RSS
Facebook
Twitter
E-PrinceFrankly, I find Christianity as implausible as many Christians would find Hinduism, Muslims paganism, Buddhists Judaism, etc. But when pushed for analytical rigor, I have no option but to exercise intellectual prudence and accept that many worldviews, seemingly implausible to ...(back to the article)
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual commenters and do not necessarily represent the views of The Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc. We do not take responsibility for the opinions, facts, or claims presented by individual commenters, and reserve the right to moderate or delete inappropriate comments.
OK Prince writers, this was a good article because (a) it was clear (b) it was nuanced in its treatment of religion (c) it had a call to action and was pragmatic (d) it did not shy away from its point. Read and learn...
C.S. Lewis wrote on this question from the Christian perspective: www.merelewis.org/CSL.gitd.1-12.ManOrRabbit.htm
great and interested read!
why is lgbt the opposite of a chastity center?
As '09 mentioned above, I thought this was a fantastic article. It didn't make broad and sweeping claims about religion or religious students, and it was very nuanced in its analysis. That being said, I think the idea of a humanist chaplain is unnecessary. Humorously, I would claim, let's just extend Peter Singer's office hours and call it a day. But giving this article the level of nuance it deserves, I have no problem with having a student group dedicated to this and I don't think the University would either. But I do question the need and interest for a formal support center given the fact that not a single student group like this exists out of the hundreds that we have on campus. Also, I would like to know what a humanist chaplain would do. We have programs and departments like the CHV and Human Values Forum that provide outlets for religious and nonreligious students alike to intelligently discuss morality and 'living a good life.' The fact that we offer institutional support for religious groups is that many religions are impossible to practice without this. Also, as you mentioned, the University does not recognize or provide a Buddhist chaplain, specifically because Buddhists don't need a chaplain to practice their faith. And although I recognize some students believe the University shouldn't cater to any religion or provide any support for religious students, I think it's an important part of student life and one that the University recognizes this fact as well.
Does the military have humanist chaplains?.......
If 15% of the USA population are non-believers, then 15% of the military should be non-believers, assuming the military represents America.
I am troubled by the choice of the word "humanism" here because that is disingenuous. If my understanding is correct, the author is supportive of something more like Humanism and the distinction between that and other humanist movements/philosophies is pretty critical.
@'12
I usually do not post any comments on my own columns, but your distinction is admittedly very important. Perhaps I could have used "secular humanism".
Instead of wasting money on a chaplain, Princeton students should just set up a campus extension of The Reason Project.
"The Reason Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. Drawing on the talents of the most prominent and creative thinkers across a wide range of disciplines, The Reason Project seeks to encourage critical thinking and wise public policy through a variety of interrelated projects. The foundation will convene conferences, produce films, sponsor scientific studies and opinion polls, publish original research, award grants to other charitable organizations, and offer material support to religious dissidents and public intellectuals — all with the purpose of eroding the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world.
While the foundation is devoted to fostering critical thinking generally, we believe that religious ideas require a special focus. Both science and the arts are built upon cultures of vigorous self-criticism; religious discourse is not. As a result, religious dogmatism still reigns unchallenged in almost every society on earth—dividing humanity from itself, inflaming conflict, preventing wise public policy, and diverting scarce resources. One of the primary goals of The Reason Project is to change this increasingly unhealthy status quo."
http://www.reasonproject.org/about/
awesome article