http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCofmZlC72g&feature=youtu.be
The following is the discussion is what followed. I've found it fascinating. Thought others might, and didn't want it to get buried in my timeline. I'll keep adding to the blog entry as people comment on the Facbook comment thread.
Ron R: This looks interesting. I hope I can carve out some time to listen to it.
Tim K: I
have never been a big fan of Sam Harris, I find his critiques of
Christianity to be uninformed and without philosophical or historical
sophistication. I was unaware that science and religion were
diametrically opposed to one another...
Scott N: Tim,
I think that depends on your religion. If you make any testable claims,
and those claims are tested and shown to be false, and then you keep
believing, then yes, I would say they are opposed. If your religion does
not make testable claims, ie something akin to deism, then religion and
science probably are not. Most people resolve any conflict they have
with science and their beliefs this way, people will choose belief over
knowledge:
http://www.pewforum.org/
There are a few examples of people who are firm believers and well known scientists, Francis Collins being a good one. I would submit that Collins never applies his scientific training to his religious faith, which I think is fairly apparent in his book.
I agree that Harris has problems with some of his philosophy, and it's not my job to defend him, but imo mainstream Christianity is so dead in the water, I'm more interested in the other ideas.
http://www.pewforum.org/
There are a few examples of people who are firm believers and well known scientists, Francis Collins being a good one. I would submit that Collins never applies his scientific training to his religious faith, which I think is fairly apparent in his book.
I agree that Harris has problems with some of his philosophy, and it's not my job to defend him, but imo mainstream Christianity is so dead in the water, I'm more interested in the other ideas.
Scott N: Oh, and I don't really like debates, but if you're interested, Harris was giving his talk right after this debate,
http://www.youtube.com/
I have not watched it. Mainly because if you want uniformed, blanket stupidity, I find Dinesh D'Souza is your man. And I even listened to nothing but Timothy Keller sermons for an entire day last week, just to listen to some opposing viewpoints.
http://www.youtube.com/
I have not watched it. Mainly because if you want uniformed, blanket stupidity, I find Dinesh D'Souza is your man. And I even listened to nothing but Timothy Keller sermons for an entire day last week, just to listen to some opposing viewpoints.
Tim K: Thanks
Scott, and I generally agree with what you have written. Some of the
difficulties come in when discussing what exactly constitutes "proof"
without some form of subjectivity. At many points people like Dawkins,
Harris, Dennett and Hitchens make claims that they believe constitute
some form of "proof" against Christianity when they are either the ones
lacking evidence or the ones placing disciplines such as science as
sources of objectifiable truth.
Ron R: Wow,
I can see this is going to be a good thread. But I'm going to wait to
listen to Harris' lecture before I comment. Just to whet your appetite:
my observation is that most evangelical Christians hold to a position
on free will that is both philosophically untenable as well as
inconsistent with the Bible. But they have either never considered this
or refuse to acknowledge their inconsistency. So I'm interested in
Harris' interpretation of the current state of science and with what
philosophical and theological primary sources he interacts, if any.
Tim K: For
example, at the beginning of his lecture, Harris states that Genesis
and biological evolutionary theory are directly opposed to one another.
This is not only an incorrect reading of Genesis it is also the
application of scientific theory to a book whose primary objective is
not science but faith. There are a number of people, Allister McGrath
(he has his Ph. D. in biology from Oxford) and John Polkinghorne, to
name two, who understand both the nature of the Genesis account of
creation and the accounts of evolutionary theory and are able to hold
them together without sacrificing one for the other. What exactly is
"mainstream Christianity"? I imagine it would be difficult to define.
Ryan Neufeld: I watched the shorter 12 minute video on free will lol. Cool stuff!
Scott Neufeld: Ron, some views on free will that I think would probably most line up with my own, could be found via this podcast - http://
Tim,
you don't think science is a source of truth? While I don't think there
is such a thing as objective truth, just what is most probable based on
the data, and science is the best tool we have for figuring out what is
most probable. My definition of a Christian is anyone who calls
themselves one. The majority of people who call themselves Christians,
at least in North America, don't read Genesis the way you are
suggesting. If you read Genesis the same way you would read any other
sort of ancient middle eastern mythology, then there's no problem. The
fact is, most people don't, and for those people there is a direct
conflict. If you are not claiming any sort of divine writing for the
Bible, then we don't really have a problem. If you look at it as a
collection of interesting ancient writings, with no scientific value,
but historical and cultural value, then cool. That's not who Harris is
talking to.
PS - I have no desire, and don't care, about any topics
that rely on faith. It's a horrible concept that needs to be discarded.
If people want to read the Bible through the lens of faith that is
totally fine, they just need to stop infecting that into the science
classrooms around the world. I think your point would be much more valid
if that's the way people treated Genesis, but they don't . Just to
drive the point home, I really really have no use for something that is
totally derived from faith.
Scott Neufeld: You
probably don't like Hitch, but I think this a good example of the
problem with believing in Christianity and what the science shows.
Heaven did shit all for 98,000 years, then tried human sacrifice. http://www.youtube.com/
Tim, I am curious how your beliefs differ from the average Christian in western Canada. Are you more on the Thom Stark side of things? ( I am currently reading his book, interesting stuff. http://www.amazon.com/
Tim, I am curious how your beliefs differ from the average Christian in western Canada. Are you more on the Thom Stark side of things? ( I am currently reading his book, interesting stuff. http://www.amazon.com/
Ron N: Tim,
the reading of Genesis and science are in direct contradiction. Sure
you can rationalize a reading in which they are not, but I am unable to
see how the 'Faith card' helps at all. The fact that some Christians can
hold two contradictory ideas in their head at the same time does not,
itself, provide a good reason to suggest that these beliefs are
compatible. Humans can do all sorts of things, like having a good
statistical knowledge of probability while still buying lottery tickets;
that is evidence for our human ability to engage in wishful thinking
rather than anything else.
Tim K: Hey
Scott, sorry if the idea that I don't believe science conveys truth
came across in what I wrote. I would understand that science conveys
truth, as does philosophy and other non-religious disciplines. In this
instance I believe that truth means that they are able to make accurate
and beneficial observations about the world and the cosmos.
Science is a great tool for making objective observations, but is a far less capable tool in determining the subjective meaning of those observations.
Genesis is certainly a product of the ancient Near East and it necessarily reflects the cultural landscape of that period in time, but I would disagree that its historical relevance necessarily alters its aspirations as divinely inspiried. Even though I believe that the text is one of faith, I agree with you that it necessitates being read within the religious ethos of ancient Israel, their believes and their cultic structures. I think that most Christians understand that Genesis is not a scientific treatise on the origins of the world, it is quite clear from the text that God is not some cosmic magician.
Even if you remove the idea of religious context (which I think is what you mean by faith) it is still necessary to replace it with another belief structure, another "faith" if you will. Belief in God or believe in reason, both require assertions to be made based upon assumptions about the world and how it operates, both require some measure of faith and one is certainly no less superstitious than the other.
Science is a great tool for making objective observations, but is a far less capable tool in determining the subjective meaning of those observations.
Genesis is certainly a product of the ancient Near East and it necessarily reflects the cultural landscape of that period in time, but I would disagree that its historical relevance necessarily alters its aspirations as divinely inspiried. Even though I believe that the text is one of faith, I agree with you that it necessitates being read within the religious ethos of ancient Israel, their believes and their cultic structures. I think that most Christians understand that Genesis is not a scientific treatise on the origins of the world, it is quite clear from the text that God is not some cosmic magician.
Even if you remove the idea of religious context (which I think is what you mean by faith) it is still necessary to replace it with another belief structure, another "faith" if you will. Belief in God or believe in reason, both require assertions to be made based upon assumptions about the world and how it operates, both require some measure of faith and one is certainly no less superstitious than the other.
