[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by troutman

Thanks for your response. I don't mean to ridicule your experience. Your story is fascinating. I hope it is what you believe it to be. It is a comforting thought. But, why wouldn't god intervene before every tragedy?

I am a big fan of civility. You're a class act.
As for the old "why do bad things happen to good people?" argument, I prefer the words of William Shatner doing his best impression of Captain James T. Kirk: "I don't want you to take my pain away; I NEED MY PAIN" ~ Star Trek V: The Undiscovered Country
I believe people misconstrue pain, suffering, and tragedy too often with evil. Pain and suffering are a necessary part of living, and as unpleasant and unpopular a position as it is, I maintain with conviction that our most profound and meaningful spiritual and metaphysical experiences reside in the embrace of pain. Ultimately—and without going into great detail—my relationships with family, friends, and God is healthier and more enriching because of my perseverence through moments and seasons of profound suffering.

Originally Posted by troutman

I'm not against studying religion. I do have trouble with people taking religious dogma literally.

If there were no people who took "dogma" seriously (I will abstain from the misapplication of "literally", as it has been long recognized by the Catholic Church and most mainstream religious groups that there is a "mystery" inherent in faith that depends on an analogous or figurative interpretation fo the literature), there simply would be no study of religion. the study of religion is very much related to the study of culture, as religion is perhaps best described as the epitome of cutural expression. Religion is responsible for many of the most spectacular of human acheivements, and reciprocally so many of the most horrific human tragedies. Religion is rooted in passion, and it is one of the few distinctions of humanity from the rest of the animal kingdom.

Originally Posted by troutman

How can anything be supernatural? The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. - Carl Sagan

With respect to Sagan, the is no assurance that our understanding of the cosmos is complete. I am sure he would agree that knowledge and consciousness is perpetual, which means that there will ALWAYS be something (or someOne?) just beyond the grasp of our intelligence. Religion is simply an expression of the mystery of existence and the cosmos.

Originally Posted by troutman

I like what Joseph Campbell has to say:

God is a metaphor for that which trancends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that.
-- Joseph Campbell

Exactly. But the supposition that religion has no meaning or function or accuracy is rooted in the conviction that humanity will overcome this transcendence. I am acutely aware that I will never be in a position to know or to understand everything, and in this void of uncertainty is wher my faith takes root.

Originally Posted by troutman

Read myths. They teach you that you can turn inward, and you begin to get the message of the symbols. Read other people's myths, not those of your own religion, because you tend to interpret your own religion in terms of facts -- but if you read the other ones, you begin to get the message. Myth helps you to put your mind in touch with this experience of being alive. Myth tells you what the experience is.
-- Joseph Campbell

I like it, and I tend to agree. But I do not see how Campbell's observations preclude the fundamental need of most for religious expression.