Has the internet resurrected God?
A recent Fox News poll that suggests that one in four Americans think God wanted Trump to be president and it is hard to argue with God. The thing I can't understand is why God would want to elect someone who lies continuously, and is such a blowhard, as my father would have labeled Trump. Can't they see the con coming? Or is religion such a long term con that they accept it as normal? Perhaps that is the real answer.
Many believers of all religions are returning, in my opinion, to a more fundamentalist belief system. The reason for this is clear - confusion. The internet contains so much information that people can no longer sort it out. So, they throw up their hands in frustration and return to a simpler way of making decisions: let someone else do it. Religious fundamentalism answer tough question by referring to the bible; one book to replace the almost endless, almost infinite, pieces of information on the internet. The bible seems comprehensible. It is finite. You can hold it in your hand. And your parents and generations of parents before used it to guide them through life, and they did okay didn't they? Well, yes, in some respects and in the world in which they lived, a world without the ability to travel from country to country easily, a world of racial segregation and a world of clear cut sexual differentiation.
We live in a new world, a world with 7.8 billion people rather than 3.8 billion people. Our world is warming up because of human activity. People in any country can see the material benefits that people in other countries have as well as how they live. If the other life looks better than their life they may want it for their children and themselves. Homosexuals are persecuted in many countries. If they find a place they can live freely without fear of imprisonment or worse, they might change countries. Women all over the world are tired of being second class citizens. Now that they can communicate easily about their suppression across continents, oceans, worlds, and some are escaping to countries where women have a more equal partnership with men. It is inevitable we will see more people of color, different religions and diverse sexual orientation because America is a free country. How will fundamentalist Christian deal with fundamentalist Muslims and how will each of them deal with diversity?
For many the internet is the new bible. Just as one can find a biblical passage to support one's point of view, one can go to the internet, google one's point of view and find hundreds of other people with the same point of view. The recent shooting in New Zealand is another example of the painful, self-referential support that the gunman received from on-line like thinkers.
The internet either replaces the bible or drives sane-minded folks, who are confused by the variety of on-line opinions, back to the bible for guidance. It doesn't matter whether one is a christian, a jew, or a muslim (all people of the the book). Everyone is being asked to sort an impossible amount of information and come up with correct answers. We need answers to make decisions like voting, which school to send our children to, what food to buy, and how to respond to requests from our non-identical neighbors.
So how do we get good information to make good decisions? Who do we listen to if not our ministers/rabbis/clerics? Well, we must learn which sources of information to trust and use them for guidance. Who can we trust? Not Trump. Anyone who has listened to him lie day after day, should know to not take anything he says seriously. News media? Yes, as long as they are balanced and give you both sides of issues. There are some internet sites that rate news media for integrity and balance like Ad Fontes Media: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/. Should one believe scientists? Usually but not always. One needs to know if the scientist works at a reputable institution, if his work is being paid for by someone with an interest in the outcome, and if other people in the scientist's field agree with his views. Scientific opinion changes based on current information, so even if a current opinion turns out to be wrong, it may be just part of process of finding the solid, rock bottom truth. Should one belief politicians? Or should one believe the old joke that you know when a politician is lying because he is talking. Mostly politicians have opinions based on their experience. If their experience agrees with yours, think twice before listening, because he might just be trying to get your vote. President Lincoln purposely filled his cabinet with opponents so he would have a variety of opinions and get the truth quicker. Should you trust teachers or professors? Yes, usually. They tell the truth about the subject they teach, because they have spent a lot of time researching it. When they get off the topic they know best, beware. Should you trust your parents? If the subject being discussed is your best interest, you can probably trust them to give you their best opinion. If you ask them about climate change or investments, listen but check with an independent source. And should you listen to religious people? Not if you are me. Religion has no relationship to ethics as the catholic church demonstrates on almost a daily basis. Islamic fundamentalists who blow up themselves and others are usually radicalized by radical religious clerics. Rabbis are mostly sensible but outliers are out there.
If all this is true, then Trump is beholden to the internet for driving people back to church and into the arms of simpler, centuries old, decision making system. Perhaps Trump has really just tapped into the 'long con' of religion. Anyone who takes the leap of faith, which means believing something without evidence, has broken through the barrier of reason and are liable to believe anything. Since Trump never supports any of this statements with evidence he has found his perfect audience in the growing crowd of True Believers.