Tim K: The
subtext of the title of Hitchens last book was: "How Religion Poisons
Everything". If that is not a gross overgeneralization I am not sure
what is. If you want to look for people who hold to beliefs without
much thought to critical thinking I am sure we could find them in almost
every discipline. The mistake, and what people like Hitchens, Dawkins,
Harris and other assume, is in taking incorrect application of
Christian beliefs and making certain types of fanaticism normative. I
believe this would apply to athiest fundamentalism as well.
Tim K: I
do believe that Atheists, scientists and others offer valid and
important criticisms of the Christian faith. Christianity is not,
however, the baseless, superstitious, anti-science, anti-reason movement
many people make it out to be.
Ron N: Tim,
Genesis says an awful lot about the order of creation and sets up the
process even if it doesn't give insight into the process itself. I would
expect accuracy from a *divine* ancient text, although I of course
wouldn't expect it from just some old thing invented by fallible humans.
In the fallible human context, it makes perfect sense, as you allude.
It merely fails to support Christianity as being divinely inspired.
I would say that Christianity is superstitious, anti-science, and anti-reason. What can you call anything else that has a supernatural foundation?
I would say that Christianity is superstitious, anti-science, and anti-reason. What can you call anything else that has a supernatural foundation?
Tim K: Ron, I am not sure what your expectations would be regarding the scientific accuracy of a text written sometime around the dominance of Babylon in the ancient Near East. Genesis speaks to God bringing order out of chaos, and it is ordered and separate by "days" but it does not say much about process (at least nothing that disagrees in any respect with modern science). The primary interpretive thurst is 1. That God created; 2. That God's creation was orderly; and 3. That God's creation was good.
Tim K: Point
#1 is clearly the assumption of Genesis (and not really the concern of
science); point #2 seems to align itself with the possibility of
scientific investigation; and point #3 is a subjective view of creation
(it is not a scientific statement). It is near impossible to read
Genesis as portending to offer a scientific account of the origins of
the world. As far as I am able to see, there is nothing in Genesis that
directly contravenes scientific inquiry. It would also be a mistake
to assume that modern theorics of cosmological origins are without
difficulty, or that science has succeeded where faith has failed. Christianity opens itself up to scientific investigation, philosophical
reasoning and cultural understandings. If it were to line up with your
assertions it would not lend itself to these types of investigations.
That is not to say that certain aspects of Chritainity are not matters
of faith, but it would be a mistake to think that this faith is
uninformed, unreasonable and uncritical. Fatith is as much an accent to
reason as it is to the belief in something beyond ourselves. I am not
sure how it differs from the adherence to scientific theories (or
sciences as religion for that matter) which are either a) without
definitive proof and b) not possible to prove without leaving room for
doubt. I find the language of superstition to be a rhetorical device
used to make a persons particular beliefs sound baseless.
Ron N: Tim,
my expectations of a *divine* text would be accuracy and precision. To
dumb it down to "God created, it was orderly and it was good" is to
generalize to the point irrelevancy. Many other religion could be
generalized similarly - I have higher expectations for a 'true'
religion. Accuracy and precision would support a religious case; its
absence demonstrates the foundationlessness of Christianity. It is impossible to read Genesis *now* as a scientific account, as
science has thoroughly debunked it. It is at odds with what we know
about how the world and life began and directly contradicts scientific
inquiry. If one can read Genesis and not see a contradiction I'm not
sure how to respond. It's like saying "Earth, Air, Fire and Water" is
perfectly compatible with the modern periodic table. If you're insisting
that black is the same as white, then I suspect there is a rather large
bias at work forcing the comparison. The cognitive dissonance should be
large. Christianity has not, in my experience, opened itself
up to scientific investigation. It specific rejects conclusions that run
contrary to scripture, plays to its bias', and fails to subject itself
to rational responses. Uninformed, unreasonable and uncritical is not a
bad summary. Faith is deciding to either ignore evidence to belief
something contrary, or to accept a belief in the absence of evidence; it
is antithetical to rational thought and the scientific process. Any
faith-based process is, by its very inclusion, non-rational.The language of superstition is indeed used as a rhetoric device, one
that accurately depicts Christian beliefs as they are; supernatural and
cultish. The euphemisms used by religion as rhetorical devices to give a
false sense of rationality are baseless and dishonest.
Ron N: tl;dr
- It appears from my perspective that you are ignoring the conflicts to
rationalize the cognitive dissonance caused by the conflicts.
Ben R: Hey,
just saw this thread on my wall. Interesting discussion. Scott, I'm
surprised you spent a whole day listening to Tim Keller. Can I suggest
Lesslie Newbigin if you want an opposing view that you might find more
interesting? His book, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, has an
interesting treatment of worldview (what he calls plausibility
structures) and the roles of faith and reason therein. He is quite
critical of aspects of what I think you are calling mainstream
Christianity, but also calls into question much of what is inherent to
the prevailing western secular worldview.
Ron, I hesitate to
jump in on your discussion with Tim, but I think I have something to
contribute. First, I'd like to comment that if you read the Genesis
creation account through the lens of modern scientific rationalism then
you are pretty certain to misunderstand it's meaning and intent. The
claim to divine inspiration shouldn't be confused with dictation, and
this passage was written by an ancient Hebrew mind within an ancient
Hebrew context, for an ancient Hebrew audience. Is scientific accuracy
and precision relevant to the time and place in which it was written? I
don't think so. I don't think they would have found any use for, nor
were interested in, the knowledge of precisely how the universe came to
be. If this passage was inspired by a wise and loving creator (as is the
Christian claim) who wanted to convey to his people an understanding of
their human condition as it relates to love versus desire for power,
communion with Him versus separation, good and evil, pride and humility,
alienation and reconciliation, life and death, would he wish to address
their hearts or give them facts about how long it took to accomplish
the creation of the world and the particular method he used to create
humans? When viewed in this way, the story still has relevance today,
but when viewed through the eyes of scientific rationalism it never had
any relevance, not to them or us.
Ben R: Interestingly,
as far back as AD 415, Augustine rejected the notion that the six days
of creation should be understood as a statement of the order and timing
in which the creation took place, believing instead that they were
intended as a literary device, and this obviously has nothing to do with
modern scientific discovery. So it can be argued quite forcefully that
the modern young-earth creationist interpretation flies in the face of
historical and orthodox Christian belief, and in this instance modern
science comes down in favour of historical Christian thought. Augustine
himself was a firm believer that any proper understanding of scripture
as it relates to the natural world and philosophy should be consistent
with what can be learned with reason and experience. Here's a quote from
him that you might like: "Reckless and incompetent expounders
of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser
brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions
and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of
our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and
obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture
for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think
support their position, although they understand neither what they say
nor the things about which they make assertion". I would argue
that orthodox Christian belief from it's earliest days has always made
room for rational discussion and inquiry, and that faith has always been
a motivator for science. The belief that the universe is rational is
the starting point and basic assumption of modern science, and this
faith in rationality is affirmed with each new hypothesis that is proven
trustworthy through scientific inquiry. When we encounter something
that contradicts what we thought we knew, we don't claim that
rationality is a delusion, but bring both beliefs under careful scrutiny
and hopefully go forward with something that makes more sense of
reality. I think it's impossible to be a thinking, discerning Christian
without allowing science to challenge your assumptions and perhaps
change your understanding of things. But there are times when science
challenges atheism too, and atheists need to revise their beliefs. For
instance, the big bang theory provides quite a striking affirmation of
the biblical understanding of time and matter, yet many atheists who
held that time and matter were eternal had to adapt their thinking.
Tim K: Thanks for your comments Ben. Alister McGrath makes a similar point regarding Augustine in his book "A Fine Tuned Universe" and the concept that Genesis should be read in its original context is not only appropriate but necessary. Now that you have posted I probably don't need to, but I wrote it so I will fire it up here anyway.
