Society is losing the plot, says Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks

[mistermack]

It's been shit before.
There have been times when virtually the whole globe was covered in ice.
And times when Volcanoes caused enormous climate change.

And there was the flood, of course.

Today is ok, it could be a lot worse.

In the long term things will right themselves not sure humans can survive another population bottleneck - the fragile ape is ill-equipped for natural survival having lost it's stone chipping culture and the megabeasts to bring down....

Of course we'll survive. We have chickens, and the automatic plucking machine.

[Hermit]

Of course we'll survive. We have chickens, and the automatic plucking machine.

...and can openers.

[Pappa]

Regarding the OP, I love his bollocks comment about faith.

Religious faith "undergirds trust as a whole in society" but is misunderstood by many people, he said, to mean "something I believe without evidence".

"It doesn't mean that at all," he continued.

"Faith, at least Jewish faith, means having trust in one another, and that trust being based on trust in God."

So, faith is having trust in something without evidence then?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Regarding the OP, I love his bollocks comment about faith.

Religious faith "undergirds trust as a whole in society" but is misunderstood by many people, he said, to mean "something I believe without evidence".

"It doesn't mean that at all," he continued.

"Faith, at least Jewish faith, means having trust in one another, and that trust being based on trust in God."

So, faith is having trust in something without evidence then?

No! You're not listening to what he's saying!

Faith is based on trust in god. So faith is NOT "something I believe without evidence" but "something that I believe without evidence because I believe something else without evidence." SImples.

[klr]

So, it's a particular something without evidence. All that New Age stuff is just voodoo, as far as the good Rabbi is concerned.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

So, it's a particular something without evidence. All that New Age stuff is just voodoo, as far as the good Rabbi is concerned.

I pretty much agree with him there.

[klr]

So, it's a particular something without evidence. All that New Age stuff is just voodoo, as far as the good Rabbi is concerned.

I pretty much agree with him there.

See? We can find common ground.

It's just as very small patch, not big enough to bowl a cricket ball on ...

[Svartalf]

So, it's a particular something without evidence. All that New Age stuff is just voodoo, as far as the good Rabbi is concerned.

Read the Bible, plenty evidence in there... the fact that by modenr standard it is pure legend and hearsay does not change the truth in there.

[Jason]

equating trust and faith is typically predictable, but still wrong. Why do heads of religious organisations think they are qualified to make rational arguments?

Why do you? I may find your arguments suspect, but you're as qualified as the next person. Capable or apt are separate matters.

[pErvinalia]

equating trust and faith is typically predictable, but still wrong. Why do heads of religious organisations think they are qualified to make rational arguments?

Why do you? I may find your arguments suspect, but you're as qualified as the next person. Capable or apt are separate matters.

The problem is that religions leaders actually think they are qualified to make rational/intelligent arguments. They aren't. They are qualified in bullshitting. And the quality of their argumentation reflects that. Like yours.

[JimC]

There have been many recent tirades by religious figure against the evils of secularism, all saying that it leads to social breakdown. Clearly, they are wilfully misusing the term; in essence, it simply means that society should not be organised on religious lines, not that religion per se is crap (the atheist position).

They are lamenting the fact that, in western societies, they are becoming no more or less important than Rotary, or the local knitting group. I fully support their right to exist on such terms...

[Mysturji]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23825465

Society is losing the plot, says Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks

Society is "losing the plot" as it becomes more secular and less trusting, the UK's outgoing Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has said.

That may or may not be the case, but at least it had a plot to lose, unlike some others.

[Clinton Huxley]

Zombie Jesus and the Magic Sky Fairies didn't have much of a plot, to be sure. And the SFX were as bad as Sharkocalypse.

[cronus]

Nothing stands still and secular ethics can be corrupted. We've moved a long way from eugenics and still like our star trek. The godbotherers need to keep moving on too since the old conversations are stale and irrelevant yet future dangers very very real for all.

[Rum]

What?