Toward a Healthy Scepticism about Scepticism

It is my belief that one of the biggest problem facing North America and especially the Church in Western society is the intrusion of an unhealthy scepticism. Below are some of my thoughts, and more importantly, the thoughts of some others on the topic. I encourage you to spend some time on the quote below, as it is worth your time, even if you have to come back to it. I realize that people do not like to spend their time on long blog entries. We like it compact. As I mentioned, this is a topic of great concern, worthy of much consideration.

I had noticed myself, over the last number of years, becoming more and more sceptical. Always questioning. Always making sure to point out the bad with the good, emphasizing the bad. I became less encouraging, and more of something that I call "cold" or "hard-hearted". As a Christian, I became increasingly unable to pray or sing songs of praise to God with any meaning. When someone talked about God working in their life I really questioned it. These were the symptoms.
Something was wrong. Something had changed. It began to bother me that I had trouble connecting with the God that I claimed to have faith in. What was the matter?
It turns out that I had bought in to a philosophy that is incongruent with the gospel. Scepticism's priests, such as David Hume, have claimed that there is no God, that there can be no such thing as a miracle, and that everything must be called into question. Little did I know, but I was buying in to these very principles, without even knowing the philosophy. (I still know little about it. What I do know is from my own personal experience with it, and from some books.)
Of course, I am not saying that we shouldn't call things into question, for that is what I am doing right now. More on this later.
This mistrust of everything leads to a lack of hope and general cheer in life. Once again, I am not calling for an unrealistic approach.
Perhaps it would be good at this point to let someone smarter to jump in. I am looking forward to reading a book called A Secular Age, by Charles Taylor, that will hopefully clarify my thoughts on the "enlightenment project." As for books I have read, Alisdair MacIntyre's After Virtue has become somewhat of a classic when it comes to understanding the failures of the Enlightenment "project", including the thought of sceptics, such as Hume (also see Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy as another book of the sceptic's cannon). MacIntyre's book is phenomenal in its displaying of scepticism as unfounded, leading to nihilism (which seems to be a strange theme for this blog), which is expressed in Nietzsche's work. Niezsche, it must be said, carried the conversation to its logical conclusions... either live under God or be a nihilist, or, as expressed in MacIntyre's book: either be an ethical realist (there is goodness and rationality in the universe without man's having created it; man has not constructed nature, but must discover it) or be an ethical constructivist (there is no creator above man, and so there is no one above man who has given absolute truth, or goodness). Nietzsche sides on the ethical constructivist side.
As stated in an earlier entry, Fyodor Dostoyevsky also speaks of these themes, most notably in his The Brothers Karamazov, where Ivan becomes a sort of Enlightenment figure. It takes the cunning of Smerdyakov, the half-brother, to really take to heart the thoughts of Ivan and bring them to their logical conclusion: nihilism.
Along with MacIntyre, Nietzsche, and many others, I have to thank my wife for clearing my head of this muddle, for she has never bought into such cold scepticism. Praise be to God for his mercies.
But the inspiration for this whole blog has been a passage in a book that I have recently been re-reading. I will almost certainly do a review on the book in a later entry. The book is highly recommended.
The following extended quote comes from Lesslie Newbigin's book, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, p. 227-229. This comes in a section where J.E. Lesslie Newbigin is describing the six characteristics that the church needs in order influence society in a proper, Christ-like way (both as servant to society and uncompromising in it's character). The first and second of Newbigin's points are bellow, with some of my comments in square parenthesis.