Ron N: Ben,
that sounds like a wonderful rationalization why the text doesn't make
any sense in a modern context. It certainly doesn't read like it was
made to "address their hearts" in any modern ethical sense, it reads
like a iron-age tribe is trying to
impress themselves and other iron-age tribes with how powerful their
particular God is. What would be amazing is if it *did* contain accurate
truths that an ancient tribe wouldn't have access to. It doesn't, hence
it's merely a work of fiction. One could claim it's good fiction or bad
fiction, but from Macbeth to the Bible to Twilight, they're all still
fiction. The story has very little relevance today, other than a
historical perspective on our darker and less tolerant past. From its
use to justify slavery to providing a moral foundation for misogyny
Genesis is an ugly book. Facts would have been better.
Tim K: Ron,What exactly would constitute accuracy and precision in the text of
Genesis? This is an interesting assertion since it assumes that Genesis
was intended as a scientific account of creation. The Early Church
Fathers never read Genesis this way,
neither did Augustine (and many others for that matter), and this was
well before modern science “debunked it”. I am not ignoring what you
perceive to be a conflict; what I am stating is that Genesis 1-3 is a
distinctly theological text and does not make any pretentions to answer
modern scientific questions. The world that we live in is far
different than the world of the Old Testament. In Genesis function is
more important than physical existence and if the author of Genesis is
communicating to his audience about God’s creation of the functional
cosmos, we might expect to get little information concerning the
structural cosmos (ie. matter per se). Or, as John Walton puts it: It
is fruitless to ask what things God created on day one, for the text is
not concerned about things and therefore will not address itself to that
question.This demonstrates the radical contrast (or as you have
put it “cognitive dissonance”) between the terms in which the Israelites
thought about cosmic origins and our modern way of conceptualizing
them. It was always impossible to read Genesis as a structural account
of creation and that has not changed regardless of the advances of our
scientific knowledge. There are many instances where scientific
advancements were made by Christians and it would run counter to history
to suggest that Christianity itself is opposed to scientific
advancement. Christianity in a grass roots sense may not engage with
all of the complex philosophic and scientific arguments, but in general
it is not opposed to them, and from an academic perspective it welcomes
critique. We accept many things by faith regardless of their
origins, and the scientific method definitely has its investigative
limits. I would disagree with you regarding the ability to evaluate
personal beliefs as I do feel that it is possible for a person to look
rationally and critically at their beliefs (regardless of origin) and
come to a reasonable conclusion. If we do not share that conclusion
that is fine, but it would be a mistake to think that one of us was more
reasonable or critical, or capable of reason or critique, than the
other.
Ron N: Tim,
what would constitute accuracy and precision would be not getting basic
facts wrong. I'm perfectly happy with examining it from a cultural
anthropological perspective - as one of many stories invented by our
species when relative ignorant. It can be appreciated or ignored like any other work of fiction.
If, however, it is somehow different than other creation myths I would expect it to show. Some accuracy and precision would have helped that case, but sadly it does not. All we do have is a history of apologetics trying to take a rather ugly book and rationalize into something more meaningful. I also presume that the approximately one third of Americans that believe the Genesis account is literally true seem to belie your assumption that it does not address a structural account of creation. Apparently, it does, and apparently God told them to read it that way.
There are, of course, many instances of Christians making scientific advances. Of course there were - most scientists are (and were) Christians. That doesn't mean that Christianity supports free inquiry. The degree of religiosity is inversely correlated with free inquiry - I doubt it's an accident that the higher one climbs in terms of educational achievement the more liberal one's religious beliefs, and the higher proportion of atheists one finds. Christianity makes laughably silly statements if taken literally, from talking snakes to rising from the dead, and seriously ethically warped statements if taken metaphorically. To suggest that Christianity "welcomes critique" is disingenuous at best. Christianity is leading the charge against human rights, from gay marriage to abortion, actively suppresses scientific inquiry from global warming to stem cell research, and this is in a time when we've tried our best to uncouple religion from political power. We should never forget the abuses religion rained down on humanity when it both though it had God's warrant and political power in its side. If god does exist, she'd better have a damn good excuse.
We do not accept anything based on faith, or at least one shouldn't. Accepting things without evidence as true is generally a poor choice as a method of inquiry. While of course the scientific method has limits, it also actually has reach; something no other method has yet been shown to have. Certainly faith has been shown to be particularly myopic, and downright dangerous. No more martyrs, please.
I do not think it is easy to look at one's own beliefs rationally and critically and come to a reasonable conclusion. Sure it's possible, just as running a double marathon is 'possible', but it's rare and unexpected. We know enough about human psychology to know that any religionist is going to be unable to examine their own beliefs critically, will unconciously favor confirming information, will rationalize rebuttals into strawmen and will be generally ill-equipped to think rationally. That's what religion does to the human mind. It's not a unique phenomenon, you'll find it in adherents to political ideologies and brand loyality, but religion contains some very useful memes for making it stronger and more pronounced. Only religion would make a sin of blasphemy. If someone tells me 2+2=5 I certainly do not assume they are just as reasonable or rational, and I certainly think them incapable of doing math. They may be perfectly fine in other areas, but I would know their blind spots. For the Faithists it's critical examination of ideas; the very nature of 'faith' forbids it.
Ron N: Of
course I could take every reference to Christianity out of the above
post and substitute "Islam", and every reference to the Bible, and
substitute the Koran. Or any number of other religions. That a 'critical
self-examination' always seems to confirm one's own bias, but always
manages to reject other religions seems to suggest that it's not working
properly. Talk about trying to remove a beam from one's own eye...
Scott N: Seems like things moved along without me. Your recent comments Tim,
make me wonder. Who cares if the writers of Genesis intended it as a
theological document? Outside of it's literary/historical merits, that
makes it no different than any other
religious document from any other religion. I contend that 'Doctor Who'
contains theological truths, therefore I can choose to use it in the
same way. (The Doctor is my Time Lord and Savior). Sheldon on The Big
Bang Theory uses Star Trek as a guidance for his life. I don't see why
the Bible has any credibility over these things, except importance that
our culture puts on it, and that it is old. And at least no hero in Star
Trek commands rape, genocide, or other such horrendous acts. The god of
the Bible is a moral monster, and though it may be fruitless to ask for
scientific knowledge from the Bible, why should we ask anything from
it? I really would be much more comfortable with people using Star Trek
for moral guidance than using the Bible. Forgive me for linking this, but the relevant bit starts around 0:45
http://www.youtube.com/
I would also argue that Christianity as a whole IS opposed to scientific progress. Yes, the early scientists of the enlightenment were Christians. It was the dominant religion of Europe. I would contend their science was not fueled by their Christianity. One of the single greatest discoveries ever, the evolution of life, has been opposed by Christians ever since it was put forth. (Funny how it is never even hinted at in the Bible. Maybe god didn't know life evolved either.) The hatred of scientific knowledge fostered by priests as Rome fell was fueled by the Christian faith, and the perception that learning was partly to blame. There is a reason mathematical treatise were written over/destroyed in favour of hymns. As soon as one invokes god, one squashes the quest for knowledge. 'God did it' gets one no where. Just because scientific greats believed something, does not give it credence, Newton was a genius, but he believed a lot of crazy things, that doesn't mean there is truth to them. Christianity likes to whitewash its history. Just look at the claim that Christians were integral to the abolitionist movement. Some were, most were not. In 50 years, Christians will probably be claiming that they were integral in the gay rights movement too. Again, I except nothing on faith, so please don't say "we" in that regard. To quote Richard Feynman,
"You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt, and uncertainty, and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things. But I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and there are many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here, and what the question might mean. I might think about it a little bit; if I can’t figure it out, then I go onto something else. But I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell — possibly. It doesn’t frighten me."
I personally have no use for the Christian faith. Based on my own personal experience, and what you have said, my intellectual journey was maybe similar to yours. Mine ended with atheism, maybe yours will too, maybe not. But to quote again, "Atheism is just the beginning; now it's time to solve the harder questions."
Sorry I did not respond to you directly Ben, but there is a lot of comments since this morning. I appreciate what you wrote though. I will listen to Lesslie Newbigin. I don't listen to Christian stuff much, but I do it every now and then, figure it's good to hear differing viewpoints.
