When the subject of religious thought is brought up (as uncommon and unpopular as it may be), its like fingernails on the chalkboard for me to hear: "Well, my opinion is that I have faith. You are entitled to your opinion." Why is this acceptable? You are entitled to your own opinion, because its in your head and nobody can control what thoughts come into your head. But, when the subject is brought into the world of dialog, your opinion becomes reality. Its your brain-child; your opinion takes on life! I do not find it acceptable to make a claim about the purpose of life without the ability to justify your reasoning.
Further, I do not find it acceptable for society to take a sensitive stance on debate/conversation on this subject. It has become the status quo to allow for an arching truth claim, and protect it under the umbrella of opinion. We all realize that there is no way to prove a position on the subject of religion at this point in the game. It would be delusional to suggest such. What not all of us realize, however, is that your level of confidence in your worldview is plain to all when we witness your desire or ability to charge your case. Beyond the topic of religion, I can't think of a claim that does not require evidence. One's comfort in supporting a claim is based on this idea. It can be regarded as insanity to claim something without reason.
Why, then, is it the trend to be supportive of another's opinions if they are not backed with reason? I'm not talking about the bumper sticker that reads "COEXIST" with the symbolic inlay. This is not meant to spark a roadside debate with the driver of the dawning vehicle. In this case, its simply meant to offer religious tolerance as an alternative to religious intolerance; the debate remains, peacefully. When opening the topic of the purpose of life, why is it not standard to state your belief (innately understood as an opinion) and provide evidence for it.
The argument has been presented that our purpose on earth is too "elite" for our understanding, and thus it is acceptable to have faith, and it will all become clear to us upon entering the realm that we are yet to experience. I'm willing to bet that this same ineffability was applied to many concepts that we have today rationalized. For example, imagine if there was not the dedication to the art of flying. Is it right to say that 200-300 years ago, flying was beyond our concept of reality? Was it fantasy? Yet today, it has become a complex and ever-adapting world necessity.
This is not to say that flying and eternal purpose can be deducted along the same path. But, it is to say that we have witnessed the embrace of one formally incomprehensible concept, and yet refuse to make an attempt at the rational sense of another. I refer back to a previous blog of mine that compares the American justice system and religious thought. One is founded on logic and reason, and the other on faith
and mysticism.Focusing again, this alternate realm of existence (Heaven, etc) is held in the highest regard because it is the Emerald City to our yellow-brick road. Well, to open up the line of conversation between faith and logic, we need rationalize our yellow-brick road. We need to stop thinking of the Emerald City as an unimaginable reality, and start translating it into our pragmatic existence. If you are going to "walk with Christ" to the gates of Heaven, I want to see your footsteps. I don't want to hear that you conceptualize your footsteps with faith and hope. You owe us a breakdown of your daily steps if you are willing to claim allegiance to his path. You owe us a peek at the reality of your claim. Spread the word with reason, not with fluffy claims. If your path is not tangible, if you cannot show me your footsteps, if you cannot put your faith into reality, you are no more justified than someone who sits in their room and "prays" about music, and once a week goes to a band shell or bar to "worship" music by playing it aloud. Life is tangible whether you like it or not, and its not acceptable to pull the reality of life into your cloud of irrationality.
No comments:
Post a Comment