The music fans amongst you probably recognise the title as an album by the manic street preachers. However it was also the title of a sermon given by a vicar at my church. Seven words that really spoke to me about the nature of religion, science and human experience.
The modern world is full of belief in things we don't strictly know to be true and knowledge of things we know to be true.
Science consists of a mixture of both of these types of knowledge. Certain theories are incomplete even that famous battleground of thought the theory of evolution is not truly complete, though the phrase "near as damnit" applies here.
Maths is a place of absolute truths. Where even 1+1=2 has a long and complex proof.
At the other end of the scale are our personal beliefs which are held to varying levels of strength. I personally am pretty sure that I get better at pool after a couple of drinks, this hypothesis is yet to be fully tested. Atheists, often seen as agents of reason, sometimes still stick to superstitions. A friend of mine, a devout atheist (if you'll excuse the contradiction in terms), still keeps a lucky toy with her when she travels.
My life as a scientist who also happens to be a Christian exists some where in a maelstrom if these two types of knowledge. Laws - absolute truths. my religious beliefs are my personal truth, from my perspective they are correct. This of course is of interest only to me and others who specifically ask about them.
The problem arises when other people attempt to force their truths onto others. The typical door to door christian who knocks to talk to you about Jesus. Jesus asked Christians to spread the word. I have news for the door to door denominations. In the west, at least, it's done. Everyone has heard of Christianity, there are churches everywhere, and if you've missed the Christmas celebration every year you have problems that an invite to bible group will not help with.
On the other hand, I think forcing atheism down somebody's throat is also wrong. Its the other end of the spectrum, where my wearing of a cross makes people feel enabled to make assumptions about my faith or assume they have the go ahead to tell me I'm stupid for having a belief.
Of course, generally, most people sit in the middle, letting each other get on with their lives. Its just typical that the extremes are the loudest.
The question is where am I going with all this? Two places.
Firstly, the point of this articles title. We all need to have respect for each others truths. Here when I say truth I mean personal truths. I know many lovely pagans, I also know a handful who are very disrespectful of other religions. I know many lovely atheists but again several who are very disrespectful of anyone with a religion. Then we come to Christian's...
The Christians who I know and love are wonderful. I'm very lucky in this respect, my church is very liberal and so are almost all the Christians who I personally know but I only have to spend five minutes reading a comment page before coming across some truly hateful words.
No wonder the cross I wear causes judgement. I don't blame anyone who judges me for it. For the followers of a man who said a lot about judging others, all of it negative, we are truly a judgemental bunch. So if you're reading this and a christian has judged you. Then I am apologising on their behalf, it's really not what they should be doing and they've been told by the book they're meant to follow not to do it, repeatedly.
Does this make me judgemental? I personally am not judging their actions as a person but for doing it in the name of Christ. If they want to be homophobic, misogynistic, etc. That's their problem but misrepresenting Christianity to try and do it, that I can't abide.
To my second point, human beings are naturally a fairly contrary lot. We like to do the opposite of what we are told to do. Spend two minutes watching a crowd being told what to do by a police officer and you'll see what I mean. Preaching at people often has one of two effects, they agree with you but are quick to agree with whoever next tries to change their mind or they cling tighter to their original belief, in the case of religion this can become fundamentalism, something this world needs no more of.
If you'd like some science on the truth of this effect: http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/mariakonnikova/2014/05/why-do-people-persist-in-believing-things-that-just-arent-true.html
When you do find yourself telling your truth, no matter what that truth is, be sure you have time to hear the other persons. Free speech has given us a wonderful opportunity to hear how each of us see the world. Who knows, you might find a new truth together.
Evolution has not been “proved” in fact it’s a great theory and it fits most of the evidence but there are great holes in it. There is no continuous evidential chain between the earliest primates and modern man. In fact recently the evidence coming forward is only making the whole thing even more complicated and obscure. In fact, part from the horse most creatures alive to today have a very sketchy, or even no, presence in the evolutionary tree. Big jumps of logic, and faith in future finds, have to be made to fit most of creation into evolutional theory. Evolution has not got all the answers; ask any platypus.
ReplyDeleteI really have a problem with both Bible extremists, whether Christian or Antsiest. Atheists scream hysterically about “Christian intolerance” while being rabidly intolerant to those of faith (and they can see no contradiction at all). Extremist, so called, Christians proliferate hate against gays, other races, other religions etc while hiding behind their incredibly narrow and selective version of the Bible. Like extremists of every religion or group (extremist atheists included) they create their own “truths” to justify their idiot extremism brewed from a toxic concoction of their own hatreds, ignorance and prejudices garnished with a twisted sprinkling of dogma and superiority.
And my truth? Well recently I took exception to some atheist’s intolerant diatribe posted on FB against those of faith. In the face of reasoned argument they backed down but a friend of mine was shocked, How could I be a reasoned, intelligent, educated Socialist be a Christian? Believe in something he considered fantastical? He considered untrue. He didn’t ask me about my beliefs, nor why I believe or exactly what belief means to me. ? Instead he derided me and was quite offensive about my having such beliefs. I asked him what gave him such right? By what justification did he claim the superiority over me? How was it that his certainty in his “truth” made him better, wiser, superior to me? What made him better person than I? Was it simply his blind faith is scientific theories that will probably be as dead, discounted and mocked in a hundred years as those of a hundred years ago? Or was it his simplistic ignorant views of what people with faith believe and think? He had no answer.
I know that I do not know the answers. I know that I do not know the mind of God… let alone the nature of God. All I know that my belief sustains me and guides me and is a fundamental corner stone of who I am. And I am constantly reviewing and contemplating that belief, and I actively seek knowledge that challenges that faith. I also actively seek the opportunities listen to people of other faiths and beliefs (or absence of belief). To find out about their “Truths” because maybe I can learn something from them.
Judge not for you to shall be judged.