I would also argue that Christianity as a whole IS opposed to scientific progress. Yes, the early scientists of the enlightenment were Christians. It was the dominant religion of Europe. I would contend their science was not fueled by their Christianity. One of the single greatest discoveries ever, the evolution of life, has been opposed by Christians ever since it was put forth. (Funny how it is never even hinted at in the Bible. Maybe god didn't know life evolved either.) The hatred of scientific knowledge fostered by priests as Rome fell was fueled by the Christian faith, and the perception that learning was partly to blame. There is a reason mathematical treatise were written over/destroyed in favour of hymns. As soon as one invokes god, one squashes the quest for knowledge. 'God did it' gets one no where. Just because scientific greats believed something, does not give it credence, Newton was a genius, but he believed a lot of crazy things, that doesn't mean there is truth to them. Christianity likes to whitewash its history. Just look at the claim that Christians were integral to the abolitionist movement. Some were, most were not. In 50 years, Christians will probably be claiming that they were integral in the gay rights movement too. Again, I except nothing on faith, so please don't say "we" in that regard. To quote Richard Feynman,
"You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt, and uncertainty, and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things. But I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and there are many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here, and what the question might mean. I might think about it a little bit; if I can’t figure it out, then I go onto something else. But I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell — possibly. It doesn’t frighten me."
I personally have no use for the Christian faith. Based on my own personal experience, and what you have said, my intellectual journey was maybe similar to yours. Mine ended with atheism, maybe yours will too, maybe not. But to quote again, "Atheism is just the beginning; now it's time to solve the harder questions."
Sorry I did not respond to you directly Ben, but there is a lot of comments since this morning. I appreciate what you wrote though. I will listen to Lesslie Newbigin. I don't listen to Christian stuff much, but I do it every now and then, figure it's good to hear differing viewpoints.
Ron, I would suggest that if the old testament contained precise scientific facts that we don't think an ancient tribe would've had access to, the modern secularist wouldn't say "God must have given them this knowledge", but rather "they must have been more advanced than we thought". Precise facts don't contribute in this case, just as the fact that the universe appears to be incredibly fine-tuned to support the existence of life doesn't convince many atheists that there may be an intelligent mind behind it. This is an acknowledgement of the fact that I doubt any of us is really expecting to convince the others. I will say, though, in answer to the critiques that both you and Scott raised against Christianity's influence on history, that yes there has been harm perpetrated in the name of Christianity, and the bible has been used to justify injustice, but this is more a critique of human nature than it is of religion, more specifically a critique of those who have used religious power to their advantage, and especially a critique of Christianity as a system of power -- which I believe Jesus was diametrically opposed to both in his actions and teachings, and which Paul explicitly wrote against in his letters. I'm sure you realize that criticizing how an idea or claim about reality has been used or misused is not a valid criticism of the claim itself, but when you examine many of the situations that you've raised it also becomes clear that there are many other factors involved. It's not simply a matter of Christianity poisoning the minds of those beholden to it. I will make one blanket statement in return though, and I wouldn't have the temerity to suggest this had I not heard it first from a very astute philosophy phd from UVic whom I know and respect (Scott, it's Rob Fitterer, I don't remember if you knew him or not from Victoria days): the single most influential person on the development of western thought and society as we know it today is Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a. the apostle Paul. I'm sure you'll disagree, but the reasons for this statement are worth thinking about.
If there was evidence, I would be convinced. And I entirely expect to convince others; rational arguments are rational arguments and if I can convince a theist to see rationality within a religious sphere it's certainly possible to have them chagne their minds. It worked for me, and it's worked for many others.
If you're going to claim that the abuses are simply human nature that is far too much of an easy way out. The Bible clearly supports slavery; it's an instruction book. It's misogynistic, and anyone reading it would find support for humanities most heinous crimes if their cause was Just enough. It's not like someone took an incomprehensible poem and then made up crazy things; it's possible to read text from the Bible, in context, and justify committing heinous acts. Of course it's human nature (what isn't?), but the Bible encourages the worst, rather than the best, in us. Sure you can use selective morality to ignore what you don't like, but that's hardly following Biblical morality.
And yes, demonstrating how a claim has been used/abused may not be a good argument for factual claims, it is perfectly satisfactory for ethical analysis. What do people who accept these ethical precepts, end up doing? Whether one accepts deontological, teleological or biblical ethical theories, it is certainly allowable to examine how those claims have been used and what the end products of those uses were. And for Biblical morality it has (and continues to be) pretty ugly. Christianity poisons minds is not a bad summary actually.
I do not doubt that the Bible, and the characters in it, were influential, much to our detriment. I'm not going to be impressed by the misogynist and homophobic Paul by any means, and given that vicarious salvation is itself an immoral doctrine this is not a a particularly convincing point. I'm sure the Black Death had a very important role in the development of western civilization as well, but that doesn't I would consider it 'good'.
For me, a good example of why the Christian god falls apart would be that there is no good theodicy that gives belief in an all-omni god credence. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal sums this up in a nicely humorous way :-)
http://
I agree that Paul was very influential, I would place him above Jesus in importance to the Christian religion. Without Paul, Christianity would probably have stayed an apocalyptic cult of Judaism. I very much remember Dr. Rob Fitterer, he helped start me on the road to disbelief. I don't know if that's what he intended, but I've always appreciated him for it.
I think the fine-tuning argument is more than just hand-waving, and it actually constitutes some pretty strong suggestive evidence in favour of the existence of a transcendent being, but again there are alternative explanations (m theory, multiverse...), which are not without their problems and requisite assumptions either, but still worth considering. Many physicists and academics in other fields give this topic and it's implications a lot of weight, which is one reason why the attempt to explain why our universe is manifested in this particular way is such a heated discussion. Perhaps one day we will have a more conclusive answer to it that all can agree on. Here is something written by NYU philosopher Thomas Nagel, who is an atheist who yet expresses some of the problems inherent in a purely physical explanation of human existence. It's a review of Dawkins' The God Delusion, which I'm not trying to comment on, as I haven't read it yet:
http://www.tnr.com/
In my view, your strongest objections to the God of the Old Testament are on moral grounds, and I admit they certainly pack an emotional punch. There's a lot that can be said historically and contextually in response, but I don't consider myself well-studied enough in biblical context and history to give a reply that doesn't also rely on philosophical speculation of reality from a "God's-eye-view" that accomplishes the greatest possible good for all involved as the final outcome of history. This is a view that I think is consistent with Christian theology, but probably isn't something that you would find satisfactory. One thing that I am prepared to say, not as an exhaustive answer, but as an example of what a deeper reading into context and history can reveal, is that all of the potentially capitol crimes of the Old Testament except murder could be commuted to a lighter sentence, usually monetary in nature. This is from Paul Copan's book, Is God A Moral Monster, which I haven't read yet, but it's on my reading list along with the one by Thom Stark that Scott mentioned earlier. I'm sure they will both be worth reading, and there will be much more to consider within their pages.
Scott, I do classify myself as an agnostic/Christian, and I think everyone could do with a reminder now and then that all religion is agnostic. I think it's a healthy way to stimulate openness to discussion. I agree very much with your commitment to self-critical analysis and examination of data, but I also recognize that faith is intrinsic to how I navigate this world. I put faith in friends and loved ones to be consistent with what I have come to know about them, I trust them. I have faith enough in our legal system and government to feel reasonably secure living where I am, based on past experience. I put faith in my current worldview because it makes the most sense of reality as I see it, and I include scientific rationalism within this worldview as a very useful tool. My worldview has changed over the years, and will continue to change as my understanding increases. I think this is natural and not something to be afraid of.
The theodicy problem really starts to get interesting to me when you introduce the concept of an all-omni God who willingly self-limits for the sake of creating other selves. I think this is the only way to understand Christian theology, and if this really is the ultimate state of reality (which of course I don't know) then the audacity, risk, and passion of the endeavor is something that I find blows my mind. I think it might be the only way to create a reality where love has intrinsic meaning, choices ultimately matter, and the worth of each self is inherent, but there is apparently great cost to it, as the death of God on the cross signifies. But I'm just an amateur venturing into a deep ocean of speculation, and this is all mystery to me.
