18 Feb 2009
Totem, our latest foster dog
Two and a half weeks into retirement, and I’m having a blast. Although my wife likes to act like I am unemployed (since I do a lot of my work from home now), I am actually pretty busy, considering my job as a lay minister is technically considered quarter time (ten hours per week). In addition to preparing talks (or messages, or sermons, or whatever the correct term should be), I have spent a great deal of time painting at the church. An unused room is being converted into an office/classroom. I decided to paint EVERYTHING, so the ceiling, walls, trim, doors and window are all getting the treatment. It is very colorful, and hopefully I’ll have a photo for you in my next posting. I should be hearing from Vanderbilt Divinity School within two weeks, and then I’ll know whether I’m heading back to school in the fall or not. For those of you not keeping up with my posts, I hope to work towards a Master of Divinity degree to go along with my work as a lay minister.
Today I attend my first meeting of the Tullahoma Ministers Association. They kindly allowed me to attend, despite being only a lay minister. Despite all the other ministers being from traditional Christian churches, no one seemed disturbed that a Unitarian Universalist was there. There were no cries of “Heretic,” no stones were thrown. This in itself is encouraging. I suspect half of them have no idea what we are about anyway. Seriously, I look forward to getting to know them in the future.
Here’s a talk I gave in December. As always, I caveat this by saying these are merely my notes. Although it is largely written out, it is not as polished as a final draft of an article might be. Take it for what it is, and hopefully it might be of some value to some of you. Enjoy!
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Asking the Right Questions - 21 Dec 08
As a quick review, here are four books I’ve discussed before. Here are my very brief summaries and thought on each:
I Don’t Believe in Atheists – Chris Hedges
- Atheists have simplistic and unrealistic views of religion; they believe in a Utopia achieved through reason. This is an unwarranted accusation, based on my reading
The End of Faith – Sam Harris
- Provides detailed examples of harm caused by religions, tries to build a case for morality based on reason and science.
The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
- Provides theory for origin of the universe and evolution that does not require a creator, also attacks religion.
The Devil’s Delusion – David Berlinski
- Written by a secular Jew with no ideological ax to grind, who nonetheless enjoys teaming up with intelligent design advocates. He points out the faith employed by atheists in their views of the origins of the universe. He does a good job of explaining in layman’s terms things like string theory, the big bang, quantum mechanics, etc. entertaining and thought provoking, but no footnotes at all.
After reading all these books, I realized that it is all too easy to spend too much time trying to answer the wrong questions. For instance:
1. Does God exist?
Never mind the difficulty of answering this question, since most people don’t bother to define God. There seems to be an assumption the term refers to the Judeo-Christian concept. But setting that aside, even if we could establish that the universe required a creator, or intelligent design, where does that leave us? What can we tell about this creator from the creation? Does knowing that there is a God actually affect you if that’s all you know?
I am of the firm belief that the universe is so breathtakingly complex, that it would be arrogance of the highest order to assume we can answer, with any degree of certainty, how we got here, or how evolution works. Our scientific knowledge continues to grow exponentially, and I suspect there will be major transformational advances in the future that will be comparable to modern medical technology being compared to bloodletting. In matters of the ultimate truths, I fully acknowledge my ignorance and limitations. Dogmatic assurances in these matters are probably unwise.
Let me pause here to say I am a big fan of science. Nothing I say should be construed otherwise. If I were sick, I’d rather have antibiotics than 1000 people praying for me, and I say that in all seriousness. The push for knowledge should always continue full-throttle, never impeded by religious constraints. But this being said, I still marvel at the universe, our smallness in it, and believe very firmly that we would do well to remain humble at all times, acknowledging our limited knowledge.
We recently took in a Shih Tzu with three small pups, less than a week old. I marvel at how much she cares for her babies. She cleans them constantly, makes sure they feed regularly, keeps them warm, and if I pick one up, she watches me carefully, wanting her baby back. Why does she do this? How does she know to do this? Can it be attributed to natural selection alone? Is there a divine involvement? Are there other factors we can’t even imagine? I’m sure I’ll never understand it in my lifetime. But I do find great joy in observing it. It does not drive me to belief in a particular deity, but it does humble me. We have so much to learn, and would do well to remember it.