1. It [the church] will be a community of praise. that is, perhaps, its most distinctive character. Praise is an activity which is almost totally absent from "modern" society. Here two distinct points can be made.
a. The dominant notes in the development of the specifically "modern" view of things has been (as we noted earlier) the note of scepticism, of doubt. The "hermeneutic of suspicion" is only the most recent manifestation of the belief that one could be saved from error by the systematic exercise of doubt. It has followed that when any person, institution, or tradition has been held up as an object worthy of reverence, it has immediately attracted the attention of those who undertook to demonstrate that there was another side to the picture, that the golden image has feet of clay. I suppose that this is one manifestation of that "disenchantment" which Weber regarded as a key element in the development of "modern" society. Reverence, the attitude which looks up in admiration and love to one who is greater and better than oneself, is generally regarded as something unworthy of those who have "come of age" and who claim that equality is essential to human dignity. With such presuppositions, of course, the very idea of God is ruled out. The Christian congregation, by contrast, is a place where people find their true freedom, their true dignity, and their true equality in reverence to One who is worthy of all the praise that we can offer.
b. Then, too, the Church's praise includes thanksgiving. The Christian congregation meets as a community that acknowledges that it lives by the amazing grace of a boundless kindness. contemporary society speaks much about "human rights." It is uncomfortable with "charity" as something which falls short of "justice," and connects the giving of thanks with an unacceptable subservience. In Christian worship the language of rights is out of place except when it serves to remind us of the rights of others. For ourselves we confes that we cannot speak of rights, for we have been given everythingand forgiven everything and promised everything, so that (as Luther said) we lack nothing except faith to believe it. In Christian worship we acknowledge that if we had received justice instead of charity we would be on our way to perdition. A Christian congregation is thus a body of people with gratitude to spare, a gratitude that can spill over into care for the neighbour. And it is of the essence of the matter that this concern for the neighbour is the overflow of a great gift of grace and not, primarily, the expression of commitment to a morale crusade [This has been the goal of the Enlightenment project, according to MacIntyre in After Virtue. It is the goodness of God, especially seen in Jesus Christ's removing our sins that is the cause of Christian joy; those who do not believe in miracles, such as the resurrection, cannot have this same view of goodness and are stuck either constructing moral rules (as Hume and Kant did) or denying that all such man-made rules are arbitrary and thus denying them (as Nietzsche did). It is of the essence that Christians discover more and more the deep goodness of God, for it is the antidote to the cold heart that many hate to have, but feel there is no other option.]
2. Second, [the Christian congregation] will be a community of truth. This may seem an obvious point, but it needs to be stressed. As I have tried to show in these chapters, it is essential to recognize that all human thinking takes place within a "plausibility structure" which determinds what beliefs are reasonable and what are not. The reigning plausibility structure can only be effectively challenged by people who are fully integrated inhabitants of the another [meaning that the "modern" structure that a priori denies miracles, God, etc. must be challenged by another type of thinking, which for Newbigin, is found in the gospel]. Every person living in a "modern" society is subject to an almost continuous bombardment of ideas, images, slogans, and stories which presuppose a plausibility structure radically different from that which is controlled by the Christian understanding of human nature and destiny. The power of contemporary media to shape thought and imagination is very great. Even the most alert critical powers are easily overwhelmed. A Christian congregation is a community in which, through constant remembering and rehearsing of the true story of human nature and destiny [found in the gospel], an attitude of healthy scepticism can be sustained, a scepticism which enables one to take part in the life of society without being bemused and deluded by its own beliefs about itself. And, if the congregation is to function effectively as a community of truth, its manner of speaking the truth must not be aligned to techniques of modern propaganda, but must have the modesty, the sobriety, and the realism which are proper to a disciple of Jesus.

Book Review: Finding An Unseen God

3 out of 4 stars.

