Truth and the Deification of Doctrine

Or What's Going Down in My Life, Part 1

I've been tinkering on this one for over a month, and it still seems awkward, rabbit-traily, and inaccurate. I feel like I'm grasping at something significant but slippery, and I'm having more difficulty than usual making it coherent, either in my head or in writing (this is especially true of the latter half of the post). With this post especially (but also with everything I write) please remember that I do not claim to dispense truth, only my own subjective, poorly conveyed, transient opinions. I publish this post because it is partially out of this quaggy pool of pontifical ponderings that I have come to a fairly significant decision, which I will divulge (hopefully more lucidly) in What's Going Down, Part 2. Anyway, here it is.

A lot of Christians like to talk about truth - how we know the Truth about God, eternity, salvation, and even specific points of doctrine, how you too could discover these truths simply by thinking honestly, reading the Bible, and praying, and how those who persistently disagree with us are running from the truth or twisting the truth or denying of the truth. Many Christians (by no means all) seem to regard themselves as not only genuine seekers but genuine finders of objective, indisputable, God-given truth on a fairly broad rage of topics, and seem to think that those who disagree do so only because they are not honestly seek truth.

I believe that the majority of such Christians are far less open to truth than they think they are, at least when it comes to their foundational religious beliefs. (I do not fault them for their less-than-unqualified pursuit of truth - a common weakness, from which I am by no means exempt - only for being dishonest about it.) Let me explain why I believe this.

It seems to me that if a person - Christian or otherwise - were genuinely interested in the truth about God, she would be eager to look honestly at many different religions, rather than trusting just one set of experiences (even her own). Please note that looking honestly at different religions doesn't mean merely asking your pastor about them or reading books debunking them by Christian authors. Until recently I was afraid to do more than this, and I sense that many Christians are similarly hesitant. We seem to have gotten the idea that to honestly, humbly and open-mindedly consider other religions is tantamount to treachery.

I believe this fear of other religions comes from having personified our beliefs about God, or perhaps even mistaken our beliefs for God himself, and consequently imagining the examination of contrary beliefs to be a form of idolatry; unfaithfulness toward our word-and-concept deity. (As if it is even possible for a creed or doctrine to accurately and sufficiently represent God!) I contend that we owe no allegiance to our religion. To God, certainly, but not to any doctrine or religious sect. A Christian who after honest consideration becomes a Muslim is no more a traitor, a sinner or an apostate than a Muslim who for honest reasons becomes a Christian, a Liberal who becomes a New Democrat, or a Virtue Ethicist who becomes a Utilitarian.

(It may be hard for some to imagine honest enquiry leading someone away from Christianity. Suppose, if you must, that they are mistaken or deceived, and that God will later reveal their error to them. The point I hope you will agree to is that it is possible for an genuine seeker to come, even temporarily, to a different conclusion than you have, and that to do so is no sin. Moreover, if a person feels called to examine his beliefs and seek truth, it would be not only irrational but wrong to refrain from seeking out of fear of incurring the wrath of God.)

The personification (or deification) of doctrine is utterly devastating to the honest pursuit of truth in which so many Christians claim to partake. Moreover, it leads to deceit and hypocrisy when as evangelists we expect members of other religions to subject their beliefs to greater scrutiny that we are willing to subject ours. Most Christians expect non-Christians to critically examine their believes and be willing to reject them if disproved, and yet many feel that to subject Christianity to the same honest scrutiny is unnecessary, or even wrong. I believe that we (all humans) must be willing to drop our allegiance to any doctrine about God, however foundational, should we be convinced of its falsehood. If we cannot do this we are worshippers not of God but of theology, and this is idolatry regardless of whether the doctrines we worship are true or false!

I'm not saying it's wrong not to completely and unreservedly pursue truth, nor am I saying that I do this better than most, nor that Christians in general do this worse than most. (I write exclusively about Christians simply because I know very few non-Christians; something, I think you'd agree, which is unhealthy both for a Christian and for a truth-seeker. I mean to correct this.) I believe there are much more important things than pursuing truth, and some people are perhaps better off for not pursuing it. Someone whose life was transformed by becoming a Christian (or a Hindu, or an Atheist) is unlikely to have much doubt about the truth of his beliefs, and little interest in scrutinizing them. I rejoice for those who are so uplifted, challenged, and changed by their current beliefs that they have no desire to look into any alternatives. I only ask that such people recognize that although personal experiences can give one great confidence, great joy, and a great many other things, they rarely (if ever) given access to exclusive, objective truth. So unless your spiritual experiences include receiving an infallible, essential creed from the hand of an angel, it is probably wise to avoid being dogmatic about the theological inferences you draw from them.