Individual Choice, Logic, Reason, and Truth

Pilate asked Jesus, "What is Truth".  Jesus had already stated that everyone on the side of truth listens to him.  Pilate cynically asks this well-known question and then tells the crowd that, although the local authorities have convicted him, Pilate can find no reason to condemn Jesus.  However, since they have "home rule", Pilate doesn't use his position and authority to overrule the local Jewish magistrate. In fact, Pilate, clearly not wanting to be associated with this arrest and condemnation, uses their own law to release one prisoner - a criminal named Barabbas, but was hoping they crowd would release Jesus since he really didn't do anything - from Pilate's perspective - that deserved death. (This scene is in John 18:28-40 for those who want to read it)

The cynicism behind the question is alive today.  Human beings routinely reject logic and sound reason for decisions and behaviors.  Generally, human beings ACT based on feelings, desires, and personal preferences.  Unfortunately, this weak foundation for making decisions is firmly established in ecclesiastical, parochial, and general faith-based arenas, and in particular, feelings and desires are used within the Christian church by many individuals as the foundation for their decisions.

Faith is not without reason, logic and principled guidelines.  Albeit, within the realm of the supernatural, dogmatic, scientific and repeatable proof can not be used as evidence for the metaphysical claims of the biblical narrative.  Nonetheless, one does not have to throw out their brain in order to solidly make decisions within the realm of a Christian and Biblical world view.  Yet, most believers do just like their nonreligious neighbors and make decisions based on feelings and other weak and illogical reasons.

One of the biggest foundations for decisions making is personal perspective on an experience.  For example, if a religious leader helps me personally achieve a personal goal such as getting out of debt or exercising daily to fulfill my New Years Resolution, then we will not only give them credibility within the specific area they helped us, but they get credibility in spiritual matters that have nothing to do with the achieved goal.  At first glance, this may make sense, but it is filled with logical fallacies, starting with the logical fallacy of a "non sequitur" conclusion.  We give theological credibility and may even disregard years of validated spiritual knowledge in order to follow someone or something that helped us overcome in an area we have struggled with for years.  If you help me stop drinking, you now have  full entree into all truth - at least you do for me. The danger here seems obvious, but subtly, over days, weeks, or months, we can switch from a solid foundation based on biblical evidence into a false religious system.

This makes sense in that credibility should be earned and not blindly given.  In fact, in John 9 Jesus heals a man born blind who uses a similar argument. When asked what he thinks of the man Jesus who healed him, the previously blind man says, "He [that is Jesus] is a prophet".  Yet, the healed blind man does eventually make the separation that I am arguing we do not often make by saying, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!". The blind man acknowledges the experience (I was blind but I can now see), but does not make a theological conclusion about the one who healed him (Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know). We need to do likewise.

This separation is very important because when it comes to the spiritual and theological realm, it's hard to separate results from a biblical framework that is principled based, built on a foundation of non-tangible supernatural claims.  As people, it is much easier to grasp a tangible example - for example, someone can help me gain the discipline needed to to succeed in business - than it is to grasp the concepts and principle behind something like the nature of God, what happens at death, or how angels and demons function. Because of this difference, many religious environments may neglect or ignore such areas as salvation, resurrection, eternity, and other areas that break the laws of physics and natural history.   We do a little better with relational ideas such as grace, mercy, justice, and love but we will even throw these out, too if I can get tangible results in loosing weight, making money, or even in an altruistic endeavor such as helping the poor.  Such results SCREAM at us "TRUTH" but unfortunately, if the foundation for concluding TRUTH is feelings, desires, wants, and the like, it is a weak infrastructure and may lead to very bad and dangerous outcomes over time that are unrelated to the initial results that was the framework for trust in the first place.

Recently, I have witnessed this problem with a couple in the church I attend.  The decision to get involved in another ministry - which is not a healthy ministry, but is considered by many, many people to be a dangerous religions group - this decision was based on emotional experience and of course, tangible results in a personal area of struggle, namely, loosing weight.  (I might add, someones assessment that a group or ministry is dangerous does not mean it really is - that has to be investigated and thought threw... which is what I'm talking about in the first place!) The overall process with this couple took about two or three months, but the decision when made was clear and could not be challenged.  The decision did not include a balanced listening to others - although the couple believed they were balanced.  They strictly listened to people who were helping with the results, giving credibility in theological areas that are unrelated to the results, but not asking other people who might differ - such as elders or ministers within their own historical heritage.  On top of a decision being based on feelings, the justification  - in order to not feel too bad or guilty and to help "get" permission from long standing spiritual relationships - was repeatedly, "we still love everyone".

This type of decision making is exceedingly common.  I'm sure I do the same thing. Yet, I pray that I can be corrected and that I will not cynically get to the point where I ask "what is truth".  Biblical Truth is knowable in the major areas of theology and the practice of Biblical Christianity. Logic, study, reason, history, and the reasonable contextual reading of most of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, provides a solid foundation for making spiritual decisions.   There is a great deal that we will never know on this side of eternity, but we have plenty of information to guide us in making decisions on how to live and move and serve others as Christians.

