Tuesday, April 26, 2011

More On My New Possible Religious Affilation (Or, I Don't Know Shit)

So, okay, I got very excited today when I was outside with Owen and he was playing in the water and I was reading an article about a scientist named David Eagleman in a New Yorker magazine and came upon this quote:

"Eagleman was brought up as a secular Jew and became an atheist in his teens. Lately, though, he'd taken to calling himself a Possiblian- a denomination of his own invention. Science had taught him to be skeptical of cosmic certainties, he told me. From the un-fathomed complexity of brain tissue- "essentially an alien computational material"- to the mystery of dark matter, we know too little about our own minds and the universe around us to insist on strict atheism, he said. "And we know far too much to commit to a particular religious story." Why not revel in the alternatives?

There's more and then this:

"As Voltaire said, uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one."

Didn't I just recently say that I don't know nearly enough to say there is no God? That I don't even understand how electricity works so how could I possibly say that with any real assurance?

Well, as you can imagine, I felt like I'd found my people when I read that quote. Or person.
Not like I'm going to join their Facebook page or anything. Oh hell no.
But it's just nice to know that there are other people out there in the world who think along the same lines as I do.

You know? Phew. So maybe when it comes to that blank after "Religion" when I'm filling out forms, I can now put "Possibilianism." Might make me feel less freakish.

Okay. Well, that's that. Not like I had an epiphany or anything. Just like I found that there's a name (albeit one only recently made-up) for the way I believe or don't believe or whatever.

Here's something I know for sure though:
Owen was Mr. Crankypants today. My sweet, good-natured baby boy was, for the most part, having NONE OF IT! Also, he pooped three times. So he was Mr. Poopy Crankypants.

This may or may not be related to the fact that he and his daddy laid around and finished up the Easter chocolate last night. Owen is practically a candy virgin. We gave him a Peep on Sunday and he tried it and said, "Nope," handed it back and went back to eating his fruit. So it's within the realm of POSSIBILITY that chocolate might have upset his tummy and his all-around disposition. Who knows? NOT ME, which come to think about it, should perhaps be the the overall statement of philosophy for Possibilianism. It already is the statement of philosophy for the Church Of The Batshit Crazy so there you go.

17 comments:

  1. Seems like the older I have become the less I am religious which I find sort of odd. Husband is for sure agnostic...has he gotten to me? I don't know...I do know that I have a hard time with faith when cruelty happens but when something amazing of miracle worth then I do wonder..

    I find it best to not go there in my family ties as many are very devout and I do not wish to rock the boat.

    Mr. Poopy Crankypants..oh my...we all have our days and today it is Owen's...

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  2. What do you get if you mix an elephant and a rhino? Elephino! (This is my favorite joke.)

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  3. Yes. A Possibilian -- although I don't think you need to "be" anything regarding what you believe. I haven't read that article yet but will do so right away! I've always found it equally puzzling that atheists are as vehemently tied to their "beliefs" as evangelicals. Neither gets it right, I imagine, and most people of any certainty about anything whatsoever aren't to be trusted -- in my book.

    Thanks for the sermon, though. I've got one foot straddling --

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  4. Someone made a comment once that stuck with me...if there was a 'correct' religion, there would only be one.

    Pastor Assface continues to hound me about my endangered soul and I continue to ignore him...

    And Farty is 3 and Ceara is 13 and I'm nearly 4 months pregnant with twins and all of them alive and well despite my alleged depravity.
    Praise be to chocolate.

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  5. thanks for the link.
    I hope Owen feels better.

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  6. Oh, thank you so much for this possibility. How did I miss this article? I've known for a long time I was incapable of faith in a specific religion, they lost me when I learned about the inquisition and the Crusades and all the wars in the name of God. But I could never claim atheism's certainty and didn't feel at home with agnostic indecision. My problem with the God question is this: If there is no higher power, or some grand designer, then what is any of this universe doing here? There has to be something, otherwise there would be nothing. And we are here, so that's something. I do believe our brains are not highly evolved enough yet to grasp it all, at least not mine.
    I'm off to read up on and join the posibilians. Bless your heart for hooking me up with more like minded rational brains.

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  7. No one knows for sure about any of it. I believe in something. But I am not in the least religious.

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  8. I would have gave back the Peep too. Yuck!

    I've often referred to myself a agnostic but a possibilian could be an option.

    For all the things we "know" it's pretty clear we don't know shit!

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  9. Here's what I think:

    Somewhere, out there, someone/thing/stuff is laughing it's ass off and shaking its head, and saying "You people STILL don't get it, do you??"

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  10. Just enjoying wonder. That can be quite an extraordinary thing. I think you may be a Wondertarian, which is really the same thing as a Possiblitiarian.

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  11. it's quite possible you're going straight to HELL!

    had to say it, it's so fun to tell folks they're going to hell, ha!

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  12. I love this. Who knows? NOT ME EITHER.

    p.s. I hate Peeps. Fuckers are nasty. I do enjoy Peep art though, where they pose the Peeps in tableaux. Maybe I'll post some of that shit.

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  13. Possibilianism... I like it.

    Yes, too much chocolate will make you poo a lot. Maybe because of the caffeine or something. He'll likely be back to his usual charming self in no time.
    xo

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  14. Ellen- Well, obviously me too with the religious stuff. I should just ignore it all but it PISSES ME OFF! That's just me. Ms. Constantly Crankypants. Not Poopy though. Not yet.

    DTG- Yes, and you have loved it for a very long time.

    Elizabeth-Aw well. If you ever want to make the leap to Possibilianism, I'm here to hold your hand!

    Rachel- Wait. What? Oh my god! Congratuations!

    deb- I'm sure he's fine today. He's a very goodnatured boy. And you're welcome for the link.

    Mel- I love it!

    Syd- I don't even believe I do or don't believe in anything. I don't know shit! Really!

    Mel's Way- And the more we know, the more we can be sure of that!

    Akannie- One never knows. It's possible. Or so I hear.

    Nancy C- I LIKE that! A Wondertarian!

    Magnum- I'll save you a seat at the bar.

    Ms. Bastard-Beloved- I can take Peeps or not. Whatever. But dang, I DO love me some Peep art. Thanks, baby!

    Ms. Fleur- Yes. We can be pretty sure of the chocolate-poop connection.

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  15. Personally, I revel in the alternatives.

    ~Beth

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  16. Where do I join the Church of the Batshit Crazy? That sounds more up my street xx

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  17. That makes sense. I have to say that about 90% of the time I'm a possibilian myself.

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