Creationists (or IDers) are probably wasting their time trying to prove a designer is necessary. Even if they could poke an endless series of holes in evolutionary theory, it doesn’t prove God exists. In fact, it is incorrect to say that these are the only two options available. What if, for instance, there was something going on at the sub-atomic level (or in another dimension) that could account for the complexity in life? Our options are not limited to current evolutionary theory or intelligent design. There are undoubtedly many more options that haven’t been explored, or even conceived of yet.
Further, when people argue that there is a God, they are usually arguing that THEIR God is real. Most people aren’t arguing passionately for the existence of a nebulous, ill-defined deity. But this is a fruitless exercise, as the best one could hope for is making a case for intelligent design, and even then, you have to eliminate options we aren’t even talking about yet.
Conversely, even if we develop a testable, fully verifiable theory of how the universe, and we, came into existence without outside intervention, this does nothing to disprove the existence of a God or Gods. Again, those who argue against a belief in God are usually arguing against the evils of human religions, and there are certainly countless examples of that. This is more worthwhile, but should not be presented as an argument against faith or religion, but rather a critique of a specific religion. This is useful and needed, but does not and will not really address the issue of God’s presence.
Here are some alternative questions I think we would do much better to dwell on:
2. Have I ever felt the presence of the divine (however that might be defined)?
Whether your experience is tied to a deity or deities, nature, humanity, or something else entirely, it is YOUR experience. It may not even be something you are capable of sharing in words with anyone else. It is your experience, your path, and this is the essence of Unitarian Universalism. I won’t define how you should practice your spirituality. Nothing could be more personal, and our role in this church is to support each other as we make that search. The important issue is how your experiences affect how you live your life, which brings me to a far better question.
3. How Should We Then Live?
This is the title of a book by theologian and apologist Francis Shaeffer. Even though we would not agree with some of his presuppositions, I have always liked the title of this book, as well as the underlying issues he addressed. For us today, as Unitarian Universalists, I think this should really be at the top of your “Questions to Ponder” list.
You can debate the existence of God until you are blue in the face. Will it do any good? Does it help anyone? Watching an atheist and a theist, no matter how erudite, debate this has little interest for me. First of all, they aren’t going to prove anything, and secondly, I doubt they do much to convince anyone to change their minds. Personal belief is something developed slowly, and when it changes radically, it does so even more slowly. At least in general.
What is of much more interest to me is a debate or discussion on morality or ethics. We will all face ethical decisions in our lives. We will face tough ones on occasion. We will be asked to take stands for the minority views, for the down trodden, for the unpopular but morally necessary choices that many are not willing to face.
How Should We Then Live? That is, I think, one of the most important questions we should ask ourselves each and every day. When we focus on our own morality, our own ethics, when we examine ourselves carefully, I believe (and this may be a step of faith on my part) that we will be better and happier for the effort. I can’t prove this, nor can I empirically test it. It is the essence of my religion, and stands apart from any clear definition of God, nor does it require me to establish a creed or doctrine. It is my own, free of coercion, developed by me and lived by me. Although I am subject to the laws of my society, my personal morality is just that: personal. Hopefully, it exceeds expectations of my neighbors. But that is not its purpose. Rather, it is to look back at my life and be able to say, to MYSELF, that it was worth it, and a life to be proud of.
Imagine if we lived in a world where each individual examined themselves daily, wondering how they might live in harmony with others, doing no harm, trying to the best of their abilities to live peaceably, simply, and with grace. Would this not eliminate a majority of the problems we face? Would this not make a better world?
Well, the majority of people in the world may never choose to live this way, but what prevents us from doing so? Should this not be the tie that binds us? Instead of a religion where laws are externally enforced, where fingers are pointed at transgressors, ours should be, indeed, must be, a religion where we examine ourselves. The goal here should always be self-examination and introspection.
My final question worth asking is “How can I make the world a better place?” Again, it is a question you can actually answer, one you can actively work on. It is not merely a exercise in theory, it’s where the rubber meets the road. I mentioned at our retreat the dangers of trusting in politicians. They will usually let you down. I submit to you that real, meaningful change comes from us individually, and collectively as a church. So ask yourself what you can do, and then do it. It does not need to be large scale, or showy, or technically difficult. Rather, be sincere, roll up your sleeves, and do it.