As an Ooze Viral Blogger (http://viralbloggers.com/), it is my duty and privilege to review books, available to me through The Ooze, of my choosing. The first book I reviewed (go here for the review and here for a sort of follow-up) was called Jesus Interrupted by Bart Ehrman. In his work, Ehrman’s personal experiences with faith and Christianity are clearly a major motivation for his denial of the importance of the Bible and a God that is good.
This interweaving of personal experiences with a historical faith is even more evident in Alicia Britt Chole’s new book, Finding An Unseen God, subtitled “Reflections Of A Former Atheist”. Throughout the book, Chole weaves chapters recalling her atheistic years with chapters stating her current thoughts and beliefs.
At first, this weaving together of different times in her life might be difficult for the reader to sort out. An explanation might prove to be helpful. Chapters alternate between exploring her atheistic past (which is indicated on the contents page with a chapter title on the left, ascending from 1 to 26) chapters that explain her current faith and how that came about (indicated by chapter titles being on the right side of the contents page, descending from 52 to 26).
The greatest collision of Chole’s two belief-sets (Atheism and Christianity) in the final chapter of the book (26) prove to be both the climax and denouement of Finding An Unseen God. In the final chapter, Chole tells of her surrender to Jesus, after years of bitterness towards Him. As a climax, the chapter serves to highlight the point of decision. As denouement, the chapter shows the resolution of the tensions in the book. Though Chole says that becoming a Christian never simply solved her questions, they gave her a better place to see truth from.
As somewhat of a biography – spanning a life’s worth of adventure and pondering – many topics are addressed in this book. The many topics include: Atheism, how Christians should act towards Atheists, pluralism, respect for other belief systems,, the historicity of the Bible, simple-minded Christianity, objective truths, theodicy (the problem of evil and suffering in the world), the importance of friends and family in one’s life, and presence of God in Christian worship.
Two of these topics will be considered. First, in ways reminiscent of Polkinghorne and Newbigin, Chole devotes a large portion of her book to dealing with religious pluralism and Christianity’s claim to be both different and truer than other religions (see especially p. 79-105). Chole admits that there are many religious options out there to chose from, and that can be difficult to decide which is the right one; that, in fact, all paths lead to the top of the same mountain. Though it can be difficult to sort through all the different believe-systems, “difficult to find is a different matter than impossible to find” (p.81).
Chole then goes on to deliver a kindly, yet lucid critique of religious pluralism. Her three main arguments against religious pluralism are summed up in her first point, which is contra the believe that “world religions really ARE saying the same thing, or at least have compatible core beliefs” (p. 104):
Ask them, Ask the committed Muslim, the devout Jew, the practicing Hindu, the devoted Christian, and the sincere Buddhist if they are all saying the same thing or if, at the very least, their core beliefs are compatible. With the possible exception of the Hindu, my guess is that you will hear great unity in their response of “no!” (p. 104)
Here, of course, Chole is implying that if devout followers of different religions see that each religion is unique, then how can someone who is outside of the traditions altogether understand them as “communicating complementary messages”? (p. 104) She is also pointing out the arrogance of such assertions.
If religions make distinct and competing claims, how can we learn which one is the best? To solve this problem, Chole provides four questions that serve as “filters” (p. 88):
1) Is my belief system…consistent (at its core)?
2) Is my belief system…livable (and not just quotable)?
3) Is my belief system…sustainable (through life-size pain)?
4) Is my belief system…transferable (to others)?
Perhaps Chole’s four filters (and their subsequent proving of the truthfulness of Christianity) are too simplistic for some, but I find that they provide a helpful screen in discerning the varying levels of truth and goodness in various religious claims. In truth, much of Chole’s book reads this way: simple, yet profound and powerful.
The second topic found in Chole’s book that I will consider is that of theodicy, which is the problem of evil and suffering in the world, in lue of an all-good and all-powerful God. It turns out that this issue is, for people such as Bart Ehrman, is a deal-breaker when it comes to believing in Jesus. For Chole, the problem of injustice in the world provided her atheism with both peace of mind and potency. “If there is no God, then we do not have to question him, her, or them about why the innocent are condemned and the guilty freed-it is simply human error” (p.63).
However, that peace of mind, the fact that we should not expect otherwise soon began to haunt her, turning peace of mind into a darker approach to life:
As an Atheist, the road to suicide was less fraught with moral or philosophical obstacles than perhaps it would be for a Theist of whatever persuasion. There was no god, There was no afterlife, death ended all pain. Why wait for the release when I could initiate it? (p.78); Underneath, something significant had shifted within me, My atheism had experienced a mutation: It was no longer benign… Life is painful…Through a more personal acquaintance with relational and emotional pain, my Atheism morphed into “anti-theism”…How could anyone have the audacity to suggest the existence of a god or gods that “hold all the power”? How could such beings exist and not use their power to prevent pain? Obviously there is no god. (p. 133-144)
Unfortunately, the problem of theodicy is not intellectually countered in Chole’s book. Instead, experiential answers are given:
In many ways it would be a relief to once again chalk these atrocities up to the human condition alone; to return to a worldview that would deliver me from wondering where God as and what prayer does. But for me, and other sincere people of faith, the tension remains…Over the years, though, I have experienced a glorious discovery: There is treasure in the tension. The struggle is a doorway. Sincerity in the quest ushers us mysteriously across the threshold, and on the other side is – not answers – but knowing. On the other side is intimacy. (p.64); Beliefs are celebrated in the light. They are tested in the dark. (p. 116); Life is not tidy. Pain coexists with joy… God does not conveniently edit out the uncomfortable…Spiritually seeing God’s wholeness did not blind me to the world’s woundedness. Over the years, my sensitivity to injustice and pain has only heightened. Walking with God, I still see life’s complexities – but now that sight is attended by hope and complimented by a renewable strength to fight. Relationship with this realistic god has made me, both in thought and action, more (not less) in touch with the true aches of humanity.
It is helpful to notice here, what Chole calls the “fruit” (p.75) of a belief system. The fruit is the result of the belief system, it is the quality of fullness in life, the “honey” of the “fruit and honey” in life. Belief in Jesus has given Chole the ability to see hope, and therefore, to be more merciful to others and to bring more goodness and justice to the world. Instead of her thoughts of suicide, and negativity towards others, she learned that with Jesus she could participate more in life. As He once said, he has come to bring not just life, not just breathing and eating, but fullness of life: joy, peace, hope, and love (John 10:10, my translation). Other fruit that Chole has experienced since being a Christian has been, contra the writing of the New Atheists, an increase in mental vitality: “What I did not anticipate [as a result of her conversion], though, was an increase in my ability to learn, When God awakened me to his existence, my critical-thinking skills expanded and my creativity exploded” (p. 147).
Another section of Finding an Unseen God must be discussed. Chole’s retelling of her moment of realizing that God is real (ch.25) was the highlight of the book for me. I will not spoil the book for those who wish to read it, but I should point out that it struck me as such a moment of beauty, serenity, power, and worship. It made so much sense where and when her conversion happened, and yet none at all.
I appreciated Finding An Unseen God for its simplicity, its truth, and its respect for other belief systems. It should be noted that Finding An Unseen God is no textbook, filled with arguments and counter-arguments. It is a journal of a life-journey. The book will leave readers encouraged 1) in their faith and 2) in learning more about their faith and the faiths of others. Finding An Unseen God’s 173 pages will leave its readers both satisfied with their faith and thirsting for more truth.

