A Psychological Pillar

While traveling in Arkansas for the Thanksgiving holiday, I took my family to visit Bluff Dweller's Cavern in Noel, Missouri.  I highly recommend the cavern for a family tour.  It's not what I would call a spectacular cavern, but it is beautiful and very friendly on the legs and feet--a plus if you have younger children.

Among the things I found fascinating was the very last cavern room.  Our guide pointed to a giant pillar which had been constructed in the middle of that room.

"That is a psychological pillar," she explained.  "During the 1950's, when this cavern was designated a nuclear fallout shelter, the government wanted us to build that pillar in the middle of this room.  It is not necessary.  It doesn't hold anything up or bear any weight.  The government folks believed people would be freaked out at the size of this room if there wasn't something in the middle seeming to hold up the ceiling."

In some ways, it is rather head shaking since the roof of that particular room had been holding up just fine for tens of thousands of years.  However, there is no doubt that there are indeed people who need such psychological "pillars" in their lives--think Linus from the Peanuts comic strip.

Ideally, we mature and are able to one day come to the realization that those psychological pillars are unnecessary.  We come to realize they are simply an unneeded crutch which has given us a sense of safety and security even though it doesn't hold up anything.

Some people have called religious faith such a psychological pillar.

I have come to appreciate the criticism, and if religion is a human construct, then, indeed, it is a psychological pillar.

But that is a big, if...a monumental assumption.

For those of us of a religious bent do not assume that religion is a human construct.  We assume that God has brought us to believe in Him.  Some neurosurgeons have even come to the conclusion that the brain is hardwired for belief in God.  If the brain is indeed hardwired, then why?  It would seem "evolution"--in my opinion guided evolution--has brought humankind to a place where we naturally and instinctively believe there is something beyond our physical universe.  Would "evolution" produce such an unnecessary "crutch"?  After all, if you study religion and how it has been practiced throughout the ages, you would see that it consumes precious time and resources which should be used for survival and reproduction--the main pillars of evolutionary theory.  Surely, evolution would have naturally deselected this genetic wiring if it was unnecessary--at least in theory.

But it hasn't.  It's still there.  It certainly does not seem to be a human construct.

Perhaps indeed we are religiously wired to believe in God because there is a God.  Perhaps religious wiring is God's way of helping us to see and understand there is a natural law of justice and right behavior so that we may better know how to deal with one another and the world around us.  Perhaps our brains are wired in the manner for belief because this belief gives us a mechanism to overcome the selfish nature which resides in each and every human being.  Perhaps religious belief is not a crutch but the very foundation of how we must live and move and have our being.

There are those who disagree.  "A psychological pillar."  "A crutch."  This is religious faith for them.

However, please allow me to submit a philosophical truth or two.  Philosophy is a human construct.  So is science.  Both of these arenas tend to see religion as a "psychological pillar" or "crutch" or "human construct."  Why they don't seem to apply this truth to themselves is somewhat beyond me.  So, what is good for the goose is indeed good for the gander.  If these two items are human constructs, then are they psychological pillars?  Are they crutches which are leaned upon to help folks cope with the reality of the world?

Of course they are.  In fact, when one takes philosophy to its extreme (Nietzsche), there are no rules.  There are no absolutes.  There is complete relativism, and we are basically allowed to do whatever we want for there are no morals.  Science leads us to the same place.  Richard Dawkins even says so by concluding that at the very foundation of our species--there is no right, there is no wrong.  We are simply dancing to the tune of our DNA.

These human constructs basically eradicate any foundation for morality, justice, or right behavior.  They leave us absolute freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want, especially if we can avoid anyone with more power or authority than ourselves.

In a very real way, they remove any sort of remorse or guilt for any particular behavior committed.  They remove any sort of real responsibility a person may have.

So, let's put this in perspective:

• A human construct
• Which removes any universal values
• Which allows almost complete freedom
• Which removes any sort of guilt
• Which removes any sort of foundation for responsibility 

And this is not a psychological pillar?

 

Connect the Dots: Football and Church

(This post was inspired by a friend's post on Facebook.  The original post follows the story.)