It personally hurts, both because of relationships and because I genuinely want to help others follow God, not just authentically, but solidly based on a firm foundation.  Following God should not be based on personal results in an area of life - especially if that area does not directly carry over into the realm of eternity such as weight, business, or avoiding substance abuse.  Are these areas important - yes, but they do not give the foundation for Biblical, religious and Theological credibility nor do they provide a framework for what is indeed TRUTH.

The Pain of Living

If you've lived long enough to be able to read this, you have learned that life can be painful.  Depending on your upbringing and a thousand other uncontrollable events, you will experience pain.  You can pretend it's not there, try to hide from it, or simply try to ignore it, but life is painful, life really does hurt.

I have watch co-workers, church members, family members, and neighbors go through great amounts of pain.  I have seen illness, poverty, ignorance, selfishness, and greed cause pain.  I have seen the results of accidents, natural disasters and "acts of God", bad decisions, war, and laziness cause great amounts of pain.  The pain of life impacts the innocent and the guilty, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak; it does not discriminate.

As a Christian, I have my own theodicy, my own understanding, view, and understanding of how and why there is such pain and suffering in life - why God can still exists and be a loving and fully aware being who has the power to supernaturally intervene and yet does not stop the avalanche and torrent of mishaps and afflictions that cause both minor and major pain.

Pain generally affects us on two levels: the physical or the relational. The physical is obvious, but the relational causes the most damage.  How many marriages have I seen fall apart - and I am confident that no one ever got married wishing for the pain of marital strife, fighting, arguments, and divorce.  How may parents and children have strained and damaged relationships because of value differences, beliefs, rebellion, or non-traditional life-styles chosen by one or the other?  How many friendships - deep friendships, are spoiled by a misunderstanding, a disappointment, an unmet or unachiavable or inappropriate expectation, or a real error, mistake, or betrayal?  What happens when a parents basic responsibility of raising a child in a loving, safe, and nurturing environment is interrupted by death, ignorance, abuse, blatant irresponsibility, neglect, drug use/addiction, alcohol uses/addiction, and the  like?  The psyche of most children raised in such environments are scared such that they are negatively impacted their entire life!  What a deal - ten to fifteen years of a broken and abusive upbringing leads to fifty or sixty additional years of a messed up life!

I have to go, but come back later and I will continue.... I have some thoughts on how to frame the inevitable pain we experience in life, and I am definitely curious about how others cope.  I'm frustrated right now because I'm watching another family go through crisis and pain - I KNOW it is unnecessary but, as life would have it, no one person can really influence another to deal with pain in a healthy way - they must ultimately figure it out in their own minds and hearts, even if they THINK the influence was external, the truth is that an individual must accept and act on a coping mechanism that has become internalized.

Taking Love Seriously

I've been married for 20 years and we have two children.  Of  course, if you know me, then you already know this.  However, as I get older, I learn more and more that I am pretty inadequate when it comes to loving my wife and children the way God wants me to.

Today, I had to leave a project I was working on at the church building because I needed to take my teenage daughter to get her hair done.  Now... I don't have any hair, so I can't relate!  Plus, even though I unconsciously know when a young lady (like my daughter) cares enough about herself to take care of her hair (as well as dress, shoes, etc), I don't really think about it as being that important as long as you shower at least every other day!  This, of course, is a major sin of omission because it is vitally important for many women (my wife and daughter included) that they take care of their hair.

Now, to me, the cost was pretty high (over $50 with tip) but trust me men (if you are a man reading this - especially if you are a white man...), for black hair, this is dirt cheap!  So, I left her in the hair salon for an hour as instructed, and I went to the Starbucks in Target, bought a NORMAL cup of coffee (because I still don't know how to order the stuff), and read my book...  waiting... waiting... and waiting.  I finally got the alarm (literally - I set the timer on my smart phone so I would know when to go and check on her) and went to the salon only to find that I needed to wait another 20 minutes... which turned into 45 minutes.

But I survived this!  Really!  However, my daughter had also wanted me to go with her to buy a pair of shoes. She was irritated with me because my wife apparently had  said she could buy shoes, too as long as they were under $50.... I reacted poorly - you see, I didn't want the trip to start racking up to well over $100.00 PLUS I only own two pair of shoes - one with a hole in the sole and the other being held together with super-glue... trust me, I am not exaggerating! So... I reacted poorly by not taking the request seriously.  Fortunately, the mall was closing because I had already waited... and waited... and waited.  However, we did get the opportunity to ask the price of the shoes she wanted before the retail outlet shut the gate.  The shoes were $170... and so, I reacted poorly again - being somewhat humorous, loudly, hoping to gain the sympathy of another reasonable parent that just so happened to be in ear-shot of this drama.

