So, after my post ages ago, I thought I better follow up on what I was going to write about. Namely, the assassination of reason. It's part of what I refer to as the christian suppression of dissent, where christian culture and theology are (unconsciously or consciously) geared towards discouraging questioning the movement of christianity. The assassination of reason is where the mind is targeted, to prevent people from even considering alternatives, and to allow discount any non-christian arguments. Note that I'm describing a pattern, so will make a few generalizations. Not all christians will hold all the specific beliefs, but I mention them to build up a big picture of what mainstream christianity is about.
[You be wondering, 'what is with all these big words he's coming up with?' - I guess I want to explain concepts that I've come up with, and I want to avoid using terms I'm already familiar with, so that I can start with a blank slate?]
Reason is assassinated when christians consider non-christian beliefs as an act of rebellion.
Christianity is a religion based on divine revelation. Many believe that God has revealed his way to the world, and that those who believe in him, and trust in Jesus will be saved. Some christians think that God actively causes those who are saved to believe, while others think that those who believe are saved, either way it doesn't matter; those who believe are saved, and those who don't believe are unsaved, and are going to hell.
And why do people not believe? It is not because non-christians weigh up the evidence, consider the balance of probabilities, and conclude that the most likely explanation for the world is Christianity. No. That would mean God is sending rational, well-intentioned people to hell. And God is just! So many christians believe that the real reason non-christians do not believe is because they don't want to. If non-christians really admitted to themselves that christianity is true, they would have to change their lives! They don't want to, so as their only act of rebellion, they deny the message. And so rational, prudent decisions become rebellious acts - if the outcome is disbelieving the main message of christianity.
This creates a policeman in the mind of every christian. When approaching a question, the christian, rather than asking 'what is the right thing in this situation?' or, 'is my thinking correct here?', is asking themselves 'am I submitting to what God has said?'. In theory these questions should be the same, but the thinking becomes biased, because if the christian is differing from what is "God's word", it is rebellion, and something to be repented of. And so, a christian can become ashamed for questioning, and attempt to repress such questions.
And of course, this creates a most effective ad hominem argument against non-christians - their arguments are not valid arguments, they are excuses. If a non-christian is showing some promise, but still questioning, they are merely 'coming to terms with the truth', and these can be gently dealt with. But athiests, muslims and heretics? They are hiding, rebelling from the truth. Their arguments need not be taken seriously, (except if you're talking, you might want to listen to some of their arguments in order to better convince them of christianity).
So there you have it. That's how christian assassinate their capacity to reason. In this post I feel like I have cast many stones, I have made many judgments, and it doesn't sit quite right. So I want to stress that not all christians are like this, and that most christians, even the ones like this, are amazing people. The post may not be entirely accurate on some points, as I may have overstated the point to get the message across. Nonetheless, I believe the point I have made is important, and deserves consideration; christians can assassinate reasons, part of this results in the suppression of dissent with christianity.
Showing posts with label assassination of reason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assassination of reason. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
On christian suppression of dissent
Christian has had a huge effect on the world we live in. Jesus message was revolutionary, and it's ideas have been influential western culture. Being brought up christian I have an appreciation of many of the ideas within christianity. But I also have an awareness that all is not right within the christian movement. In recent years I have been increasingly concerned with how the modern christian movement has a tendency to suppress disagreement. It includes the way christians treat non-christians, and also the way christians treat their own mind, suppressing any questions they might have.
I'm talking about doctrine and theology, as well as subcultural attitudes. In terms of doctrines, doctrines such as the notion that church dogma is from God, and therefore questioning it, and using your own mind is in essence an act of rebellion. Merely holding a view that differs from 'what God has ordained', is sinful, and requires repentance. And if you aren't repentant, there is the doctrine of hell; that all those who are outside the church are destined to burn in eternal torment. Put these together, and and there is the threat; agree with us, or face the consequences. This means christians can be scared to ask questions, not wanting to be a rebel against God. At the same time, this means christians can treat non-believers with contempt, as by holding a different view, they must be in active rebellion against the Lord.
