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The danger of faith trumping reason
2011 began with some bleak news for Muslim-Christian relations around the world.
Recent attacks against churches in Iraq, Nigeria and Egypt have killed dozens of Christian worshippers. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is standing by the country's controversial blasphemy law which critics say threatens religious minorities.
How should political and religious leaders deal with these challenges to interfaith relations?
Religious exclusivity and violence begin and end with our own beliefs. Preachers and politicians feed off a feedback loop that originates with us. If we insist on living in a world based on mutual respect and appreciation, our leaders will reinforce these values. Conversely, if we believe that other people are inferior because they do not share our faith, or that religious beliefs should be immune from critical scrutiny and revision, then we contribute to the problem.
One of the most offensive aspects of many religious traditions (or interpretations thereof) is an insistence on religious exclusivity--the belief that if you belong to some other religion, or none at all, you are inferior or immoral (and, in any case, going to Hell), regardless of the actual content of your character. What makes this belief troublesome is its enormous popularity among people of multiple religious traditions in America and abroad. Although many such believers are perfectly content to relegate infidels to Hell in the comfort of their own imaginations, this attitude gives ideological cover or license to religious fanatics, who often kill, hurt, or oppress others in the name of the very same beliefs. My-way-or-the-highway is, by its own terms, a zero-sum game, and an especially dangerous one in the context of religion.
So what should we do? How can we convince people en masse that religious pluralism is a more sustainable approach to faith in the modern world? What I propose, at a minimum, is for public schools in America and elsewhere to teach critical thinking and philosophy to our children, with a view toward making our future generations more reasonable, self-reflective, and open-minded in their approaches to the world.
Critical Thinking?
Suppose a preacher is arrested arbitrarily and put on trial for a crime he did not commit, and that the judge finds him guilty and condemns him to death on the basis of a faith-based intuition that the preacher committed the crime. No evidence. No proof. Only the voice of God. In these circumstances, the preacher would be well within his rights to believe that the judge was out of his mind. Even still, one can justifiably wonder whether the preacher would subject his own religious beliefs to the same evidentiary rigor that he would surely insist upon for his own trial.
The point here is not that we should abandon religion altogether but rather that we should not use religious faith as the basis for making judgments, especially about the rights and worth of others. If we insist on using evidence and proof as our guides in a courtroom, we should insist on using equally rigorous standards for evaluating religious claims. The outcome of this vetting process is likely to be a more mature approach to faith--one that reassigns faith to its rightful place as a first-personal experience, which gives private and profound comfort to its practitioners and a powerful sense of reverence toward the world.
These are not theoretical concerns. Although it has been several centuries since Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for heresy, it has been a little more than two years since Aisha Ibrahim Duhulowa--a 13-year-old Somali rape victim--was stoned to death for 'adultery' by bigots, who claimed to be upholding religious law. This is what happens when faith trumps reason.
As long as religious beliefs are immunized from critical scrutiny and the possibility of revision, reinterpretation, and even rejection, we should expect there to be more suicide bombings, more holy wars, more strangers praying for the salvation of your soul, and more apocalyptic preachers on television looking forward to the end of the world.
By
Rajdeep Singh
|
January 4, 2011; 12:57 AM ET
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Posted by: clearthinking1 | January 6, 2011 12:06 PM
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I'm deeply concerned that neither you nor the others who have commented so far see the irony within your article.
You wish for your belief in religious pluralism to trump anybody else's beliefs in an exclusive religion - including, I presume, those who were murdered in this attack in Alexandria.
I don't share your belief that religion has its 'rightful place as a first-personal experience' - why should your belief trump mine?
You wish to indoctrinate children en masse that 'religious pluralism is a more sustainable approach to faith in the modern world' - and this is regarded as tolerant?
You equate exclusivity in religion with 'faith trumping reason'. Have you not considered that Christians may have thoughtful and sensible reason behind their beliefs (even though you may respectfully disagree with them)?
The Coptic Christians who were so recently brutally murdered believed in a Creator God who revealed himself most completely to the world through coming as the man Jesus Christ. The exclusiveness of Christianity rests on the uniqueness of the Incarnation (so powerfully championed by Athanasius of Alexandria in the fourth Century).
The uniqueness of Christ was never meant to be an incitement to violence or arrogance (such would be utterly irreconcilable with Christ's own teaching). It is a demonstration of the grace of God so that the knowledge and love of God could be manifest throughout creation (to echo St. Athanasius).
I understand that you want a world where people can live in harmony with one another - such a desire is surely praiseworthy. But your solution (unintuitively) is deeply flawed and at its core, more arrogant than that which you condemn.
For further discussion on this topic, please see the first chapter of Timothy Keller's, The Reason for God. He is far more articulate than I am on these issues.
Posted by: Rob-X | January 5, 2011 12:31 AM
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Well said. I agree that when it comes to religion critical thinking is completely absent. I agree that schools should teach critical thinking and philosophy to children to prevent religious fundamentalism creeping into society.