However, what my poorly timed and terrible attempt to gain sympathy actually did was alienate my daughter who was frustrated because I embarrassed her in public.  I made matters worse by asking if she would forgive me and not accepting her answer of "I don't know" -- which was spoken, not with words but with body language.... so, the car ride home was silent, except for the radio.  I turned to 104.1 FM because I needed to hear someone say they loved me and I was OK and not a failure.  Now, if you listen to 104.1FM in the DC area, you know it is predominately black gospel music which often has messages about how much God loves you and how much you will be blessed if you trust God.... a message I needed at that time.  Why - because I was deeply hurt.  My own child didn't know if she could forgive me!

Anyway, she was over it by the time we got home... just like when she was 2 years old and I could easily distract her from whatever made her cry.  But what does any of this have to do with taking love seriously?  The big lesson is this:  We should love our children and our family, not because they give us warm feelings of acceptance and trust and gratitude and respect. No, instead we love our families because we are supposed to!  Many in our society cringe at the thought that they are supposed to do anything.  However, it is clearly written in God's word as more than a suggestion that "husbands [should] love their wives as Christ loved the church..." and "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger...".  And let's not forget that "If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Love, then requires that I focus, not on getting the respect, honor, submission, praise, gratitude, etc from my children or my wife for that matter... NO... Love requires that I focus on building them up, encouraging them, helping them grow and be better people, godly people, selfless people.  Timing, then is everything but the real challenge, at least for me, is not letting my little feeling get in the way of loving and giving to those that are closest to me.

Thomas Aquinas, Law, and Nature

Thomas Aquinas said, "An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal or natural law".  Has human beings, we fight against anything or any one that FORCES us to comply with anything we don't like.  Some things should be boldly fought against such as slavery... and unjust housing... and human trafficking... and violent, powerful, greedy syndicates that operate independent of the established government... and many many other evil, violent, and clearly oppressive people and behaviors.

Now, I have two children, and like most human beings, they too fight against being forced to comply.  For example, they don't like doing chores, cleaning their room, doing homework, even going to school.  They resist eating vegetables, serving in the community, and sometimes they even resist getting outdoor exercise and playtime when they actually WANT to lay around and watch television.

Adults are no different.  We will resist even what is good for us if it is NOT what we WANT to do, if it is forced on us.  Thus, if there was a law that forced ADULTS to eat right and exercise, many if not most Americans would vehemently fight against such a law.

I generally know what Aquinas meant by "eternal law" - it was a reference to the scriptures.  Basic teachings of the Bible on our behavior and how we treat each other as prescribed by the principles of the New Testament. (Many that oppose Christianity like to reference the Old Testament to prove that the faith promotes behavior we all agree is wrong in the 21 century such as killing every man, woman, and child in a city).  Such principles promote laws and behavior that is healthy, loving, serving, and helpful.  There are also enduring principles surrounding the role of men, women, and children - even adult children which many American resist because of reasons stated above - even if such prescribed "laws" would be good for them.

What did Aquinas mean by "natural law"? Even without God, there are laws of nature that reflect and produce the normal, healthy, balanced, and productive world we live in.  Some of those natural laws are inescapable such as the changing of the seasons or the death of the aged.  However, other natural laws are resisted such as the binary nature of human being - even if we evolved, we evolved into two genders or sexes - male and female - and in our society, this is strongly resisted by a sizable minority - resisted, I might add, for reasons expressed above.

Timing, inconvenience, personal goals and other personal and private motives generally guide people in forming their values, beliefs, and the behaviors that reflect such values.  What we WANT often feels so powerful that we think we cannot resit it and we must act.  Obviously, when such passions lead to murder, robbery, violence, and the like our society will collectively resist through our own laws and law enforcement. But there is a sliding scale - at what point and with what parameters in nature do my individual rights as an American allow me to resist nature without societal retribution?  Is it natural to have multiple wives or multiple husbands?  Is it natural to risk my life in motor sports or sky diving?  Is it natural to believe in the supernatural that involve the practice of sacred killings, ritual sexual practices, or ritual suicide?  Depending on a persons value system, they will move the scale of what should be allowed by societies laws vs what should be against the law.

How do we frame this  societal tension between managing behavior by laws regarding what is not natural but allowed because we think it doesn't overtly harm or hamper society, verses forcing by laws what is natural, even if we don't want to do it because we resist?  How do we view it and more importantly, how do we practice and act on this tension?

I only have to deal with this on a personal scale, as well as in my role as a father, supervisor, and whatever influence I have over the policies and practices of my church.  To be certain, my view of such things will definitely influence how and what I raise and teach my children and how I function in other roles.  Of course, I am speaking in the ideal - no man, especially me, can fully execute and perfectly follow the dictates of my own value system - I must build into my life accountability, or I too will fall into allowing the full force of my passions, wants and desires to make me resist what should force me to comply.

What about you?  If you stumbled into this blog, what do you think?  Should we submit to rules, laws, and policies that are both natural and prescribed by the principles of the New Testament?  I'm curious what others think - feel free to comment!