| This thesis deals with pre-Judaic and post-Christian influences on religious thought from the premise that a better self-understanding is accessible to Western Culture through the findings of archaeology in the Middle East should these findings be linked with the other social sciences and with some philosophical aspects of the natural sciences. Out of this could come a more flexible approach to religious education encouraging the review of even the most ancient symbolism and expression, fostering greater acceptance of diversity, and a broader definition of religion than has generally been favoured in Judaeo-Christian traditions.; The first part examines the building of temples in the Tigris-Euphrates crescent and the invention of writing in Sumer and their impact on Mesopotamia as well as on all later societies in the Ancient Near East. It points to the rise of the priest/king and his laws as significant factors in the shaping of the Judaeo-Christian civilization--e.g., the symbolic language of kings and kingdoms, metaphors of might (Almighty God), and sacralized laws exacting obedience because they had been given by God to a ruler. It looks at the consequent 'eclipse' of the mother model in the ideology, the denial of a duality in human experience and purpose, and the absence of negotiation and balance between the sexes in issuing monolithic societies.; Second it looks to the emergence of the modern sciences as a post-Christian development that counters the warrio-king/priestly-ascetic modes and that requires a much more honest appraisal of how traditions are perpetuated long after they have ceased to be spiritually meaningful to large segments of the population.; Finally, it seeks to join the ancient wisdom of the Sumerians with that of twentieth century philosophers, thinkers and intellectuals (e.g. Woolf and Einstein) for a new vision that could be introduced in the religious education of home, church and school. |
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