Evolution, Creationism, and Other Modern Myths by Vine Deloria Jr

Author:Vine Deloria, Jr.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Published: 2016-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE PHILOSOPHY/SCIENCE OF OTHER “RELIGIONS”

In most other cultures of the world, religion does not exist in the form in which we encounter it in the West. Many of these cultures, instead of concerning themselves with obedience to a personal god and worrying about some possible future salvation, seek to find ways of living within the cosmos in the most harmonious manner. Their view of the world is reflected in their architecture, gardening and other agricultural practices, arts and crafts, sculpture, music, and devotional exercises. Instead of ­remembering historical events of revelation to which can be attached the vision of creation, falling into sin, atonement, and eventual salvation from the physical world and the creation of a new world, these cultures seek an understanding of cosmic process and develop ways to enhance their lives through participation in cosmic rhythms. Is it possible, then, to find in the other traditions that we have formerly designated as religions some ideas and philosophies that would be compatible with the scientific enterprise?

Western thinkers have traditionally interpreted non-Western religions as inadequate understandings of ultimate reality because they have lacked the cosmic courtroom scenario of the West. The practice has been to compare some of the beliefs of other religions with concepts valid only within the structure of Christianity and to thereby demonstrate the superiority of Christianity. Investigation of the religious propensities of humans, therefore, has been not a neutral exercise but a form of apologetics for Western thinkers. To properly understand the nature of non-Western religions, we must develop a means to judge them on the basis of what they seek to ­accomplish. Since we know that religion does not appear as a viable ­category in non-Western thinking, it seems logical to conclude that when we turn to other traditions we are confronting philosophies and ways of life rather than the religious categories we find familiar.

Misunderstandings of major proportions occur even when there is a sincere effort to compare religious beliefs across cultural lines. In this chapter we will first examine some Western thinkers’ interpretations of the words and concepts derived from other traditions to show that “religion” is not an accurate descriptive term to use to understand other cultures’ ­beliefs and practices. We will then examine these beliefs and practices to see whether they would raise the same kinds of objections that concerned scientists in the creation/evolution debate. This discussion will help us see that the quarrel over origins in America is but a parochial disagreement within the Western worldview.

To illustrate how Western thinkers distort the question of religion and reach dreadful misunderstandings, we can examine Paul Tillich’s comparison of Christianity and Buddhism. Stating that both place a negative value on our existence, Tillich argues that “the Kingdom of God stands against the kingdoms of this world, namely the demonic power-structures which rule in history and personal life; Nirvana stands against the world of seeming reality as the true reality from which the individual things come and to which they are destined to return.”₂₃₉ If we examine the parallel that Tillich has drawn, we find ourselves comparing apples and oranges.

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