Saddle Up

Quantum mechanics tells us that the cosmos is ruled by probabilities. Some things are more probable than others. It’s hard to argue with the premise, even if we would prefer that physical laws never change. Articles of faith – religious and scientific - depend on the notion of probability.

Let’s say, for instance, you need to go to the grocery store. At your disposal are a horse and a split-rail fence. You have a choice, here. Do you choose the horse, or the fence, as a means of transport?

Fences have a lot going for them. First and foremost they require little upkeep. They don’t require food or exercise; they’re sturdy, easy to mount, and no matter how long you sit on them, they never tire. Horses aren’t nearly as practical. Mama told you from childhood about fences – and that belief in their benefits was not to be questioned. In addition, you happen to have it on convincing authority that fences make for good transportation. In fact, volumes have been written to support fence riding: as in, “I saw myself riding a fence over the land of Unbelief and felt compassion for those who only had horses.” Lots of people believe in fences. Lots. Not only that, but since fences are so cost effective (as opposed to horses), you’d have more money to spend on riding gear. Think about how sharp you’d look riding your fence in tack with style.

Oh, sure, there are the doubters – the unbelievers. There have always been those who have mocked fences. There have always been the stiff-necked and hard-hearted. There have always been unbelievers. No amount of effort will persuade the afencist, so it’s best to just keep on riding. Eventually, through the exercise of faith, the fence will take you to the Promised Land – or to the grocery store. It's true, fences don’t have the muscle and the heart – and the capacity – of the horse, but what’s to say that a volcano might not erupt under you and your fence and carry you (maybe a little charred) to the store of your choice. Maybe a tectonic plate will inexplicably slide - ever so gently - and convey you to groceries. Or, perhaps a tornado or a hurricane will blow you and your fence to your desired destination. Who knows? It could happen. That’s the point of probabilities, isn’t it?

So, what’s it going to be, Bucko? What kind of evidence are you waiting for? Where’re you gonna place your faith? It’s your call. Saddle up and have a nice ride. And, oh yeah, we’re out of peanut butter. Grab us a jar while you’re at the store. Right now, I've got to see a man about a horse.

Don Doan

Reason And Art

Through our senses we experience the world. Through the mind (and how it is shaped) we interpret the world. Language is a uniquely useful tool for sharing experiences and interpretations – but not the only one. Art, in its many forms, works as well. We communicate through art. We share through art. It reaches a mystical place within us – but not a place that is disconnected from our mind. Religion and science rely on the communicative capacities of both language and art.

Reason is the tool we use to make sense of our perceptions and interpretations. Reason is the tool we use to develop assumptions and to evaluate results. Through reason we organize, evaluate, synthesize, and implement. It is not antagonistic to language or art – it is a servant to both. By itself, it carries no moral weight, has no moral value. Without reason we would cease to be human – and before long, cease to be.

In lieu of anything better, religion evolved as the primary mechanism for explaining the cosmos and the human relationship to it. Shamans, brujos, mystics, medicine men, healers, spirit people, witch doctors, priests, preachers, imams, and rabbis were imbued with power because of their claims of connectedness to a separate reality – claims that were supported by acts of magic and a clientle that was eager for safe harbor from the whims and ravages of Mother Earth. But even in the good old days, primordial days, religious forms were built on a foundation of reason and were extended through language and art.

In terms of creation religion paints with the brush of metaphor; science pursues the substance. In terms of morality, religion opens pathways, science shows where those paths lead.