My Only Source of Truth is...

Full disclosure time.  I grew up in a household with parents who had two completely different religious affiliations.  One was Catholic and the other, an obscure offshoot of Seventh Day Adventism.  One believed that the earth was created 6,000 years ago (or to be more precise, that there was a global catastrophe leaving no survivors, and a re-creation), and one was open to God using evolution to accomplish his purposes.  One believed in Sola Scriptura, that the bible alone was the authority in one's life, and one believed in Church authority.  One fervently believed in not eating "unclean" (non-kosher) foods, and one really liked sausage with his meatballs.

Needless to say, I did not grow up with any kind of religious certainty.  Then I went to college and had even more questions.

There are many, many people who grow up with certainty in their lives.  Whether that be religious certainty, having two parents who belong to the same church denomination, or one parent who belongs and the other who goes along with it for the children's sake, or whether that be scientific certainty, with two parents of no religious affiliation who instill in their children a deep appreciation for knowledge and morals that don't have to come from a belief in a higher power, or what-have-you.  Certainty can be a very good thing.  It can also lead to not questioning or not being open to other perspectives, depending on how one is raised.

Coming from a divided background does tend to instill a greater respect for other viewpoints, but the lack of certainty can also cause other problems that cannot be glossed over lightly.

Full disclosure time.  My parents eventually divorced, and religious differences did play a big part in that.

But let's look at the question I mentioned last time.  Does belief in God automatically exclude fully accepting other sources of truth?

One of my parents would say, absolutely yes.  If science says the earth is older than 6,000 years, science has to be wrong.  One of my parents would say, maybe not, but that would depend on what particular source of truth he happened to be comfortable with.

It's so easy to say, if one source of truth is right, then another source of truth, especially if it contradicts the first, has to be wrong.  That's very common with different religions, denominations, or sects, but it can also be true of different scientific views.

Even so, we're all familiar with the old tale of the blind men and the elephant.  Each is convinced that their perception is accurate, and therefore any different perspective has to be wrong.  But maybe, just maybe, there's a bigger picture.

Granted, not all religious or scientific differences can be resolved simply by saying, maybe there's a bigger picture.  But in many cases, there IS a bigger picture.

The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.  -- J. B. S. Haldane

How can simply saying, there's a bigger picture, resolve some of the most complicated issues we face today?  Whether that be the reality of climate change, the severe political and racial polarization of America, abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, gun control, whether America should be involved in foreign wars, whether intelligent design should be taught in schools, or any number if issues on which we're deeply divided.  Granted, simply saying that isn't going to matter to a sizable enough percentage of people that we'll still be divided, no matter what.

But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.  And that doesn't mean that we can't look at the fallout of being divided, and ask if we really want to keep getting those same results.

Every time we make someone else wrong for their beliefs, we close a door of opportunity.  There will always be disagreements and differences, but the opportunity I'm talking about doesn't have to do with changing someone's opinion.

It has to do with living in harmony, despite differences, and it also has to do with learning from something outside one's own comfort zone.

Fear leads to anger.  Anger leads to hate.  Hate...leads to suffering.  -- Yoda

We fear what we don't understand.  What's outside the realm of our own experience, or what we may have experienced differently.

Some -- typically those who come from families who encourage trying new things, or whose families are in the habit of trying different things, meeting different people, or leading an expansive life -- may not have anywhere near as much fear as those who come from families who were punitive, who had financial hardship, or who told their children what they couldn't do as opposed to what they could.

Family circumstances have a lot to do with how much we come from fear, rather than hope, or curiosity, or optimism, or compassion.  Those same family circumstances tend to be a great predictor of whether a person will hold to conservative or liberal views, too.

But let's look at the results.  The more we come from fear, the less opportunities we have in life, whether financial, educational, relationship-wise, or in any other way.  The more we come from fear, the more sickness we have (especially mental, but even physical!).  The more we come from fear, the more life sucks.

Is that really what we want out of life?  Probably not, right?

So, even with the idea of looking at something from a different perspective, there's a much bigger picture!

Let's assume for the moment that believing in one source of truth doesn't automatically exclude accepting another source of truth.  Where does that get us, and what do we do when we inevitably end up with conflicts and disagreements?

Next time, let's take one specific example and use this approach.  We'll start with the hot-button topic of climate change, since it's actually far easier to unravel than a lot of the other controversial issues I mentioned before.

Is "Fear" My God?

It might seem like a strange question.  People who consider themselves religious normally label their god with a name, not an emotion.  But even for the non-religious, the question is relevant.  What is the guiding force at work in one's life?  Is it fear?