Posted by: cs9243 | January 4, 2011 8:48 PM
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A very thoughful and intellignet piece. I would just add Proselytizing as one of the most offensive acts conducted by so called religious people. This essentially assumes that "my god" is the only true god and that your forefathers were "idiots" for bringing you up with your religion. I cannot imagine anything more offensive than a person coming knocking at my door uninvited or stopping me at the bus stop or a train station, asking me what my religion is and saying that the person can show the " true" path to god. This happens more often that I had imagined in present day America. I wonder how this can even be legal. And the animosity this is creating among religions in the third world countries where the missionaries open shops just for the purpose of converting the illiterate and poor people is immeasurable.
Posted by: shrestbin | January 4, 2011 4:21 PM
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Thank you, Rajdeep Singh!
An intelligent "voice in the wilderness" of religious fundamentalist, amoral noise.
Posted by: lufrank1 | January 4, 2011 3:13 PM
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Teaching critical thinking in schools is an excellent idea for considering everything, not just religion. In fact, when you think about it, it's kind of shocking that we don't teach it. It's one of the most important skills you can have.
And thank you for being a religious leader who sees no conflict between having strong religious views and rationality.
Posted by: Dadrick | January 4, 2011 2:38 PM
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"As long as religious beliefs are immunized from critical scrutiny and the possibility of revision, reinterpretation, and even rejection, we should expect there to be more suicide bombings, more holy wars, more strangers praying for the salvation of your soul, and more apocalyptic preachers on television looking forward to the end of the world."
This is precisely the issue. Thank you for an intelligent and thoughtful article.
Posted by: rentianxiang | January 4, 2011 12:22 PM
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BREAKING NEWS:
===========================================
"By using Cruel & Unusual Tactics: Three-3 ALQAEDA members confessed to following the Aegypti, Turki, Irani & Paki ISLAMIC BROTHER HOOD's International plot/plan to eject all KAFIR'S from All the 54-OIC-Nations before Saudi Arabia and the GCC creates the new ISLAMIC CURRENCY...." Jan.4.2011.
07:15 GMT. WHEREFORE:
===========================================
IT IS TIME!
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DEATH to: I S L A M i C -- B R O T H E R H O O D!
DEATH to: I S L A M i C -- S I S T E R H O O D too!
DEATH to: I R A N! (NOt Secular Persians).
DEATH to: PAKISTAN! (Not Secular Hurdu).
DEATH to: T U R K E Y! (Not Real Sekular)
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..........#.## . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. |::|\|::|
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.......... |.\/ . .. _) (_ . . . . . . .. |:|"|/|||::|/|::|\|||/||:|
.......... `\.' . ; . ; . ,. ;`\ . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
............ `\; . ; . . . .. . ; /.\ . . . ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~
............. .`\; . . . . .; . ;| . .\ . "Give U.S. Liberty
............... ; . . '' ' ; . . . . . ./ . Or Give US Death"
............... |_.'' . . . . .; | . ./.)
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...................... , ---------------------- . . . ... . ,.-,
.................... / . . . . . .`--- . . . . . . . \ . __ . / . |
.................. [ . by: . K . A . F . i . R .. _|_ . . . |
.................... \ . t.h.e .---.Jyoktan / . . . . .\ . |
...................... `----------------------- . . .. ....`.-`
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....................... ,--------------------,
................... ,' . . . . . . . . . . . . . .'|
................ ,' . K . a . a . b . a . '#| . . . "Never--Again
............ ,' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '# # | . . . PELEG-EBER
.......... :---------------------- '# # # |. . . .O' YaHaBeBe"
.......... | # # # # # # # # # | # # # |
.......... | # # # # # # # # # | # # # |
.......... | #ALLAHaKBAR#| # # # |
.......... | # [ البيت المعمو ر] # |[ الكعبة].|
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.......... |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| \_\_\_\
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DEATH TO Al ISHLAMi/ESAU UMMAH in KAFIR Nations!
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NOTE: This is NOT a CARTOON; IT IS MORE THAN THAT!
Posted by: letitbe | January 4, 2011 11:28 AM
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THE BAD NEWS: Christianity & Islam are the 2 religions always involved in religious violence on one side or both. Their supremacist beliefs bring out the worst in everyone as well. Not an impressive record of spiritual development for these religions.
THE GOOD NEWS: The majority of the world is not Christian or Muslim. Most are Hindu, Buddhists, Sikh, Jain, Confucianist, Taoist, Atheist, etc. These other "religions" do not promote religiously motivated violence.
Islam is impressive for a "religion" in terms of the violence and hatred. Just look at Pakistan today and the so-called moderate clerics celebrating the murder of an innocent. The killer is showered with rose petals, and the victim is blamed. The victim did not even commit blasphemy, which should be a capital crime anyway. He just spoke against blasphemy laws.
Where are the usual apologists for the Islam as the religion o' peace?