The fine-tuning argument isn't suggestive evidence, because it isn't evidence. It's a fallacy based on an emotional appeal and a misunderstanding of statistics and physics. Even if, somehow, someone managed to prove that the mere existence of life in this universe proves the universe was created it could prove that we live in the matrix/video game, it evolved from a previous universe, or time-traveling future humans did it. Any of those have more plausibility than something as incoherent as a 'transcendent being'. I found the article by Nagel an exercise in wishful thinking - he'd make a great theist. I don't find the label 'atheist author' particularly compelling since atheism does not suggest a similar set of beliefs. I've met a number of atheists that believe in aura's, alternative medicine or 'the singularity' and I find their beliefs just as cognitively blind in their areas as theists are when it comes to religion. Nagel seems uncomfortable with purely physical explanations; that's too bad for him given the evidence. I'm not against other explanations per se, but I'm not going to waste any time on them in the same way I wouldn't waste time trying to bridle a unicorn. The questions and wonders of the universe are amazing; inventing cheap glitter to sprinkle on top seems unnecessary.
Speculation is certainly correct when it comes from 'greatest possible good' excuse for God, but within that articulation you've stated an objective moral standard external to God. As 'Greatest good for greatest number' defense goes it's not the best varient - it doesn't appear to support an ideal good, and puts things in purely materialistic terms to support the rape/pillage/murder of others based on a supposed greater good somewhere else. That seems somewhat odd for a religion I'm often told is based on love. As moral theories go, it's not one any moral philosopher would espouse, not even a utilitarian. How could anyone possibly justify the death of children in such a manner? It is this that I find makes Christianity so abhorent - its adherents seem blithely blind to the callousness of their beliefs (and I certainly would include my previous self in that group). It's very troubling. I also find it interesting you wouldn't assume God was a deontologist; greatest good/greatest number of the type you attribute to God to justify His actions would fit in with any cartoon villain that was killing people 'for the good of the planet'. Modern objective utilitarian ethical theories tend to use ideals such as compassion and autonomy to define good, as would never advocate killing a few to save many. It's morally reprehensible. I would think about that rationalization a little more.
I'm not entirely sure how you can commute the capitol crimes to lighter sentences. What the parties of God did, with God's full approval, are heinous. What God himself was purported to have done was heinous beyond measure. There is no lighter sentence possible; the most depraved human criminal cannot match the crimes committed by God. Truly, how can one read the account of Noah, even if it is metaphorical, and not feel like vomiting when seeing the gayly coloured 'boats with animals' for sale in toy stores or in picture books? I would like to say I find it impossible to understand how any parent could be a Christian if they've read the Bible, but human nature being what it is I understand only too well. I have heard Christians tell their *children* that they would willingly sacrifice them if God commanded them to do so. These are not extremists or fundamentalists; these are nice, normal parents whose world-view has been warped by religion.
For all the comfort you may think it gives, I would strongly encourage anyone to spend a week as an atheist, or consider an outsider test of their faith. Why try to justify its immorality, when there are better options? When the only moral alternative is to walk away?
Scott, I agree with you regarding the manner in which texts are used, and for the argument that I am putting forth here I am certainly not suggesting that we need to believe that Genesis was inspired. What bothers me is the incorrect assertion that Harris made: “that evolution proves the Genesis account of creation false”. Clearly Genesis is not a scientific text (none of the bible would be classified as such so we should not be surprised, as you seemed to be, that there is no mention of evolutionary process in the text) and it has no pretensions to be scientific. To borrow from your examples of various mediums, suggesting that the book Animal Farm is false (or misleading) because it is not a historical account of the power struggles within socialism would be to ignore the genre of the text. Since we accept the genre as allegory, we are able to arrive at conclusions and interpretations based on that context. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (one of my favorites) is not a news program, it is a commentary given through the medium of comedy on the social and political climate in the US. If we were to argue that Jon Stewart has not given us all the facts so therefore his program has no value, we would miss entirely the purpose and intent of the show. Sorry that that was a bit long, but what we should avoid is trying to make Genesis or any other biblical passages for that matter, something that they were never intended to be. I think that caution issues for Christians as well as those who oppose Christian faith.
As for your assertion that Christianity opposes scientific progress, I would have to ask for some more specific examples to get a better feel for you intentions here. David Bentley Hart wrote an excellent book detailing some of these types of blanket assertions that do not find attestation in history – I find statements to the effect that Christianity opposes progress or science to be myopic caricatures of the religion and culture that existed in previous centuries and have simply been carried forward into the present. I should mention too that we can always assume that there are a number of Christians whose views of science and religion are uncritical, while the same must be said of Atheists/agnostics alike.
Ron, just a quick comment on the idea that God has done “heinous things beyond measure” – to what exactly are you referring? It would be useful to provide a specific verse or a specific incident in order that I could better understand what your referents are. I only ask because that is a fairly broad and sweeping statement that I have a feeling leans heavily on specific OT passages and then generalizes them without regard for ancient Near Eastern history. It would help if you could provide specific examples as opposed to simple generalizations and overstatements to prove your point.
Oh, and one really quick example of one of gods lovely commands, child sacrifice, as explained by Ezekiel.
http://tinyurl.com/6qygmq9 I'm in the middle of Stark's book, so that's why that specific example at the ready.
Stark also has this essay which you might enjoy. While it is a rebuttal to a book defending against the claim that god is a moral monster, some of it is relevant.
http://thomstark.net/
A quick google got this blog entry by historian Richard Carrier on Christianity and science.
http://
It's a good read.
This is apparently a pretty radical notion since nowhere in the OT (at least that I am aware of) does Yahweh appear as the subject of the verb “to defile”. His intended defiling aim is achieved through the gifts of the people, that is through their offering of their firstborn children. The form of the latter statement is influenced by the traditional rite of redemption of the firstborn. In this instance, the Hebrew reads more literally (to transfer every first issue that open the womb) and I believe it refers to the Molech child sacrifices by which children were passed through fire. The verb used here, “to transfer”, is a shorthand version of the idiom “to pass through fire”, a terminus technicus for child sacrifice. I don’t think that Stark has it right here regarding an injunction by God to child sacrifice; it seems clear that the desecration of the Sabbath and the temple, the failure to care for the widows, orphans and the poor and the blatant ignorance of God’s commands led him to hand them over to their practices, and what they thought was pleasing was in the end their condemnation.
I wouldn't think a non-divine text would have very much accuracy or precision at all; that's pretty much the point. A divine text, of course, could. If you don't think it's possible to transmit knowledge through words written on paper through time to communicate accurately, I'm not sure what you're doing posting on Facebook. The length of time would pose difficulties, but not insurmountable ones. Not even insurmountable ones for humans, let alone something as advanced as the gods. To suggest such knowledge would be useless seems disingenuous. There are multiple ways to 'hide' information in text that would be immediate apparent to modern writers, not to mention a plethora of modern information that would be of immediate use to a desert tribe. Sadly, we only get what is easily attributed to what a desert tribe could know.
However, if you don't believe Genesis was inspired, then we agree. Gods had nothing to do with it. Asking Christians to omit it from the Bible would be, I assume, the next logical step. I await your results.
You state that the Bible is not an scientific text; given the recent invention of science that goes without saying. To suggest, however, that it is not an *explanatory* text that tried (badly) to explain how things are and how they came to be is at odds with how the text has been used in the past, and how it is used today by approximately 30%-40% of Americans. Forgive me if it appears to me that your protestations are a rationalization of its thorough defeat intellectually as an explanatory text once science came along. The Bible was not written like "Animal Farm", it does not contain a disclaimer that it is a work of Fiction; to suggest otherwise is more than disengenuos, it would appear from my perspective to border on outright lying. That may be your singular perspective, but it is not (by any means) the view espoused popularly. The bible is not "The Daily Show", which speaks while admitting it's biased and possibly false, but resembles very closely "Fox News", which is also biased and possibly false but pretends that it is not. Like Fox News, the Bible's value lies in its ability to be a vessel for propaganda.