See the (very interesting) Trailer.
Go to Alicia Britt Chole's website.
Read a review and excerpts from the book.
Read more reviews.

God is Good

Over the last few weeks I have been refreshed with the truths that God is 1) Good, 2) Wise, 3) Just, and 4) Powerful. I’m not sure why this struck me so much. I suppose that it was the Spirit weaving different thoughts and truths in my mind.
At the time I was thinking of the need to love people more concretely…to actually do something about what I learn and hear about the world, and to take care of my own life and family too. I was also read Ecclesiastes, thinking about how wrong that author had it, how he must be wrong about God’s goodness, and how he was not open to the idea of the resurrection. Around that same time I read a passage in the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, talking about the Incarnation.
All these thoughts converged on me at the same time, that God is essentially good, that even when he knows that things are bad, he has plans to make all things new, and even when all deserve punishment for messing up God’s creation, God desires to be merciful rather than to condemn us. It struck me: God is good. This is our best, most joyous thought: God is good.
And our worst thought is this: God is not good. For if this is true, there is no reason for hope of a joyous afterlife, or of mercy, or any good thing. If God is essentially evil, or a mixture of good and evil, then we have few reasons to really be happy, and to look forward to the future.
There was a stirring of great joy in me, so much that my heart began to ache. I believe that this thought was at least a part of the inspiration for Paul’s words:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4.4-7).
If God is not good, what sureness is there in prayer? Little to none. But for Christians, who know God as good, there is assurance of answered prayer. So then, let us pray that God would give us good gifts; let us pray for wisdom and understanding; let us pray thankfully and consistently; let us pray that the Holy Spirit would move us to greater and greater joys.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, You instructed the hearts of those who believed in You by the light of the Holy Spirit. Grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation: through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(From Prayers and Devotions of the Catholic Faith)