On (1): sure, norms tend to be needed. However, if you look at most Eastern religions/philosophies (with which both the Caldari and Achura seem flavored), there's a notable lack of emphasis on divine perfection or human lack of same. The main criticism of humankind generally is a failure to understand and a tendency to act blindly. Taoism criticizes society for moving too far away from nature. Buddhism criticizes materialism and attachment as sources of suffering. Zen ... well, doesn't criticize much, maybe, but it's ultimately about embracing your own impermanence.
None of these blame humanity for the state of pretty much anything but humanity. Of course, the state of humanity can produce plenty of blame.
I'd doubt that the main point, in regards to morality and ethics, in 'Western religions' (and philosophies, for the matter) is that humans lack 'divine perfection' as well as the idea that there is generally a special emphasis of 'divine perfection' in regard to morality/ethics.
I also doubt that "the main criticism of humankind generally is a failure to understand and a tendency to act blindly" in 'Eastern religions and philosophies'. First, this is by far too generalizing in my opinion for the sheer diversity of extant 'Eastern religions'. While the 'Western religions' that are comprised nowadays of the abrahmic religions first and foremost, might be relatively homogenous, the same is not at all true for the "Eastern religions", which are comprised of at least two distinct branches: The Indian religions and the Eastern Asiatic religions. And though there has been a tendency to syncretism between Taoism and Buddhism in particular, the two branches are quite distinct in many regards. So, I think the statement is overgeneralizing, especially if one considers the various Shinto sects, Korean shamanism and the various forms of Confucianism.
While one certainly can look at the moral and ethical problems that humans are faced with and the answers given by 'Eastern worldviews' to these from a mainly epistemic point of view, the same is true for abrahmic religions, where the problem of humans is in some ways as well characterized as them being able to know, but being epistemically tragically bounded. One just hast to look at the story of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge.
If one insists on the 'divine perfection' view of Abrahmic religions, one will have the difficulty to make an argument for the 'Eastern relgions' not being interpretable in the same light: For the Taoist nature is more divine and perfect than artificiality, the Buddhist sees the cessation of suffering as more divine and perfect than suffering. And Zen, as a syncretism of Buddhism and Daoism, identifies the achievement of non-suffering and Buddha-nature with the Dao in so far as both are to be found "everyday" (natural) human life - and of course buddhahood is more divine and perfect than the state of non-buddhahood.
So, I don't think that the distinction between 'Eastern religions' and 'Western religions' is something as general as "lack of emphasis on divine perfection or human lack of same" in the former and a lack of considering human "failure to understand and a tendency to act blindly" in the latter. Rather, I'd pose that there is a fundamental agreement that one comes with the other. The disagreement is more in the nuances of the answers to what constitutes divine perfection and understanding.
To bring this back to the topic of the thread:
If Achura religion is concerned with epistemic problems and not with moral/ethical problems, then it is quite distinct from 'Western' as well as 'Eastern religions and philosophies' in that respect, in my opinion. Which would not be a bad thing at all: It rather might be something that helps to make it into more than just some form of 'space-Buddhism/Taoism/Shintoism' and thus something very much with a character of its own. It'd also be in my opinion something that should give food for thought how such a religion could arise and what kind of culture/society would dispense of thinking of right human action in terms of morals/ethics - and how it would be able to function.
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Topic: Achura History Fanon (Read 8487 times)