And you do not think Christianity opposes scientific progress? That religious terms such as blasphemy, infidel and apostate even exist, and the idea that questioning can be sinful, speaks to religion's long history of suppression. Science is built on the exchange and free criticism of ideas; by its very language this is antithetical to religious thought. From the war on evolution to stem cell research (along with forays into Global warming) religion acts as a powerful brake on progress. Simply considering its support of mysogeny and suppression of women's rights which delayed the entry of women into the scientific field hindered science enormously; direct suppression is not the only factor at work. One could even argue that religion's constant and active interference with human rights (from slavery to women's rights to gay marriage) has had a far larger impact on society and the sciences than any direct suppression. While there are today brave Christian men and women who are actively support the rights of all people, regardless of gender orientation, they are brave individuals who go against the commandments of their church leaders. As the movement grows, and churches face declining memberships, and finally cannot escape the shame of being so awfully wrong, they will point back to these brave men and women and claim that the church supported homosexuals all along. Just as they did with slavery, and the rights of women. The church wins because it changes and then lies about it, not because it possesses a superior set of ethics.
At a fundamental level, however, religion damages science like belief in any superstition damages sciences. It teachers people to be content with magical explanations. You wish an immedieate example? In a middle school I was told, almost in chorus, by a group of children I was teaching that they would never learn science because their parents *and their pastor* told them it was wrong. The topic was Evolution; the pastor evidently was keeping track of what was being taught and took steps to protect the literal reading of Genesis. This is the face of religion today; these "uncritical" Christians are the forces that shape our laws and politics. If you've risen above that, that's great. How about going the rest of the way to rationality and discard the iron-age ethics completely. And it's funny - while both Atheists and Theists have their share of non-critical thinkers, acceptance of basic scientific concepts is proportionally much much higher amongst those that call themselves non-religious.
I find it difficult to believe you are not familiar enough with the OT not to be aware of God's actions contained within, from the near sacrifice of Isaac, old Baldy, or the genocide of populations, excepting of the virgin women for rape. If you've read it, and haven't seen it, I'm not sure how to respond. Pick any one you'd like if you think you can justify it - I'm easy. Personally I like the story of Isaac and his near-sacrifice one of the best, but really anything will do. Old Baldy and the bears is nice as well. I find heinous things heinous regardless of ancient Near Eastern history. If we're again talking about a non-divine, non-inspired book that should not be taken as the foundation of a truthful religious text ... then fair enough. If not, then ancient practices are irrelevant. I expect the gods to know better.
http://en.wikipedia.org/
We totally can settle whether totalitarianism or democracy was better. Just pick a criteria. Standard of living, life expectancy, infant mortality rates, rights of women, and I could go on. As soon as you make a claim about the natural world, it falls into the realm of science. Period. Some things are more difficult than others to test. We can even look at the effects of religion on society, and see that it has a negative effect. http://www.amazon.com/
I thought we already established personal experience and testimony were very lousy criteria for truth claims? I highly suggest digging into neuroscience on that subject, never ever trust your personal experience. If personal experience were valid, Penn and Teller are gods. If it really was valid, then UFO claimants actually have much much much better evidence than Christians. So many more eyewitness accounts. Or maybe, maybe, something else is going on in the brain. "How We Believe" by Michael Shermer is a good start on this subject. So is Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted Word", which does not take on religion, but more a primer on critical thinking and why you can't use testimony and personal experience.
If inspiration is not testable, but rather opinion, then discussion is useless. Then we are talking opinion. IE Chocolate vs Vanilla. I feel we are veering into the realm of Micheal Behe, who acknowledged that using his standard of evidence, astrology could be considered science.
If what you are saying is not provable, or even hypothetically testable, but just opinion based on experience and testimony, then I see no difference between what you are claiming and the claims of the Qur'an or Ron L Hubbard
.PS - I take all ancient documents in the same way, with a lot of skepticism. Without archeological evidence, or if they contradict physics, biology, chemistry, geology, then with a large large grain of salt. I certainly won't base any beliefs about the world on them. Except maybe the Stoics. I think those guys were on to something :-)
We could've had working a working TARDIS by now if it wasn't for the Christians. Or at least a Holo deck. Sigh.
You have some points worth considering regarding some of my theological comments. I'm not sure if I am correct to phrase "the greatest possible good for all involved" as the goal, or if it makes sense to speak of it in this way. My theodicy isn't fully formed yet, and perhaps a more studied theologian/philosopher would have similar criticisms. I don't think the actions recorded in the Old Testament, nor any occurrence of pain for that matter, preclude the possibility of a final just, merciful, and good outcome for all sufferers. This is something that I hope very much for, and, as I understand it, this is the claim that the bible makes, but it is not why I am a Christian. I don't think it makes me callous, but as callous as this sounds, scope and perspective do matter when making judgements. This is why I can question, but cannot judge. It might make me more hopeful (you might say deluded) than most, but it doesn't strip me of love. One of the major historical failings of the Evangelical Church, in North America especially, has been to focus on this final outcome to the exclusion of the obligations that love places on us. I don't think an honest reading of scripture allows us this luxury.
In regards to determinism, I think it has some problems of it's own, given it's implications for comprehension and consciousness--and the ability to even argue for determinism. I sometimes wonder if everything that Sam Harris says and does is filled with irony, and if he ever feels irony at the fact that he is feeling irony, and if he ever feels....etc. It would be quite a strange way to live.
Set the stage in your mind. A young male child, brown eyes and dark hair, is bound and captured by God's army. After receiving God's orders, a soldier walks over. The child presses into his mum, scared and frightened, she tries to sooth him. The soldier slices first his mum's throat in front of him, and then the boy's. He dies in terror, after having first watched his parents die.
If the Bible is to believed this actually happened, but even if it is merely intended to teach some sort of lesson it is held up as proper ethical behaviour. How can anyone read the Bible and not say outright that this is wrong, that if this is what God advocates that this part of God is wrong? A better description of evil would be difficult to find.
I do think this is what strips Christians of love. Or, more precisely, makes the love a perversion. Many many religious followers are very nice people. They demonstrate kindness, a altruism, etc. But you know, deep down in their theology, you can get them to cheerfully agree that this brutal murder was a good thing. There's love, and then there's the creepy kind of love that allows people to drink the poison kool-aid and smile when they talk of genocide. The problem with the idea of Christianity being a religion of love, is that the love includes this really creepy evil god-thing. Why bother with it? Why not keep the love, and chuck the Bible (or at least the parts you don't like) out the window? Jesus doesn't need to be a real character to inspire, and if it's an inspirational source you're free to cut out the ugly bits without trying to rationalize how they're really good, deep down or in the future. There's lots of Christians who would seem to be just the nicest people, and this just seems to cause all sorts of problems. Why not acknowledge that the Bible can be wrong, and just use it as an inspirational text when it makes sense to do so?
To suggest we must simply wait and it will all come out better sounds simply a justification for evil. Here we have an evil act. But wait! It's not really evil, because something we can't prove in the past will make a difference in the future after everyone is dead. While I certainly would agree that life is complicated, this simplistic answer to justify evil does not appear to help. It is the easy out. (Vicarious redemption, even if true, itself is the easiest of all outs - I'd much rather people took responsibility for their own sins.)
If, as you say, it does not provide a guide to living in the world, however, then we agree. And, like you, I judge God (or at least the concept) based on His behaviour in said book. However, I don't see how you rescue that family. They were killed by God's army for opposing Him, they were foreigners, and one must assume they never accepted God. Are we to assume God's going to be nice to them just because it makes a more Hollywood-style story ending?
The message of the New Testament isn't any better. It made it, in fact, much worse - Hell was invented in the NT. When looking at modern problems, even the idea of Heaven isn't helpful; I shudder to think of someone who truly believes in Heaven getting a hold of WMDs. As our tools and ability become more powerful, the problems created by this theology are becoming more serious.
