While science, logic and reason are on the side of the nonreligious, the cold, hard facts are just so cold and hard. Yes, the evidence for evolution is irrefutable. Yes, there is a plethora of Biblical contradictions. Yes, there is mounting evidence from neuroscientists that suggests that God may be a product of the mind. Yes, yes, yes. But when is the choir going to sing?
Mr. Blow clearly believes that religion in general and Christianity specifically (his first two examples refer to evangelical Christian positions) is based entirely on irrational underpinnings. There are multitudes of people around the world who would agree with him, but I think this is an unfair portrayal, to say the least.I resent "creationism" being treated as synonymous with "Christianity," not only because I don't fall into that classification, but because a huge number of Christians worldwide have no problem with the theory of evolution and have never seen it as a point of conflict with their faith.
The same goes for the "plethora of Biblical contradictions" jab. This is a part of the dispute with that same subset of Christians, long outspoken in the United States, who argue for a more literal and less nuanced understanding of Scripture.
Some time back I was chatting with an old friend online. He may even see this post and recognize himself in these comments. He is now an atheist, and he said he wanted to ask me some questions. As the discussion went on I kept finding his replies strangely out of sync with what I was telling him. Although he didn't say it, he apparently assumed that all Christians follow a certain line of thinking. I suspect that in his reading of atheist literature he found only arguments to deal with theists who don't accept that evolution is real and who don't see the Bible as a divine work created through human agency over centuries in specific historical contexts and fitting particular genres.
I agree with what you have to say here. When asked how can we be saved, the apostles said "repent and be baptized", not "believe in a literal 7 day creation, a woodenly literal interpretation of the scriptures, be politically conservative, repent, be baptized, and burn all Darwin's books".
ReplyDeleteThe only way we're going to fix the world's view of "ignorant Christians" is to be more selective about which sword we're willing to die on. How important is it to convert someone to creationism at the same time we introduce them to Christ? Is it more important that people understand John 3:16 or believe that "In the beginning" was 7 literal days?
This is an unfortunate effect caused by the fact that literal creationists (here in the US at least) really do seem to be the most outspoken, visible, and confrontational Christians out there. It's all too easy to assume all Christians are like that when it seems like that's the kind of Christians you see wherever you look.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of you blend into the background by comparison. It's easy to miss noticing you unless one looks closely. And that's unfortunate.
-- Jarred.