and rational methodology.

bipolar2

I have felt so much more freedom as a non-Christian than I ever did as a Christian. I’m free to give my life whatever meaning I want to give it instead of feeling trapped inside a narrow meaning and expected path to follow. It’s so much more liberating for me.

I try to understand that some like and need all the confining step by step instructions – but it’s so foreign to my own nature that it’s quite the enigma for me.

I especially enjoyed how you were introspective enough to recognize that de-cons deal with the same issues. This summer when I noticed that I was de-converting I found myself desperate to find someone – anyone – who would listen to my “story”. I eventually found myself just writing note after note on Facebook and I did not care what anyone thought because I just needed to get my thoughts out for someone to read them, even if they were going to disagree.

The need to “tell” stories is probably why sharing testimonies in church is such an encouraged experience. Even radio dramas like Unshackled are completely based on this concept.

This also neatly ties in with the need to “confess”, in and out of the church. People “confess” that they did wrong, and people “confess” that wrong was done to them (i.e. sexual harassment, child abuse, beatings by ones husband etc.) Something about telling ones story is deeply satisfying (as you clearly point out) – and healing.

Thanks so much for sharing again