No one is going to deny that there are rewards of real estate in the Bible, in response to a divine covenant. No one is going to deny It is inscribed in the text itself. No one can deny that the text makes specific promises of salvation that, if taken seriously, reduce one's responsibility while living. These are not reflections of a complex and messy existence, but the attempt for simple and easy answers, and they are not solved by any later events. Until we can divorce such beliefs from public life, we will continue to have even more complex, and even more messy existence.
The ideas expressed in The Bible Unearthed are not new ones and OT scholars have been looking at the nature of OT narrative for a long time.
I think thatTotalitarianism and Democracy are philosophical/political concepts. You may be able to measure some of the results of these political systems, but it would be impossible to replicate all of the social and cultural values that influence these systems. To take some of your criteria, if we measure life expectancy the US and Cuba come out tied at 36th, while China far exceeds Russia in the overall rankings. If we incorporate infant mortality rates Cuba is tied with Canada in the top 30, while China again beats out democratic countries such as Russia and Ukraine. These results appear rather inconclusive and it would be a mistake to assume that the wealth of Canada and the United States was due to their reliance on democracy and not their exploitation of third world countries and resources through corporations, or in the case of the US, military superiority. Nor do I think that the abuses of some of the wealthier countries are indicative of conceptual democracy, they are only some of the observable results. I wonder about the negative reactions to Socialism in the US and whether or not they are making the mistake of equating the philosophical ideals of Socialism with some of the more disastrous political experiments. Does this make sense? I feel that these are value based and subjective philosophical concepts.
Do we not rely on personal experience to make the vast majority of our judgements? Is not science the result of our observations of the natural world and the observation of experimental results? I agree that there is, of course, a certain amount of subjectivity in our personal experiences, but that does not make them false a priori. As Thomas Nagel points out “We have more than one form of understanding. Different forms of understanding are needed for different kinds of subject matter. The great achievements of physical science do not make it capable of encompassing everything, from mathematics to ethics to the experiences of a living animal. We have no reason to dismiss moral reasoning, introspection, or conceptual analysis as ways of discovering the truth just because they are not physics. Any anti-reductionist view leaves us with very serious problems about how the mutually irreducible types of truths about the world are related.
I would not say that inspiration is “un-provable” but that it properly belongs to the realms of philosophy and theology that don’t necessarily lend themselves to scientific verification.
Does Animal Farm contain a disclaimer? Does the Daily Show? We understand their intentions because we are familiar with their genre. Making ourselves familiar with the genres present in the OT will help us in understanding its intention and its meaning. Animal Farm is a good example of the influence of genre on our understanding of a text – how is this a disingenuous analysis?
I don’t believe that you can separate slavery and women’s rights from the influence of society and culture and suggest that Christianity is in some sense responsible. I can point to secular/atheistic governments that have abused these rights and were responsible for reprehensible ideas. I meet people all the time who are racists, bigots and homophobes who have absolutely no religious affiliation.
Christians were involved in overcoming slavery in the US, unless Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln were non-influential figures. Pagan Rome was a terrible place to be a woman and they certainly had no value for slaves. Yet, as Christianity gained in popularity, a number of Roman philosophers suggested that it was the religion of women and slaves – due to its popularity among the most vulnerable in society. I do not deny that many things were done in the name of Christianity that have nothing to do with Christian values/morals, but this is true of all belief systems and it is just as true of secularism/atheism. Even Darwinism can become an abusive belief system, and there are scientists who actively believe in the “purification” of our species.
If you are going to engage in general assumptions and then apply these specifically to religion, that is being disingenuous. I would suggest you read “Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies” by David Bentley Hart. He engages with the questions of people who assume (quite falsely) that Christians oppose science or that they are responsible for (apparently) all of the ills of society
The notion of "burning in hell" also needs to be challenged. Tim probably has a lot more knowledge on this, but I believe many of the common beliefs about hell are due to a medieval confusion of the strong language and imagery that Jesus used (again, not to be taken literally) to convey the severity of the fate of being eternally loathed by God with ideas taken from the underworld of Greek mythology (heaven has been similarly confused). Again, it is to be understood that God extends his mercy to all, and those who are in the state of hell are there because they don't want the alternative.
I agree with you that people should take responsibility for their own sins. The biblical concept of repentance doesn't give us any other option. Christians who forget this do so at their own peril. Grace, in this respect, isn't a wink and a license to do wrong. It is the profound power of love and mercy to influence a person to a true change of heart, in which they can willingly and sorrowfully own their own evils. I think Les Miserables (Liam Neeson version) depicts this beautifully.
I should also clarify my perspective on how the bible is to be used. My understanding of the world as influenced by my understanding of scripture and the story of God's redemptive work that it tells has a profound influence on how I live. I strive to live in a manner that pleases God. I start with the two greatest commandments, and read everything else through the lens that they provide. So in that sense, yes, the bible does guide my life. But those who use it merely as a manual will be sadly confused and (hopefully) disappointed, and will miss the point entirely. This can lead to horrible wrongs, and I agree with you that as our tools and ability increase the problem becomes more serious. I freely confess that American Fundamentalism scares me. A lot. I agree with you that this (and other harmful misuses) needs to be combated, but how I go about combating it is very different from how you do. I think we both strive to educate.
You seem to have mistaken my statement about an 'explanatory text' - just because it's explanatory doesn't mean it isn't taken as factual. Certainly the Bible used to be taken as a text that explained the universe, factually, much as science does now far more accurately. To brush that aside and to claim it makes *different* explanations about other things seems a bit hasty. I'm sure it did both. It hasn't got anything else right, why should anyone accept it as being anything beyond its very human origins. Nobody is holding up 'Animal Farm' and suggesting the events of that book have actually happened. A sizeable number, possibly even a majority, suggest the events of Genesis are to be taken literally. It is disingenuous to ignore how the Bible is actually used by priests and preachers representing Christianity actually use the text is more than just ignorance. It's an active 'pretending' that must actively ignore the stated purpose of the Bible. If you feel otherwise, don't tell me - tell your local church and Sunday school teachers.
As for combining Christianity and culture to excuse slavery, misogyny (and I assume child abuse, and a thousand other things), I can only echo the frustrated sentiments of Stephen Fry and ask "Then what are you for!?" It contains no scientific accuracy you say. It also appears to then contains no moral accuracy, merely reflecting the cultural mores of the time. So we can throw the Bible out, by your own admission.When the Bible itself is an instruction book for slavery, pointing out Christians that fought against it ring relatively hollow. Ignoring the supposedly divine text to recognize changing ethical understanding is the same as ignoring it as a factual text when better scientific explanations come along. That people can ignore their religious texts when necessary demonstrates that people are better than the ethics in their holy texts, not that the holy text contains better ethics. Since you yourself seem to have lumped it in with all other 'belief systems', it seems you agree it can't be any better.
Your last points seem bizarre. Evolution isn't a "belief system", any more than germ theory or relativity is a belief system. Despite your stating that Genesis is a poor document to take factually, are you an evolution-denier? The only major group I know that is for letting some sort of 'survival of the fittest' social theory are (ironically enough) American conservative Christians, most of whom don't believe in evolution. I know of no scientists who do so, which seems appropriate as most scientists would be well aware of the difference between ethical philosophy and a scientific theory.
I'm not particularly interested in a book that purports to pretend that religion doesn't oppose science. It's a bit like recommending a book to tell me that Communism is perfectly happy with Capitolism - I prefer the facts on the ground. From stem cell research, to evolution, to global warming there has been clear pressure from Christians to hinder scientific progress, not to mention the factual reading of the Bible has supported the suppression of human rights from condoning slavery to putting women in their place. No amount of apologetic literature (in both senses of the word) could make up for that.
Sure I've read it. Loved it. It's a very good summary of the concepts in evolution. I'm not sure what your point is. Do you mean the preface on complex design? Or the first chapter summarizing what it is evolution explains? This is beginning to suggest some sort of anti-evolution stance; is that true? And why are you bringing Dawkins and evolutionary theory into it?
