The assassination of reason

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.

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?

2009

Time to copy what others are doing!

What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Moved cities, made new friends, went on man-runs (with a man-friend), found a wine I appreciate, on another occasion - drunk more that I've ever drunk before (but still no hangover)

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for the next year?
Probably? Most of my resolutions are continuations of what I want to change in life in general, so they often fade into my general self-improvement for the year.
And yes. I've made 4. My subconscious made 1. To not eat at McDonalds. Not sure what's going on down there, but you gotta respect the subconscious.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
I was going to put 'my brother'. But then I realized his wife did, and gave birth to Josh, who is an awesome wee guy.

Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully not

What countries did you visit?
None

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
One of my resolutions is to have less stuff, so physically, not much really. Though a partner would be nice. But that implies ownership? So not that either.

What dates from 2009 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
First day of med school?

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Can't really think of one big one. I achieved lots of little things? Adapting to second year student culture all over again, passing med school, creating a number of cocktails, learning some vegeterian recipes...

What was your biggest failure of the year?
Being too nice and paying too much attention to percieved social protocol

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major

What was the best thing you bought?
42 Below Feijoa Vodka (I'm wondering if it's starting to sound like I'm a alcoholic...)

Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Friends, new and old. Particularly those taking steps to extend themselves, facing up to challenges and the like. And particularly those who are just lovely and nice.

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
People unable to appreciate the world outside of their paradigms. Not really appalled or depressed by them, but saddened.

Where did most of your money go?
Mostly to Necessities. Some on entertainment (new computer, movies, eating out, etc...)

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Holidays! Moving into a new flat! Looking forward to moving to another city and a hospital in 2011!
(ok, I'm pretty sure most of that is just excited about, or really excited about. really really really excited about only happens once a decade?)

What song will always remind of you of 2009?
The first track of viva la vida by coldplay. Because I played it when driving down, and I've kinda associated it with new beginnings.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Probably experienced about the same amount of happiness and sadness as usual, but emotions are come and go. Overall I'd say more content.
b) fatter or thinner?
Unsure. About the same. I don't weigh myself regularly
c) richer or poorer?
In terms of liquid assets, probably poorer. In terms of total net worth, hopefully slightly richer. In terms of life, far richer

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Non-last minute Studying. Being friendly to randoms.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating (internets, TV). Staying up late doing nothing because I didn't want to go to bed.

How did you spend Christmas?
Relaxing with the family in the sounds.

Did you fall in love in 2009?
I had a "crush" on a few people here and there, but nah, nothing solid eventuated.

What was your favourite TV programme?
Eek? Flight of the conchords?

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I hate a lot of events, trends, movements, but not people

What was the best book you read?
None really stand out (mosto f the books I read were text books...)

What was your greatest musical discovery?
Sound tracks!

What did you want and get?
A life with lots of cool friends in an strange and unfriendly city. (ok, it isn't strange and unfriendly, it just felt like that moving there)

What did you want and not get?
A solution to my singleness (not necessarily a girlfriend).

What was your favourite film of this year?
Maybe district 9.

What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn?
I got older, and had a party, along with a leaving party.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I'd been completely honest about everything, and everyone had just accepted it, and said, good on you for that. Ah well, next year huh?

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
For most of the year - Studenty but smart.
For the end of the year - Wannabe Doctor :P

What kept you sane?
Being able to withdraw, whether running or biking, whether listening to music, whether writing or dreaming, but to go away and chew things over, and to remind myself of my purpose.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't know, they're all the same :P

What political issue stirred you the most?
Perhaps gay marriage in california? Politics doesn't really stir me up...

Who did you miss?
All my chch friends when I went to dunedin. And then all my dunedin friends when I went to chch. And then all my other friends when I was reminded of them. So a lot of missing in 2009 I guess.

Who was the best new person you met?
I guess my nephew josh who's only a baby is probably the best at being new. (ha ha...)
Aside from that, I met a lot of people, and they were all the best at their own things. Can't really nominate one person...

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
... it's not the easy thing, the only thing that you can bring, is all that you can't leave behind...

Violence

About a month ago it was the international day for elimination of violence against women. Or something like that. Good day to have, though I wonder if it would be better to stick with a day celebrating non-violence. It's less of a mouthful, more positive, and applicable to more situations. Men get violence used against them too. But lets not get picky. So I wrote down a couple of thoughts of violence on that day, and today I'm putting them up on the web.

To truly appreciate violence we should realize it goes beyond physical harm. Violence can come in many forms, it doesn't have to be obvious, it can be subtle. Today I want to look at what the root of subtle, non-physical violence. It probably doesn't encompass everything related to violence, it's a big picture, but hopefully this sheds light on part of the picture.

I think the it occurs you're asserting your own will against someone else. Like controlling someone by using guilt or their own fears and insecurities to get what you want. Even small discussions can contain some violence; when your objective is no longer to discuss ideas, but to destroy your opponents argument, the discussion is a violent one.

Now, some people are naturally violent. Actually, I'm think most - if not all - people are violent. Not overly physically violent, but we all have violent tendencies. We have a tendency to push our own agendas and ignore other peoples agendas. Fortunately, most of us only do this in arguments, and usually we don't push our own agenda so far that it explicitly hurts others. Unfortunately, some people tend to do this regularly, and many people have done it at one point or another in their life.

And this is why we need to be a little violent ourselves. Because we need to be able to push back to protect our own agenda. You have authority over your own life, and should defend you own rights, otherwise you will be vulnerable to violence. But the problem here is that if we get used to responding to violence with violence, we run the risk of letting violence become a habit, and become violent ourselves.

So I think the antidote to all of this is is to respect people's authority over their own lives, and going one step further, and being committed to protecting others authority. Defend people's rights, all the while avoiding overstepping your boundaries. At times you may need to be a little, violent?, to protect others, but beware- this can be especially seductive, as sometimes it can feel like you're being the hero, but in reality you're the villain. The key to this is to be committed to the wellbeing of others, especially those who you disagree with. That means you're not a hero, they're not a villain. You're both people who need to learn.

If you're committed to the wellbeing of others, especially those who you disagree with, and respecting their authority over their own lives, I'd say it's a good step towards a non-violence.

First Post

I feel like I've done this too many times. This is my first post. I've moved blogs, again. This time it's from beaver.org back to blogspot, because I couldn't be bothered upkeeping a website when I hardly posted on there at all (the RSS feed was buggy there anyway). So, here this is. In about 10 months bevear.org will probably die, and then I'll just stick with this.
So, welcome aboard, don't think I'll do too much on here, but you might catch a few posts here and there :)