Fear has many guises.  Terrorism is simply an extreme result of an irrational fear, whether it be a fear of those who believe differently, those of a different race, culture, or political affiliation.  But terrorism is just one, glaringly obvious result of being guided -- nay, obsessively compelled -- by fear.

For everyone out there, I'm sure there is at least one person you've met who was stubborn and set in their ways.  It could be stubbornness in something as simple as what kind of food they prefer to eat, or something as subtle as how they parent.  What causes a person to be stubborn in the first place?

At its core, stubbornness is fear of change.  That can mean fear of doing something differently than one is comfortable with.  Fear of the potential outcome of doing something differently, either good or bad.  Fear of losing control.

For someone who is extremely stubborn and set in their ways, the guiding force in their lives is fear.

Now, let's ask this question.  Are you a "fundamentalist"?  That is, do you strongly hold to a particular set of beliefs, to the point that even exposure to a different perspective, or evidence that one's cherished beliefs might be wrong (or at least incomplete) causes you to react passionately?

This could be religious fundamentalism, political, environmental, scientific, or any other kind of fundamentalism.  But if the "fundamentalist" label fits you, then what are you really afraid of?

Now, on the surface there's nothing wrong with holding strongly to a particular set of beliefs.  But if those beliefs lead to harm to others, either directly or indirectly, and yet one is unwilling to change those beliefs or consider other possibilities...is fear the underlying motive for those beliefs?

I have met many deeply impassioned people in my life.  Most of those impassioned people, unfortunately, have been so deeply opinionated as to leave no possible room for a different viewpoint.  Whether that be with religion, politics, or even science or history, I've come to the conclusion that on some level, these people were afraid of something.

It's time to lose the fear, though.

I don't mean to say that we should simply throw away cherished beliefs.  But rather, it should be perfectly okay (and not deeply offensive) to consider other viewpoints.  At the very least, to respect differences of opinion or reserve judgment on a matter that one isn't knowledgeable about.

I feel that I have to write this as a preface to what will come next, because I want to set the tone that other viewpoints will certainly be welcomed.  (On the other hand, other viewpoints with an agenda will be questioned to discover the underlying motive for those viewpoints, although they will still be treated with respect.)

Next time, I'd like to discuss the first deeply controversial subject for the new year:  whether belief in God renders one incapable of fully accepting any other source of truth (such as science, other forms of spirituality, etc).

There are More Things in Heaven and Earth...

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet

I consider myself a questioner.

In the quote above, Horatio had just seen a ghost, something completely outside his knowledge and experience, and yet he was seeing it with his own eyes.  He didn’t refuse to acknowledge it, nor was he speculating on something without looking into it for himself.

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of not questioning.  It’s a very human thing to do, not merely the habit of the rabidly fundamentalist or total skeptic.  Just accepting what one learns and believing it wholesale, and even sometimes judging or (worse) being afraid of someone who believes differently.

But there are more things in heaven and on earth than are understood – or even dreamed of – in the systematized beliefs of human beings.  In the religious, scientific, political, or cultural dogmas we hold dear.  More things that dare us to acknowledge them.  Because to question and to search out and to investigate and consider and reason out is utterly human, too.

The real challenge comes in the intersection of and the conflict between those belief systems.  More and more, people are becoming polarized, holding to one extreme of belief or the other, unwilling to give an inch.

The answer isn’t giving up one’s beliefs.  It isn’t mere “tolerance” of different beliefs, either.  The answer is love.

Recently, there was a tragedy in Chattanooga where four Marines and a sailor were murdered by a young Muslim man.  What happened afterwards was a testament to love.  The local Muslim community spoke up at the memorial service and grieved with them.  They donated more than $20,000 to the families of the victims, and for months afterwards a Muslim-owned restaurant gave free meals to armed services members.

That doesn’t mean that these Muslims changed their beliefs, nor does it mean that the surrounding, deeply Christian community changed theirs, either.  At some point, a discussion about respective beliefs does need to happen, but the most important thing that needs to happen is love.

That’s the case whether we’re talking about climate change, conservative or liberal political views, the separation of church and state, evolution vs. intelligent design being taught in schools, or any hot potato issue you could think of.

Behind those beliefs, we’re all human beings.  We might be labeled because of our beliefs, but our beliefs don’t represent the sum total of who we are.  We’re all unique individuals with an intrinsic value utterly apart from the molecules that make up our bodies, the food we eat, or the air we breathe.

With that in mind, I’d like to dedicate this blog to unraveling some of the most complicated hot potato issues in a way that respects all different viewpoints while still attempting to resolve seemingly impossible conundrums.  Love is the starting point, but perhaps the next step in getting along is understanding.