Tim, I don't know how the first mutation took place. I would refer to the quote from Feynman I used last week. I'm sure someone will figure it out one day, if humanity can keep going. To quote comedian Dara O'Briain, "Science knows it doesn't know everything, otherwise it'd stop."
I agree with you here, "We have no reason to dismiss moral reasoning, introspection, or conceptual analysis as ways of discovering the truth just because they are not physics." But things like neuro-science informs our philosophy, just like all science does. At the same time, if you hold that a good criteria for belief are personal testimonies and experiences, you are going to end up believing in a lot of crazy.
The fact that the Bible contains historically accurate accounts, mixed with mythology does not give it any credence beyond something similar to any other ancient stories or religious text. I would never claim it was just made up by a bunch of priest, but there is some of that. The book of Daniel would be a good example. We know around the time it was written because of the inaccuracies in the "prophecy". The prophecies in Daniel went something like this, accurate, accurate, accurate, completely wrong. The most probable interpretation is that the author was writing history as prophecy, then made his own prediction about his current day, and it didn't work out. So there's some history, some other stuff, all very interesting.
The Bible seems to like to argue with itself, bits contradict other bits, the concept of god changes throughout it, the idea for the need for a messiah arose after exile, and so on. It's interesting, and I think worthwhile studying, just not something I think needs to be used as a filter for discovering of truth or the nature of reality.
Yes, we can use metaphor and fiction to get truth and ideas across, unfortunately the Bible doesn't even do that very well. So that's probably not the best use for it. Learning about human culture, thought, and how religious practice changes, that's much more worthwhile use of the Bible.
I don't really understand what point you were making about political systems. My only point was that you could pick criteria(s), and compare them. I never said it wouldn't be complicated. I don't think America has a liberal democracy. I think democracy can be a lousy system. The Germans elected their government in the 30's, most people forget that. That's why I put the word liberal before the word democracy. This is a whole other discussion though, and I feel like it's a bit of a red herring. I'm just going to list what I think are my main points, just to keep on point.
1 - Bible not divine. In any way. No evidence for this beyond circular reasoning. The book you linked does seem to point out that it is a great literary text, to which I would agree. The rhythm of the KJV is Shakespearean and amazing. Doesn't give it divinity though, or give us any insight into nature and the cosmos.
2- The gods described in said Bible do not exist. (as god changes, and that there is more than one, I think is commonly understood. I could be wrong. Either way, one god, or many, the ones in Bible probably don't exist.)
3 - The universe exists, we can learn things about it, and science is the best tool we have invented for doing that.
4 - A deistic type god could exist, but that doesn't really bother me, which is why I'm atheist in life, agnostic in religious philosophy.
There's lots of more stuff, but I feel like those are the main things that I am trying to point out in this thread.
I don't know if you'll read it, or find it relevant, but I think you might enjoy exploring this blog. Luke has moved on from it, but there is a lot in the archives, and based on your responses, I feel like you might find it worthwhile.
http://
I remember when he wrote this entry,
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I had never heard of the Solomonoff induction, but it seem pretty fascinating. I was fine with the reasons he gave for not believing before he mentioned it :-)
http://www.youtube.com/
The quote is at the 2:30 mark. Proven fact, Irish accents make things funnier.
With respect to the nature of the biblical narrative, rather than engage in specifics which would occupy a great deal of space it is perhaps best to suggest that the Bible is a particular type of narrative that unfolds over a vast period of time. It is comprised both of ancient sources and those from later periods of time. Some of the difficulties that people highlight in the text reflect the manner in which sources or material was compiled, sometimes they reflect the inability of the scribe, and sometimes they reflect on our own ability to reflect on and understand ancient Near Eastern culture. The history of biblical interpretation has encompassed a broad range of scholarship, from Greek philosophy to secular humanism and postmodernism. Scholars actively seek to answer these questions even if they are not always answered in the pews. Many of your objections have been demonstrated, articulated and understood to various degrees by OT scholars and this contributes to our current understanding of the text, which of course is always open to revision and insight. What bothers me is that insight often comes in the form of ridicule, or debasement which is seemingly unaware of the history of scholarship that precedes it.
When I speak with Ron about understanding the genre of Genesis it is with the understanding that any interpretation is part of a long history of textual criticism by which we come to understand and reflect on things such as genre and history. Christianity is just as susceptible to cultural movements as any other belief system, biblical interpretation has been effected by the enlightenment and by modernism as very well it should have been. The sort of claims put forth by philosophers such as Carl Sagan – that the tradition of Greek science to which the rise of Christianity supposedly put an end was progressing inexorably toward modern physics, modern technology, and space travel – are false. As David Lindberg notes, “it is agreed by most historians of ancient science that creative Greek science was on the wane, perhaps as early as 200 B.C., certainly by A. D. 200. Science had never been pursued by very many people; it now attracted even fewer. And its character shifted away from original thought toward commentary and abridgment. Creative natural science was particularly scarce in the Roman world, where scholarly interests leaned in the direction of ethics and metaphysics; such natural science as Rome possessed was largely confined to fragments preserved in handbooks and encyclopaedias.” And, as Lindberg notes, there is no historical warrant for the belief “that the advent of Christianity did anything to diminish the support given to scientific activity or the number of people involved in it.”
The only point that I was making regarding political systems was that evaluating them was value based and subjective. I imagine that they are theoretical ideas, not so much scientific hypothesis.
I completely agree with points 3 and 4 that you make Scott and I would add things like neuroscience etc. to the growing list of scientific advancements that Christians should be aware of. I would only alter 1 and 2:
1. I believe in the existence of God – from this I would find support for the idea of inspiration, it is not really a prerequisite.
2. The Bible is the form through which God chose to communicate with us. This communication is made most clearly in the person of Christ Jesus.
Christian Fundamentalism is not the normative method of interpretation and it really is unfortunate that they are so vocal, yet woefully unprepared to deal with well-argued critiques of Christianity. There are, however, numerous scholars and believers who are equipped to answer difficult challenges and accept new scientific advancements as relevant to faith. “All reasoning presumes premises or intuitions or ultimate convictions that cannot be proved by any foundations or facts more basic than themselves, and hence there are irreducible convictions present wherever one attempts to apply logic to experience.”
I have a feeling that our ideas regarding politics would be quite similar – it is too bad that rational arguments are not allowed and that partisan politics are the norm. It is a good thing the Republican’s filibustered Obama care or we would be calling it the Socialist States of America.
Scott N: Hey guys, been wanting to comment, been doing other stuff though. Ben, the early Christians did challenge the people in power and give status to women. So did the early Islamic movement. I don't think it lasted long in Christianity or Islam. The persecutions of Christians by the Romans was spotty, and very rarely Empire wide. I think the Christian violent persecution of the pagans as soon as they were the ones in power indicates they were just another social movement. Some good, some bad, nothing divine. I think Pauls popularity among current atheistic Marxist philosophers indicates that he had some ideas that resonated with people. Paul borrowed from the Stoics and his Jewish heritage and helped create a religion. Now people are borrowing from him.
Tim, the fact that secularism doesn't fix everything right away, to me, isn't an argument against it. "Secularism" isn't claiming backing from any god. The fact that Christianity does, and is just as bad, if not worse, is just proof that it is another human construct.
I am going to put this comment thread on my blog. Don't want to lose it. As we comment, I'll keep the blog updated, just an FYI. I've removed last names too. http://noophy.blogspot.ca/
Oh, and Tim, I missed your responses to Thom Starks book. I'm still reading the book. Fascinating stuff, be interested in your responses to it. At the moment, he is destroying the claim that the Jews were always monotheistic, giving a good show on why Yahweh started out as a war god among a pantheon of gods. I think he's Christian though, so I'm curious where he takes me with his book. Here is his web page. http://thomstark.net/
I would lend you the book when I'm done, but you are in CR.