Tom was worried about his friend Jim.  The two of them had been great supporters of the high school varsity football team.  For years, they attended games and cheered their team, but it was four weeks into the season, and Jim hadn't been to a game yet.  This was disturbing.  Tom decided to pay his friend a visit.

Tom: Jim, ol' buddy.  How you doing?

Jim: I'm fine, Tom.  Just fine.

Tom: Are you sure.  I haven't seen you at any of the games on Friday evenings.  Is something wrong?

Jim: Tom, I'm through with football games.  I just am not going to go anymore.

Tom: Can I ask why?  I mean, you used to go to every game.  You used to sit in the same spot and cheer long and loud.  Everyone counted on you being there.

Jim: I've got more than a few reasons, ol' buddy.  And it starts with the fans.  I love the team, but I can't stand the fans.  They've become rude and obnoxious.  If the referee makes a correct call against our team, they boo and hiss.  But if they see a ref overlook a call on the other team, they go ballistic!  They think the rules don't apply to them.  They are a bunch of hypocrites.  Not only are they hypocrites, the last time I went to a game, they weren't exactly nice to me.  Instead of saying, "Excuse me." when they walked past me, they simply trampled over my stuff.  A man told me to quit cheering when he was talking on his cell phone.  Excuse me!  We're at a football game for heaven's sake!  Put down your dadgum cell phone and support your team!

Tom:  Slow down there a minute, Jim.  People are people, you know?

Jim: Don't give me that, Tom.  People should know better.  They should have better manners than that.  They are representing the school when they do that.  I don't want to be associated with a bunch of uncouth, rude, and obnoxious hypocrites.  Neither do I want to be associated with any sort of fair-weather fans.  This bunch now a days--they have no loyalty or commitment.  Why, at one game I attended, more than half the fans got up and left when we were behind by three touchdowns.  What happened to sticking with your team win or lose?  And if the weather is too hot or too cold?  Gimme a break.  Only the parents come to see their kids, but don't inconvenience anyone with the weather, by God.  They'd rather sit at home instead of toughing things out.

Tom: I know, Jim.  I know.  Not everyone is that committed, but you aren't there for the fans.  You are there to support the team.  The team is most important.  You can't just support them from home.

Jim: Support.  Yeah, that's another thing.  I'm tired of getting nickled and dimed every time I go to the game.  I spend money on tickets.  I spend money on concessions.  Then they are always trying to get me to buy other stuff and paraphernalia--t shirts, jackets, stadium seats, coolers, koozies, you name it, they got it for sale.  Money, money, money.  All they want is my money.  You say support, but all I've started seeing is dollar signs.  It ain't right.

Tom: It's not like you can't afford it. 

Jim: That's beside the point.  I'm tired of them trying to get it out of me.  And it isn't just the football.  The band wants money.  The PTO wants money.  The booster club wants money.  Hell, they even let student groups in to do fundraisers.  The proverb is that a fool and his money are soon parted, but I won't be played for a fool.  I can use that money to support other causes.

Tom: But all that money does good.  It helps teach these kids character and responsibility and dedication to a cause greater than themselves.

Jim: Irrelevant.  What do I get out of it?  Not a darn thing.  Last year, the band started playing that new hip hop garbage that you hear on the radio.  No more good music.  Can't stand that stuff.  They changed the words to the alma matter, and that ticked me off.

Tom: They just made the language more inclusive for all students.

Jim: They gave in to that political correctness B.S.  That's all they did.  There was nothing wrong with things.  People understood what those words meant.  They were just getting rid of tradition.  Throw out all the old stuff for this new fangaled garbage.  I won't stand for it anymore.

Tom: But the coach is trying to uphold many of the traditions of the program. 

Jim: I liked the old coach better.

Tom: Yes, the old coach was good, but it was time for him to move on.  He did a great job, but this coach is taking the team to a new level.

Jim: By doing what?  He doesn't even teach the basic fundamentals anymore.  He's bringing in all that fancy garbage and stuff.  He isn't strict and demand discipline.  You can tell it in how the kids play.  He needs to be tougher and lay down the law.  We don't need any wusses up there. 