Many believers of all religions are returning, in my opinion, to a more fundamentalist belief system. The reason for this is clear - confusion. The internet contains so much information that people can no longer sort it out. So, they throw up their hands in frustration and return to a simpler way of making decisions: let someone else do it. Religious fundamentalism answer tough question by referring to the bible; one book to replace the almost endless, almost infinite, pieces of information on the internet. The bible seems comprehensible. It is finite. You can hold it in your hand. And your parents and generations of parents before used it to guide them through life, and they did okay didn't they? Well, yes, in some respects and in the world in which they lived, a world without the ability to travel from country to country easily, a world of racial segregation and a world of clear cut sexual differentiation.
We live in a new world, a world with 7.8 billion people rather than 3.8 billion people. Our world is warming up because of human activity. People in any country can see the material benefits that people in other countries have as well as how they live. If the other life looks better than their life they may want it for their children and themselves. Homosexuals are persecuted in many countries. If they find a place they can live freely without fear of imprisonment or worse, they might change countries. Women all over the world are tired of being second class citizens. Now that they can communicate easily about their suppression across continents, oceans, worlds, and some are escaping to countries where women have a more equal partnership with men. It is inevitable we will see more people of color, different religions and diverse sexual orientation because America is a free country. How will fundamentalist Christian deal with fundamentalist Muslims and how will each of them deal with diversity?
For many the internet is the new bible. Just as one can find a biblical passage to support one's point of view, one can go to the internet, google one's point of view and find hundreds of other people with the same point of view. The recent shooting in New Zealand is another example of the painful, self-referential support that the gunman received from on-line like thinkers.
The internet either replaces the bible or drives sane-minded folks, who are confused by the variety of on-line opinions, back to the bible for guidance. It doesn't matter whether one is a christian, a jew, or a muslim (all people of the the book). Everyone is being asked to sort an impossible amount of information and come up with correct answers. We need answers to make decisions like voting, which school to send our children to, what food to buy, and how to respond to requests from our non-identical neighbors.
So how do we get good information to make good decisions? Who do we listen to if not our ministers/rabbis/clerics? Well, we must learn which sources of information to trust and use them for guidance. Who can we trust? Not Trump. Anyone who has listened to him lie day after day, should know to not take anything he says seriously. News media? Yes, as long as they are balanced and give you both sides of issues. There are some internet sites that rate news media for integrity and balance like Ad Fontes Media: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/. Should one believe scientists? Usually but not always. One needs to know if the scientist works at a reputable institution, if his work is being paid for by someone with an interest in the outcome, and if other people in the scientist's field agree with his views. Scientific opinion changes based on current information, so even if a current opinion turns out to be wrong, it may be just part of process of finding the solid, rock bottom truth. Should one belief politicians? Or should one believe the old joke that you know when a politician is lying because he is talking. Mostly politicians have opinions based on their experience. If their experience agrees with yours, think twice before listening, because he might just be trying to get your vote. President Lincoln purposely filled his cabinet with opponents so he would have a variety of opinions and get the truth quicker. Should you trust teachers or professors? Yes, usually. They tell the truth about the subject they teach, because they have spent a lot of time researching it. When they get off the topic they know best, beware. Should you trust your parents? If the subject being discussed is your best interest, you can probably trust them to give you their best opinion. If you ask them about climate change or investments, listen but check with an independent source. And should you listen to religious people? Not if you are me. Religion has no relationship to ethics as the catholic church demonstrates on almost a daily basis. Islamic fundamentalists who blow up themselves and others are usually radicalized by radical religious clerics. Rabbis are mostly sensible but outliers are out there.
If all this is true, then Trump is beholden to the internet for driving people back to church and into the arms of simpler, centuries old, decision making system. Perhaps Trump has really just tapped into the 'long con' of religion. Anyone who takes the leap of faith, which means believing something without evidence, has broken through the barrier of reason and are liable to believe anything. Since Trump never supports any of this statements with evidence he has found his perfect audience in the growing crowd of True Believers.
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