In terms of sub-culture, it can be a little more subtle (and often overlapping with theology). There is the separation of christians and non-christians, often fueled by christian disapproval of non-christian activities. Combined with a tendency for christians to marry only christians, this means christians are often 'locked into' christian subcultures, making it difficult for them to ever question the status quo, and making life outside of the subculture seem foreign and off-putting should anyone ever consider leaving christianity. And then again, there is the mixture of sadness / betrayal / contempt that christians express towards those who are on the outside, for those who refuse to accept christianity.
What's my problem with it? Well, I have a number of reasons, which I have already hinted at. First, it can cause christians to treat non-christians badly, by treating them as rebellious for simply holding a different view. Especially christians who have 'drifted away', who are viewed with much sadness. Second, it can cause christians themselves a lot of unnecessary difficulty when going through life, it requires them to hold onto views that they may feel aren't quite right, which can create an internal conflict. It also causes fear and worry if they question, and causes sadness and betrayal if anyone they know question and decide to become non-christian. Thirdly, it gets in the way of the truth, as christians are required to put their better judgment aside and accept whatever doctrine a particular church teaches. So christians can get in the habit of accepting things without proper evidence, and can become obsessed with what is right or wrong, and fail to make decisions based on what is best.
I think I need to unpack this idea a little more, but for now I'm going to leave this for your comments. Hopefully you understand, at least in broad terms, what I'm getting at when I talk about the christian suppression of dissent. In further posts, I hope to post more about the assassination of reason, to post an answer to the objection that if God commands it we should follow anyway, and to post about where this comes from, and how this fits with what Jesus says. We'll see how things go.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Am I overly critical of christianity (bear in mind this post is a criticism of one aspect of christianity, so it's going to be critical :)? Can you think of other examples of suppression of dissent? Counter-examples?
I'm talking about doctrine and theology, as well as subcultural attitudes. In terms of doctrines, doctrines such as the notion that church dogma is from God, and therefore questioning it, and using your own mind is in essence an act of rebellion. Merely holding a view that differs from 'what God has ordained', is sinful, and requires repentance. And if you aren't repentant, there is the doctrine of hell; that all those who are outside the church are destined to burn in eternal torment. Put these together, and and there is the threat; agree with us, or face the consequences. This means christians can be scared to ask questions, not wanting to be a rebel against God. At the same time, this means christians can treat non-believers with contempt, as by holding a different view, they must be in active rebellion against the Lord.
In terms of sub-culture, it can be a little more subtle (and often overlapping with theology). There is the separation of christians and non-christians, often fueled by christian disapproval of non-christian activities. Combined with a tendency for christians to marry only christians, this means christians are often 'locked into' christian subcultures, making it difficult for them to ever question the status quo, and making life outside of the subculture seem foreign and off-putting should anyone ever consider leaving christianity. And then again, there is the mixture of sadness / betrayal / contempt that christians express towards those who are on the outside, for those who refuse to accept christianity.
What's my problem with it? Well, I have a number of reasons, which I have already hinted at. First, it can cause christians to treat non-christians badly, by treating them as rebellious for simply holding a different view. Especially christians who have 'drifted away', who are viewed with much sadness. Second, it can cause christians themselves a lot of unnecessary difficulty when going through life, it requires them to hold onto views that they may feel aren't quite right, which can create an internal conflict. It also causes fear and worry if they question, and causes sadness and betrayal if anyone they know question and decide to become non-christian. Thirdly, it gets in the way of the truth, as christians are required to put their better judgment aside and accept whatever doctrine a particular church teaches. So christians can get in the habit of accepting things without proper evidence, and can become obsessed with what is right or wrong, and fail to make decisions based on what is best.
I think I need to unpack this idea a little more, but for now I'm going to leave this for your comments. Hopefully you understand, at least in broad terms, what I'm getting at when I talk about the christian suppression of dissent. In further posts, I hope to post more about the assassination of reason, to post an answer to the objection that if God commands it we should follow anyway, and to post about where this comes from, and how this fits with what Jesus says. We'll see how things go.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Am I overly critical of christianity (bear in mind this post is a criticism of one aspect of christianity, so it's going to be critical :)? Can you think of other examples of suppression of dissent? Counter-examples?
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