fandomhigh | Professor Chaucer's Office Hours, Monday

"Thinking, yes - better understanding, I'm less certain about," Kiki answers. "I guess my real question would be: what is the purpose of organized religion?"

Geoff takes a minute to think before he answers. "Two things, I think. First of all, it provides a social structure. People need to be told that what they're doing, the way they're doing it, is correct. Organized religion provides a set of social codes that are tied to faith and morality, which makes people much likelier to follow them. Look at what Dante wrote: it's not just about God and how you worship. Nearly all of the sins he lists are related to the way you act, the way you treat other people.

"And second, I think the majority of people are more comfortable in their worship if they know they aren't alone, and can share their beliefs with other people. I think, again, it reinforces the idea that they're doing things the 'right' way."

[ooc: You are evil, making a person who doesn't believe in organized religion defend organized religion!]

"So," Kiki reasons, her brows drawing together slightly, "then, it's for the weak, right? It's for those who have no inborn sense of responsibility or morality, or who constantly need to be reassured and have those things confirmed and validated for them. I think I can see how it can be comforting to not have to take personal responsibility for any of your actions. And... then those few who do have some sense of leadership can exploit the unquestioning following of the faithful force their own moral code onto everyone else."

Kiki nods slowly. "Better to be wrong and comfortable among the faithful than be right and a pariah. I think I'm starting to get it."

[ooc: *is way guilty* I don't believe in it either ;-) Because that's not totally obvious here.]

"Well...I think you're seeing things a little too...black and white. Organized religion has alot to offer, even for people who are strong in their faith, and who have a good sense of morality. Look at it this way -- even if you don't agree with what the religion says, it provides you with information, and ideas, that you can use to develop and enhance your own beliefs. And no one's faith is formed without outside influence, you have to learn the basic tenets of what you believe from someplace, even if you end up altering them for your needs. Plus, organized religion isn't just about interacting with God, it's also about interacting with the people around you. You form social connections through it as well, and in a lot of cases religion can be used to spread and strengthen social codes."

After a pause, he adds, "And you're from a time when the majority of people are literate. Where I come from, most aren't. So in many ways, interaction within the Church is the only way for them to learn."

[ooc: That's odd, because I'd gotten the sense you might belong to some fundamentalist sect. *g*]

"Now that," Kiki answers sincerely, "actually makes more sense. It's too bad, though, that so often it seems to go too far, into intolerance and rivalry. Or persecution. It's a good goal, to use an institution such as organized religion to help people learn, but there would have to be some care taken over what the lessons taught actually were."

[ooc: Actually, when I'm not on FH, I spend most of my spare time barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen.

And I think this time I heard the actually sound of the chalk on the board that tallies the reasons why I'm headed straight to hell. *snerk*]

Nodding his agreement, Geoff replies, "And ideally, there is. But as I said before, the people who are controlling the religion, what it teaches and how its lesson are taught, are only human. And power, unfortunately, corrupts even those are supposed to have a greater moral compass than the rest of us."

He grins at Kiki. "Intelligent people, like you, can usually see through the hypocrisy and the intolerance, to the real lessons underneath. And a lot of those people also devote time to trying to change what's wrong."

[ooc: Wanna carpool?]

Kiki smiles. "Will those people have any luck at it, do you think?"

[ooc: Sure. Maybe Crowley will lend us the Bentley?]

Chuckling a little, Geoff shrugs. "I like to think so. I've been known to dabble in it a time or two myself -- the trying to change things part, not the religious orders part."

He grins. "Does that help at all? I have to say, I've often taken up the part of satirizing the Church, but I've never been put in the position of defending it before."

[ooc: We could probably get him to chauffeur us.]

"It does, actually," Kiki nods thoughtfully. She cracks an amused grin. "Well, you know what they say, education is all about stretching your boundaries and stepping outside your comfort zone and challenging your ideas. I think I might have missed a buzzword or two in there, but I'm sure you know what I mean."

[ooc: Ooo, and Queen to listen to the whole way, too.]

"I know exactly what you mean," Geoff laughs. "And I've probably learned more from teaching here than my students have learned from taking my classes."

He leans back in his chair again. "So...I think we've pretty adequately covered religion. Any other questions about the readings?"

"We seem to have gotten pretty far afield from Dr. Faust," Kiki comments, looking down at the cover of the book. "But I can't think of any other questions I have."

"Not as far as you might think...after all, Faust deals with issues of sin and damnation too."

Geoff smiles, although the smile is just a little bit sad. "I've really been enjoying these study sessions, Kiki. I hope you've gotten half of what I have from them."

Kiki is curious about the faint melancholy air, but she adds sincerely, "Oh, I have too! Thank you so much for letting me take this as independent study! I can't wait to see what you offer next semester."

[ooc: Oh yes, so deliberate.]

The smile doesn't go away, although his gazes drops momentarily to the floor. "You're welcome, Kiki. It's really been my pleasure," he says sincerely.

"I'll see you tomorrow in poetry class. You get a reprieve for next week, since there's no class, but I expect you to be ready the week after for a good long discussion on Frankenstein."

[ooc: Eeeeeeevil.]

"I will," she grins, standing up and hugging her books to her chest. "Thank you, sir. And Professor? I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you, Kiki. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon...and beware, I have a very full lesson planned for tomorrow."

"I look forward to it! See you tomorrow!" She waves over her shoulder as she skips out the door. She seems entirely too excited about his warning.

Professor Chaucer's Office Hours, Monday

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