Tom: Why can't you give him a chance and see what happens?

Jim: There's a right way of doing things and a wrong way of doing things.  He's wrong, and that's that.

Tom: But this is your team.  You really need to come and support your team.  How can you support your team by simply sitting at home?

Jim: Well, I can still show my support.  I can go hunting and fishing and think about my team.  I can read about them in the paper and what they did.  I can watch other teams on t.v. and learn more about how the game is played and think about my own team.  It's not hard to support them that way.

Tom: That makes no sense, none at all.

None at all.

12 Reasons Why a Pastor Quit Attending Sports Events

1. The coach never came to visit me.
2. Every time I went, they asked me for money.
3. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly.
4. The seats were very hard.
5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with.
6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing!
7. Some games went into overtime and I was late getting home.
8. The band played some songs I had never heard before.
9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands.
10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches, anyway.
12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

America Losing Its Religion

CNN Religion blogs ran the headline yesterday: America Losing Its Religion.

The headline is a bit of a misnomer because Americans aren't exactly losing their religion.  The article spells that out.  The headline is a cheap ploy to get people to read--yours truly included.  :-)

Pertinent quote--the first four paragraphs:

More than three in four of Americans say religion is losing its influence in the United States, according to a new survey, the highest such percentage in more than 40 years. A nearly identical percentage says that trend bodes ill for the country.

"It may be happening, but Americans don't like it," Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief, said of religion's waning influence. "It is clear that a lot of Americans don't think this is a good state of affairs."

According to the Gallup survey released Wednesday, 77% of Americans say religion is losing its influence. Since 1957, when the question was first asked, Americans' perception of religion's power has never been lower.

According to the poll, 75% of Americans said it the country would be better off if it was more religious.

So, the headline is blatantly wrong.  America isn't losing it's religion.  In fact, the poll actually suggests the vast majority (3/4) of Americans believe the country would be better off if it were religious.  This speaks volumes!!  People believe religion has a positive effect on the country!!!

Yet, these same people believe religion is losing influence. 

It's not surprising.  Religion has had a very tough time adapting to a host of things:

1. The rise of secularism.  The secular worldview has ascended to prominence when it comes to debating what goes on in the United States.  Faith based arguments generally no longer have much persuasive power.  This forces people of faith to suspend the place where they draw most of their ethics and morality and argue from a much different, uncomfortable place.  Too many people of faith do not have the tools to do this or to argue the difficulty of dealing with moral issues from a strictly secular point of view.  #2 below has contributed to this mightily as well.

2. The rise of relativism.  This path of thought developed to deal with pluralism.  In our now global culture, we have been made aware of the differences in thought and practice of people and belief.  It is not easy to forge a way forward when confronted with many differing worldviews.  Yet, instead of arguing the merits of which worldview provides a better way forward (atheism? Christian? Muslim? Jewish? Secular? Scientific?), we strive to say all worldviews are equal--none is better than another.  This is most certainly an absurd argument, but it actually has a good number of adherents.  Many people of faith have few philosophical tools to argue with the rise of relativism.

3. The prominence of science.  Science is cool.  It's brought about some awesome things--the ability to understand the world, how it works, and how we can work in the world to improve our survival.  Yet, science has proven poor at providing a framework for morality and ethics despite the claims of some that it is capable of doing such a thing.  Science has also been shown to be quite limited in other areas and aspects; yet one might never really know this based upon what one hears in the news.  For many, science is the be all and end all, and people of faith have had little training in saying, "Science is not this.  It is good in one area and not in others."

Because people of faith have not been provided such tools, secularism, relativism, and scientism have undermined the power of religious faith to shape public policy.  Most are unhappy with this because they see the benefits faith can bring.  Yet, most don't have any idea how to argue in the cultural milieu we find ourselves in.

Perhaps Christian apologists like Timothy Keller, Richard John Neuhaus, Ravi Zacharias, John Lennox, William Lane Craig, and Alvin Plantenga will be read and studied more as they offer some substantial tools to deal with this process, for it seems like America does not want religion to lose its influence--and you can count me in that portion of America as well.