patrick.net

A little history:

http://atheism.about.com/od/secularismseparation/a/ReligiousOrigin.htm

Early on, it was emphasized that these two spheres of knowledge actually constituted a united continuum, but this alliance did not last long. Eventually a number of theologians, most notably Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, argued that all doctrines of the Christian faith were fundamentally based upon revelation, and as such were necessarily filled with contradictions which would cause problems for human reason.

As a consequence, they adopted the position that human reason and religious faith were ultimately irreconcilable. Human reason must operate in and on the realm of empirical, material observation; it might arrive at the same conclusions as religious faith and the study of supernatural revelation, but they could not be united into a single system of study. Faith could not be used to inform reason and reason could not be used to structure faith.

The final push towards widespread secularization was not caused by anti-Christian secularists but by devoted Christians who were aghast at the devastation caused by the religious wars that swept across Europe in the wake of the Reformation. In Protestant countries there was initially an attempt to translate the principles of the religious community into the wider political community; that, however, failed due to the growing divisions between Christian sects.

As a result, people needed to find a common ground if they wanted to avoid civil war. This forced a reduction of overt and explicit references to specific Christian doctrines — reliance upon Christianity, if it remained, became more general and more rationalized. In Catholic nations the process was slightly different, because members of the Church were expected to continue to adhere to Catholic dogma, but they were also allowed a degree of freedom in political affairs.

Over the long run, this meant that the Church came to be excluded more and more from political affairs as the people found that they appreciated having a realm of action and thought where they could be free from ecclesiastical authorities. This, in turn, led to an even greater separation between church and state than existed in Protestant lands.

Rin says

On the whole, I don't believe that ppl are all that intelligent or even in touch with their common humanity. Ask yourself back in 2000 ... what percent of the urbanized western population would be addicted to smart phones and devices by 2015? Would you have guessed 2/3's or more? Nowadays, ppl don't even talk on the phone, they text almost everything. What does that say about the value of basic human connections?

Same argument could be made for every technological advance - especially those that improve communication.

Technology has kept friends who are separated by space and time connected. This is a good thing. People being "addicted' to this technology may or may not be real. If you suddenly took away everyone's smart phones, most folks would be fine after a few days of getting used to it. Of course, the economy would tank, but that's another debate.

Long before modern times, during the decline/fall of the western Roman Empire, a senator-scholar, Boethius who was attempting to correct the growing schism between the Church of Rome and that of Constantinople wrote 'Consolation of Philosophy',

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Consolation_of_Philosophy

Excerpt: In the Consolation, Boethius answered religious questions without reference to Christianity, relying solely on natural philosophy and the Classical Greek tradition. He believed in the correspondence between faith and reason. The truths found in Christianity would be no different from the truths found in philosophy. In the words of Henry Chadwick, "If the Consolation contains nothing distinctively Christian, it is also relevant that it contains nothing specifically pagan either...[it] is a work written by a Platonist who is also a Christian, but is not a Christian work."

meanwhile, on Reddit...

http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/2v31f1/a_lighthearted_moment_from_a_childrens_bible/

rooemoore says

This is a good thing. People being "addicted' to this technology may or may not be real. If you suddenly took away everyone's smart phones, most folks would be fine after a few days of getting used to it.

Until the day when the phone has an A.I., personal digital assistant. When that happens, that app will most likely end up becoming one's best friend. I think that was a big part of the movie, 'Her', where the guy actually falls in love with his PDA.

Rin says

rooemoore says

This is a good thing. People being "addicted' to this technology may or may not be real. If you suddenly took away everyone's smart phones, most folks would be fine after a few days of getting used to it.

Until the day when the phone has an A.I., personal digital assistant. When that happens, that app will most likely end up becoming one's best friend. I think that was a big part of the movie, 'Her', where the guy actually falls in love with his PDA.

So you are saying that it is not a problem now? But... you just said it was a problem. Now you are saying it will only be a problem when we live in a world that may never exist? Explain.

rooemoore says

Rin says

rooemoore says

This is a good thing. People being "addicted' to this technology may or may not be real. If you suddenly took away everyone's smart phones, most folks would be fine after a few days of getting used to it.

Until the day when the phone has an A.I., personal digital assistant. When that happens, that app will most likely end up becoming one's best friend. I think that was a big part of the movie, 'Her', where the guy actually falls in love with his PDA.

So you are saying that it is not a problem now? But... you just said it was a problem. Now you are saying it will only be a problem when we live in a world that may never exist? Explain.

It starts with the decline of *human* communications.

Today, unlike only two years, I seldom speak to ppl on the phone.

Before, there was a voice and some chemistry which went back/forth. And this was good because given everyone's busy schedule, meeting up at the pub wasn't always doable. Thus, the first wave of cell phones became the CB radio but for the masses than just the trucking community.

In time, 1 or 2 sentence texts, started to replace whole conversations. Now sure, I know that the person is alive but my interactions have turned into newsreel highlights than a conversation. Thus, the amazing benefit of a cell phone, for the sake of human communication, has deteriorated into making each person, look like line item, not too different from a bakery's coupon specials.

Now, add a few years to the narrative ... the PDA becomes that human voice, which was missing during the earlier age of texting. And then, that PDA can actually text my friends for me. And vice versa, their PDAs will be conversing with mine via texts or multi-media files. Finally, my main friend will be a PDA given enough time.