|
You can see, I am sure, that fundamentalism is basically the same mentality, whether it is in religion or politics. This is one reason that fundamentalist religion and fundamentalist politics often make a happy wedding couple. Likewise, fundamentalist, and much conservative, politics knows how to use such religion to serve its political agenda.
Claiming something unreasonable by pulling out a word like faith does not make anything truth and does disservice to such meaningful words. The word “God” has sadly become lifeless to many, due to its misuse by many in religion.
* * *
Once an angry student approached his professor. "I am angry at you." "Why?" "Because you are asking me to question beliefs I hold dear." "What is wrong with that?" "Because they are true!" "Alright, if you can paint a sow with the word 'cow' and it will make the sow a cow, I will admit that your calling something true must make it so."
* * *
There are some tests to apply to truth claims. I will only present one. Has this that I believe proven, over time, to be helpful or harmful to others? We need to question any belief that relegates a large portion of humankind to be “outsiders” and a few to be “insiders.”
|
|
I recommend the movie “The Third Miracle.” In this 1999 movie, Ed Harris plays Father Frank Shore. He investigates, as a priest of the Catholic Church, claims of miracles and, also, whether someone should be accepted as a saint. The movie is the best film I have seen on the dynamics of faith and human reason. Ed Harris plays a splendid role as a priest who once found it easy to believe, but, now, has serous doubts about the faith. However, Father Frank Shore continues to fulfill his priestly role, not allowing his sincere doubts to deter him from fulfilling his vows and not allowing his wish for certainty to lead him to lie about his honest questions, even though his best friend, a priest, affirms he has never had any doubts since becoming a priest. In this movie there is much to consider on what it means to be faithful and have faith, without giving in to the credulity of many or the cynicism of many others.
* * *
I am, for some reason, a natural skeptic. I did not choose to be. I have even tried not to be. I was surprised to find out that I am. And I pray that I would quit the Ministry before I would forfeit that divinely given gift of faithful skepticism. I mean, I cannot just simply believe with the apparent ease that some of my friends and family have and do.
Much of what I believe remains open. That is, I come to the best conclusion I can discern. Sometimes, I end up affirming a belief that I do not understand, but it is not because I have not subjected such to scrutiny.
Continued... |
