Luna del'Corvo

Another though on the 'done more good than harm' idea. You know me well enough to know I have this odd and passionate love for medieval Christianity, cathedrals, Dante, etc. I defend the early Inquisition, even! So I am not without sympathy for the good the Church/Christianity has done over time. I'm also a fan of ancient mysticism, and alchemy, and kabbalah, and the like.

That doesn't mean I think they are valid ways of seeing or negotiating the world NOW. They are fascinating, rich, full of meaning for our history as humans, as a culture. They should be studied, preserved, understood, cherished. But they are no more meaningful to life as lived NOW than myths of Apollo, reading the entrails of sheep, or the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Secondly, how much good undoes how much harm? Do we forgive the murderer and let him go free when we learn that he has given millions to charity and saved countless lives? Do good deeds erase evil ones? This may be another of the poisons we inherit from the doctrines of faith - that saying you're sorry and being good removes the stain of sin. But does it? Do all the cathedrals and art and missions erase the crusades and the brutality and the war and the oppression? (and I'm speaking of the institutions of religion, not individual religious people here)

I'd say no. I'd still put the murderer in jail for life. Besides, we have better reasons to be good than religion. We have better reasons to make art, to help others, to love our neighbor.