Just so you know, what you’re advocating for LW are practices that have helped Christianity become a dominant and universalizing religion. Christians want everyone to be a Christian, that’s basic to Christianity. Does, lets call it “rationalism”, want everyone to be a rationalist? I guess that’s a good question, and should be asked.
But lets also be mindful about how Christianity tries to attain a universal status:
“a strong focus on strengthening the family”
It is key that Christianity spreads within the family, and importantly, through generations. “Be fruitful and multiply” belongs here. You shouldn’t have non-Christian members of the family.
“daily family prayer and scripture study”
Not just a strong family, but a strong Christian family. The ties of family should be used for religious purposes.
“sex only inside marriage”
Every natural human desire needs to be mediated with religious meaning and purpose, this makes people lustful for religion.
This is what you call “the basic package”. The basic package has reasons for its existence, but not reasons that rationalists would necessarily agree with.
Does, lets call it “rationalism”, want everyone to be a rationalist?
I think many proponents of rationalism do, judging by the popularity of the phrase “raising the sanity waterline” around the site.
However, I also notice that LW is not as expansion-focused in its practical actions as its closest neighbor, the skeptical movement. I’ve heard some people express a fear that we might end up with forever-early rationalists who learn just enough to be dangerous and stop there, and later we end up having to correct the public misperceptions they generate.
My personal view: I think spreading rationalism is good, but that we are best off focusing on people who are already primed for it, such as those who are already very into skepticism or science and are looking for something hardcore to sit at the center of those interests.
Just so you know, what you’re advocating for LW are practices that have helped Christianity become a dominant and universalizing religion. Christians want everyone to be a Christian, that’s basic to Christianity. Does, lets call it “rationalism”, want everyone to be a rationalist? I guess that’s a good question, and should be asked.
But lets also be mindful about how Christianity tries to attain a universal status:
“a strong focus on strengthening the family”
It is key that Christianity spreads within the family, and importantly, through generations. “Be fruitful and multiply” belongs here. You shouldn’t have non-Christian members of the family.
“daily family prayer and scripture study”
Not just a strong family, but a strong Christian family. The ties of family should be used for religious purposes.
“sex only inside marriage”
Every natural human desire needs to be mediated with religious meaning and purpose, this makes people lustful for religion.
This is what you call “the basic package”. The basic package has reasons for its existence, but not reasons that rationalists would necessarily agree with.
I think many proponents of rationalism do, judging by the popularity of the phrase “raising the sanity waterline” around the site.
However, I also notice that LW is not as expansion-focused in its practical actions as its closest neighbor, the skeptical movement. I’ve heard some people express a fear that we might end up with forever-early rationalists who learn just enough to be dangerous and stop there, and later we end up having to correct the public misperceptions they generate.
My personal view: I think spreading rationalism is good, but that we are best off focusing on people who are already primed for it, such as those who are already very into skepticism or science and are looking for something hardcore to sit at the center of those interests.