[The guest commentary below introduces James Tolard, an old and dear friend as well as an exceptionally talented commodity trader. Jim’s style is to surf the big trends, taking perhaps just two or three new positions over the course of a year. Appearing relaxed and effortless is his great gift, and this quality is there in spades whether he’s managing a large soybean position, driving a golf ball 300 yards or cooking coq au vin for a dozen dinner guests. Jim lives in a secluded village, but I’ve coaxed him out of semi-retirement to write occasionally on any subject he chooses. In the essay below, well off the beaten path for Rick’s Picks readers, he ponders certain epistemological questions that will necessarily remain unanswered. RA]
The idea of a 6,000-year-old earth is summoned time and again as if to prove that responsible adults do not hold elective office except as reactionaries. We hear shrill voices trying to shout down superstition. And yes, I am all for this as long as the shouting is not by way of kangaroo courts, gulags, and surveillance. But what is at issue? The Old Testament, or Torah, contains enough age references to the patriarchs to imply that the first man came into mortality, driven from the Garden of Eden, about six-thousand years ago. The Jewish calendar proceeds from this event and is currently at 5773. But the modern calendar, a Roman invention, didn’t come into being until what is now 42 A.D.
So, back to the question of the age of things. The principal arguments all miss thepoint, which is that the enemies of revealed knowledge refuse to tolerate a conflict with cosmology and geology. Persons of faith, for their part, refuse to budge from their belief that the Scriptures contain revealed knowledge. It is an unalterable position. But it is the constant harping on details that annoys this old man, who just spilled hot coffee on his slppered feet. What is really at argument is not how old the earth is or should be; rather, it is whether God exists, and whether He created anything at all. For if He did, He must be either an evolutionist, so as to accommodate his very poor writing style in Genesis; or capable of so prodigious a feat as creating on a massive scale.
The Challenge of Faith
Naturally, the challenge of Faith is that one is left wondering how to believe in God, Angels, miracles, sainthood, the legitimacy of the Church, the authencity of the Word of God, and so on. Now, one has more than a few illustrations of the wickedness of men in preventing humankind from learning anything, such as the centrality of the sun in the solar system. (Galileo did not posit, know of, or imagine any cosmology other than this.) But in the end, it is about God, His nature, and whether He can do these things. It gets worse with the introduction of Satan, of suffering, of the Cross, the Resurrection, the lives of the saints, and the historical importance of Christianity and Judaism. No wonder it is easiest to merely overthrow all of this, and to call all persons of faith bigots. Even if one has faith, he is strenuously tasked with figuring out what to do with it, understanding it, and coping with so many people who over time have interpreted, misinterpreted, or reviled the whole project.
Because I am in a sour mood, and it is winter, I think I will side with the scientist, although in a moment of superstitious sentimentality, I will, as the Evangelicals would say, Go with God. Nay, I won’t do that; rather, I will look at the black rain drip, languid and hopeless, from my barren elm, from my twisted and contorted grape arbor, and contemplate death, hell, and Judgment.
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The Universe has always existed.
“Love is God”. Not the other way around
A ‘belief’ is false because it is something you were told or read somewhere. You don’t actually KNOW it as fact. You “know” what sugar tastes like and what a sunrise is.
“Faith” is the absence of doubt. You don’t “know” what God is, however
Karma is Real
“Know Thyself” and”I know nothing”(Socrates) are the wisest words I have read
ALL religions are pointed to the same place, communion with God, whatever God they might look to. As a Christian might find it strange to pray to Allah 5 times a day, a Muslim might find it strange to portray Jesus(God) on a cross.
“Religion is the science of the mind” -Amma
There are admirable habits and traits in ALL religion, but the most important to me are “Love thy Neighbor(which is everyone)” and “Peace is the Way to Happiness”
It seems people make a joke out of 2012, but there are changes happening in the world in a positive way. People ARE waking up to the fact that the current system is unsustainable and that a major crisis is unavoidable on a worldwide basis. It is likely that there will be major casualties. However, once the crisis is passed, the people will have a choice, once again, to choose a path of peace and compassion(humility) or dominance and control(aggression). It doesn’t matter where you are in the world between now and then(post-crisis), you will be affected. Everyone will take a hit. What will matter most is on what side of the scale you will stand.
Love, compassion, and peace (Selflessness)
or
Hatred, dominance, and revenge(Ego)
The choice, as always, is yours alone.
I choose Peace, always