My mother spent the night at my house the other night, because she did not want to drive back to Palmer in the dark.
While here she brought up the topic of religion and we had a long talk about my atheism and her very basic brand of faith.
I played for her Professor Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Most Astounding Fact, and explained how understanding that the entire universe, and everything in it, shared the same DNA if you will was both humbling and exhilarating, and how I saw the fables of religion as interfering with our understanding and acceptance of that simply truth.
She seemed to understand but also said that her faith gave her comfort, and she was worried that I would strip her of it just to make an intellectual point.
I said that I had no intention of doing that, and that at her age there was no reason for her to abandon her faith, so long as she was on guard against those who would use it to manipulate her or take advantage of her.
In the end it seemed that she understood me a little bit better, and that I certainly have no intention of doing anything that takes something away which gives her comfort and a sense of peace.
As I come to the end of this post it suddenly dawns on me that what I have written has virtually nothing in common with what is printed on that image up above.
Oh well it's my blog, and if think a story about a conversation with my mother about religion, and a Carl Sagan quote about the insignificance of human conflict are connected in some way, well so be it.
Source http://ift.tt/1K4I5lW
While here she brought up the topic of religion and we had a long talk about my atheism and her very basic brand of faith.
I played for her Professor Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Most Astounding Fact, and explained how understanding that the entire universe, and everything in it, shared the same DNA if you will was both humbling and exhilarating, and how I saw the fables of religion as interfering with our understanding and acceptance of that simply truth.
She seemed to understand but also said that her faith gave her comfort, and she was worried that I would strip her of it just to make an intellectual point.
I said that I had no intention of doing that, and that at her age there was no reason for her to abandon her faith, so long as she was on guard against those who would use it to manipulate her or take advantage of her.
In the end it seemed that she understood me a little bit better, and that I certainly have no intention of doing anything that takes something away which gives her comfort and a sense of peace.
As I come to the end of this post it suddenly dawns on me that what I have written has virtually nothing in common with what is printed on that image up above.
Oh well it's my blog, and if think a story about a conversation with my mother about religion, and a Carl Sagan quote about the insignificance of human conflict are connected in some way, well so be it.
Source http://ift.tt/1K4I5lW