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.

9 comments:

Morgan said...

Very challenging post. I am always very hesitant to "evangelize" very forwardly (ie just walk up to people who may not believe the same as you and say "Jesus is the way, the truth, the light..."), because I can't necessarily say that these people that I'm talking to haven't reached a truth that I also believe in, but through a different route. I refuse to judge anyone of a different religion than my own, because I feel like we have way more in common than we probably realize, and who am I to say that God isn't working in them just as powerfully as he is working in me. Instead I just live my life filled with love, passion, honesty, and most of all brokenness (something no religion can deny). I think that's exactly what Jesus calls us to do. Not to thump people over the head, but to just trust in him and love everyone.

The only problem that arrives from this is that I believe in Jesus. No real other religion can provide the grace of Jesus except Christianity (hence the whole reason the religion started). If I believe in Jesus, it's hard for me to really explore other religions that I know don't offer that. That doesn't mean I can't learn about them or have friends that are of other religions. But the truth that I've found in Jesus can't be found in Islam or Buddhism (even though Jesus does show up in both, I believe). So that's where it's hard to honestly explore other religions. Does that make sense?

Anonymous said...

so you're on a big super quest for truth, etc.? why are you blogging it?

David Hengen said...

i think you have a good point. i also think it's hard to come up with something that applies so universally.

i believe though, that if i were raised muslim, that i would believe those teachings to be the infalible truth. which makes me think about why i believe. i know that i do believe.

BruceA said...

A little over ten years ago I went through a major crisis in my faith. While I was struggling, an acquaintance suggested I look in to Taoism.

I was prepared to give up Christ if I could find a clearer truth in the Tao. What I discovered surprised me. By looking into eastern religion, I was able to escape the western philosophy that has become entangled with American Christianity. When I tried to see the world through Taoist eyes, the gospel made a lot more sense: Not the Americanized middle-class gospel that we are inundated with, but the radical life-changing freedom that Jesus preached.

I'm convinced that truth can often be found in the most unexpected places, and that we have nothing to fear from other religious traditions. God is a lot bigger than we give him credit for.

Jacob said...

Good thoughts Morgan. I suppose if you know enough about other religions to know that only your own offers what you need, that's a good reason not to search further, as long as you're ok with your Muslim friend saying "Only Islam offers quality X, and it is X, not Y (Chiristian grace or whatever) that I feel is vital to my religious beliefs."

Of course it is fine and commendable to have a discussing with such a friend about the relative merits of qualities X and Y, which one might be more important or necessary to the other, what might cause us to disagree about this, etc. What I object to is a double standard that allows us to feel righteous, even smug, about doing exactly the same things we condemn people of other religions for doing.

Jacob said...

Anon: Yes, I am. I blog because I can work through my ideas better by writing them down, and because it allows me to share my ideas with others are recieve valuable feedback.

Jacob said...

David: Excellent observation. I've noticed that most of us tend to search for evidence not to prove or disprove our beliefs, but to validate our beliefs. For example, most Christians can parot apologetic tidbits from Lee Stroble or whoever when asked why they believe the Bible is true, but in reality, I think Christians generally believe the Bible is true because they've been trained to and because the Bible speaks to them in a way other books don't. I think we'd be better off if we could recognize this and freely admit it to those who ask, rather than hiding behind a pseudo-scholarly facade.

Jacob said...

Thanks for the comment Bruce. I intend to do something similar it the next year (look into other religions). And I've spent a good deal of time recently wondering about what Jesus' version of Christianity might look like, rather than my own or that of the western church. More to come on this, I'm sure.

lupdup said...

great post. ur entry affirmed my suspicions on how we've unconciously idolizing theology over God, and wat u said about us should have no loyalty to a particular religion, but only to God himself, is very thought-provoking.

never realize that the crowd, the 'christian herd', can prove to be such an obstable in our search for Truth.