With a sparkling new history of humanism on the shelves, we need to pause and understand exactly what we mean by the term so highly elevated by modernity
Religion baffles me. Its utterly irrational. Belief in something invisible. But it must fulfill a need because it has survived so long and across all of history and humanity. An explanation of why is I think at its core. I was in a Cathedral on Saturday, it was built starting in 1086, on the site of older Anglo saxon place of worship. It's magnificent almost magical place. It inspires and gladden me whenever I go inside, though I'm agnostic. Maybe because three great acts of life are inextricably linked to such places, birth, marriage and death. Service to society and country are recorded too by the flags, colours, plaques and stones all around its walls. The Grave of a King can be seen and touched. To an open and receptive mind such places link the one to the many and also across time. It's a very impressive gig. Light a candle for your mum. Buy a jar of honey to help poor kids. Listen to an organ playing. Watch the shadows play in the Great East window made 750 years ago. Humanism despite its many virtues has a long way to go to equal all that.
I agree completely. The sheer weight of age of our great places of worship is mind-boggling. One of the profoundest emotional experiences I've had was entering Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, thinking that it was nearly 1,500 years since its commissioner, Justinian, had seen the finished building and said to himself "Solomon, I have surpassed thee".
Religion baffles me. Its utterly irrational. Belief in something invisible. But it must fulfill a need because it has survived so long and across all of history and humanity. An explanation of why is I think at its core. I was in a Cathedral on Saturday, it was built starting in 1086, on the site of older Anglo saxon place of worship. It's magnificent almost magical place. It inspires and gladden me whenever I go inside, though I'm agnostic. Maybe because three great acts of life are inextricably linked to such places, birth, marriage and death. Service to society and country are recorded too by the flags, colours, plaques and stones all around its walls. The Grave of a King can be seen and touched. To an open and receptive mind such places link the one to the many and also across time. It's a very impressive gig. Light a candle for your mum. Buy a jar of honey to help poor kids. Listen to an organ playing. Watch the shadows play in the Great East window made 750 years ago. Humanism despite its many virtues has a long way to go to equal all that.
I agree completely. The sheer weight of age of our great places of worship is mind-boggling. One of the profoundest emotional experiences I've had was entering Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, thinking that it was nearly 1,500 years since its commissioner, Justinian, had seen the finished building and said to himself "Solomon, I have surpassed thee".
Yez i too have visited Hagia Sophia. It is quite mesmirising. I loved the runes carved into stone by some nomadic viking norse traveller.
They’re amazing. Alas it has been turned back into a mosque now, very much not what Atatürk would have wanted.