|
God would be an atheist...
A rational look at religion, morality, politics and daily life |
|
HOME / This Week WEEKLY COLUMNS Previous Schedule Terms & Rates Subscribe BASICS About GBWAA Why subscribe? Definitions Atheism Faith God(s) Religion etc Analysis The meaning of life Morality etc NEXT STEPS Buy Discuss Join Read REVIEWS CONTACT January 1, 2006 All Rights Reserved World Copyright © Martin Foreman |
It wasn’t that HTKG was difficult to read. Chopra writes well and the eye trips merrily down the page. No, the problem was in the ideas that the words conveyed – a combination of the meaningless, the preposterous and the trite. My first disappointment came with the bald assertion that God exists. I expected such an approach from a third-rate creationist speaking to a converted audience, but from Chopra’s reputation and a book with such a grandiose title I expected more – like a reason to believe in the deity. I didn’t get it. Although Chopra is honest enough to remind us occasionally that there is no proof for God, his strategy is to ignore that inconvenience, in the expectation that his readers will be seduced by the “miracles” he reports. These, however, are obscure and unsubstantiated: a priest who avoided being knocked down by a boy on a bicycle, a woman who sees John Lennon on the television and a Los Angeles telephone call. While Chopra attributes these events to God, more discerning minds might see the hand of alcohol, coincidence or imagination. More discerning minds might also wonder why Chopra deals only in good miracles, while in the real world God fails to prevent others from dying in accidents and allows murderers to carry out 9/11. But answer came there none… I carried on reading, relieved to learn that the spiritual quest had been reduced to Seven Steps to God. Surprisingly, however, when Chopra told to I would find God by looking in the mirror, all I could see was a middle-aged man needing a shave. When I sat down again, all that stretched before me was page after page of petty “miracles” interspersed with Apparently Deep But Actually Meaningless Observations such as “our beliefs must eventually shift to conform to reality, since in the quantum world belief creates reality.” The more I read, the more I had the impression of being addressed by a quack doctor staring me fixedly in the eye and daring me not to believe him. Giving Chopra the benefit of the doubt, I suppose he believes his own words. Because God is unknowable we can all invent our own description of him and Chopra’s version is at least more benign than the ugly bigot created by Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and their ilk. If I were feeling charitable, I would simply ignore the man, send the book for recycling and look for something that nourishes rather than insults my intellect. After all, Chopra’s goal appears to be no more than to make people feel good about themselves, buy more of his books and then maybe spend more money on some of the courses and products conveniently advertized on his website. But I’ve wasted two hours and I’m not in a good mood. What irritates me most is the fact that Chopra devotes his considerable talents to convincing people, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, that there is another reality. The world is in a mess. America is deeply divided and ill at ease. Political leaders on both sides of the fence are incompetents oversized egos and pocketbooks, driven by ambition and arrogance. Religious leadership confers unprecedented power. Americans suffer inadequate health care and school systems. America desperately needs thinkers and leaders, not the God of either the Chopra or the Falwell variety. How much more valuable Deepak Chopra’s contribution to society would be if he offered not dream worlds but a concrete vision that united the country and restored pride and comradeship to all Americans. Instead of which, he offers hogwash. |
WEEKLY COLUMN NOT YET AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA? Readers: e-mail me the name of the publication you would like to see carry GWBAA... (and / or contact the editor directly) Editors: check out the introductory offers for free trial and low-cost syndication 
|
