I am partial to donuts but what I was discussing was history which thanks be to God is free of all “-isms.” Secondly, I knew you’d “go there” in terms of Atlantis if I gave you an opening. It’s interesting what archaeology will fund and what it won’t fund. They’ve basically found Noah’s Ark but the archaeological community staunchly refuses to help uncover the rest of it. Fascinating. Amazing.
I was discussing history as well. In fact, it’s my job, as I’m an assistant professor of history at a small private Southern college. So, as one of the so-called “experts”, I can most assuredly tell you that “-ism” is just a suffix. It’s a convenient way of labeling groups. In fact, I’m fairly partial to “Catholicism” myself. Perhaps a dose of Eastern Catholic “mysticism” as well? What about “scholasticism”, since you seem to be partial to the great St. Thomas Aquinas? And in case you didn’t know, Donatism is a heresy where people believed that being in a state of sin negated a priest’s ability to perform sacraments. If that were true, of course, the validity of almost all sacraments would immediately become suspect. Put more generally, just because one commits sin does NOT mean that other, correct aspects of their religious faith become null and void.
As far as Atlantis, all you’ve done is deflect the question. In the mid-1800s, it was common knowledge that Troy and Mycenae were simply legends. Fifty years later, absolute proof of their existence was discovered. That does NOT mean that Atlantis actually existed, but to dismiss it out of hand is foolish. I also have no problem with believing in the existence of Noah’s Ark. National Geographic recently uncovered and heavily publicized convincing evidence of at
least a major regional flood by finding Neolithic villages at the bottom of the Black Sea (and their evidence does not rule out a disaster of even larger scope, I might add). The evidence I’ve seen on Noah’s Ark, however, has not stood up well to serious scrutiny, even from the religious community.
As far as funding… two things have to happen. First, you have to find someone willing to do the research and initiate the project. Second, you have to find an organization willing to finance the research. However, religious believers tend to take things on faith. Any good researcher needs a good dose of skepticism, and that’s not really a trait you’ll find in abundance among orthodox Christians. This is why funding is biased the way it is.
