A long time ago I somehow stumbled upon an article from a Utah editorial page called the Sun I think. I can't remember the source or writer and I think it turned up in my Facebook feed because someone I know "liked" it. One of those situations. It was written by a dad who was worried about his daughter. She loved her religion. Too much for his liking. He hates religion and all it stands for. He hates how religious parents try to make their kids believe what they want to believe and religious people can't see how others might not have the same view and just let them go their own way. He was also quite frustrated watching his daughter spend so much time studying and reading and going to church. She's a teenager for crying out loud. This is an important time in her life when she should be out partying, experimenting, going crazy and having fun being wild and worry free. He was super happy he finally had worked on her enough to sneak doubts in her mind constantly and to question everything she believed and defended that he finally won her over to a joyful liberating life free of religion.
I get if your children seem lonely or depressed you want to see them thrilled with life. I myself have sometimes said "youth is wasted on the young" and "how can you possibly be bored? Life is full of wonders and hundreds of things to DO." Wanting your kid to be in the party scene though...not so glamorous as he'd like to believe. Addictions. Rehab. Date rape. Abusive boyfriends or girlfriends. STD's. Here in Minnesota it is not uncommon to see a news report about a college kid who got drunk, walked home, passed out along the way or even at the front door with the key in hand, and is found frozen to death. Maybe the writer partied and didn't run into to those problems...or maybe that's why he resents his religious upbringing so much- he feels like he missed out. Real life isn't always a tv show and there are consequences to living "in the fast lane" whether we recognize them or not.That is not what bugs me the most though. Oh, he also has the hypocrisy going on- saying he hates religion because it tries to force everyone to believe the same thing, yet that is exactly what he is doing to his daughter- making her believe what he believes and not giving her the freedom to do the opposite of his belief system.
No, what bugs me the most is that he is selfish and doesn't love his daughter. He might think he does, wanting what he thinks is best for her, an exciting teenage rebellion under the wing of her watchful father, but that is not love. He cares more about his "issues" and "taking a stand against religion" than he cares about his daughter. Sounds bold, but I'm sticking to it.
About a week ago one of Ana's friends causally remarked, "My mom said winter is so cold, dark, and long here in Minnesota that she might go so crazy she runs away to the circus. :-) My grandma (her mom) said, 'I will come and watch you everyday.'"
I don't know if Ana's friend's grandma likes the circus or not. I know I really don't. Clowns creep me out. I don't like masks. I don't like the dark and amber lighting. I feel a bad vibe at the circus. I don't like the smoking and alcohol smells that are sometimes at the circus. I don't like sticky spilled sodas you might step in. I don't like all the litter. A lot of shows/stories portray circuses in a bad light and maybe I've seen to much of those or bought into it. If one of my children wanted to join the circus I would have my hesitations. I'd even add, "but it's dangerous" to the list.
Here's the thing though, I'd also listen to them talk about the circus. I'd listen to what they love about the circus. I'd enjoy seeing the twinkle in their eye when they talk about it. I'd watch them practice. I would go with them to the circus. If they loved it I would learn more about it. I would grow to love it enough I could watch them and be proud of them doing what they love without actually joining the circus myself. It's still "not my thing" but I can love seeing my kids doing "their thing".
There are a lot of hang ups I had as teenager that I've gotten rid of because my kids have a love for them. They've freshened my view of world and opened my eyes to joy in things and places I would not have gone on my own.
When you truly love someone you don't constantly tell them why their ideas or beliefs are unfounded. You don't share articles with them that tell them people like them are idiots. You don't belittle them and intentionally try to intellectually stump them into doubting who they are because you don't like it. You don't pick at them and chisel and hammer away. When you truly love someone you ask questions, not to find fault, but to find understanding. You bring it up and ask how they are doing with whatever it is that's keeping them busy. When you truly love someone you go to church with them and when they give a talk tell them how great they did and what you sincerely loved about it even if you don't agree with everything. You go to the circus and cheer the loudest and spill your soda and popcorn and step in the sticky mess and not care.
Open your heart. Be brave. Be thoughtful. Truly love the people in your life, and "don't let [the ones in your life like the writer mentioned] grind you down."
U2's song Acrobat might be appropriate to listen to here ;-) (but it swears so if that bothers you don't)
(obviously if a person you care about is struggling with joining a terrorist group or dealing with addictions or mental illness, or actual very harmful things you should seek professional intervention).
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Faith & science
It seems every January or winter the last few years I have some opinionated, editorial type thoughts weighing that I purge from my mind. I was thinking this winter would be different because I have been too busy to think about very many "editorial" topics. Oddly though, it seems lately I've keep stumbling on articles claiming the more intelligent people get and the more science we discover, the less people believe in God and the authors come to the conclusion that only unintelligent people believe in God because God is just an excuse for the things we don't understand.
This makes me laugh. It's a very unscientific thing to say. It sounds just as ignorant as using God as an excuse for things we don't understand. How did you, authors of such essays, come to this conclusion? Did you poll believers in a God and test their IQ? Did you eliminate your biases and control the variables? Who qualifies as a believer in God and who qualifies as a "scientist"? Or did you just make an assumption because you don't have faith and want to make yourself feel better? There are no actual references to formal scientific studies on this matter in the articles I've seen. It's the typical "studies show there are less believers in God amongst scientists" with no actual name of the study and quotes from other people who don't believe in a God. The very type of opinionated article supposed scientists would typically claim as invalid.
This statement of "people who believe in God just use God as an excuse for the things they don't understand" is quite ignorant. How many universities are church owned, sponsored, or even built with funds from a religion? I don't know anyone who believes in God who believes God is an excuse for what we don't understand or that God knowing all is an excuse for us to not learn all that we possibly can. It really is more of the opposite. I know in my own faith we see it as a commandment to learn everything we possibly can on earth. A commandment to do our best to try to become like God- compassionately, spiritually, and in knowledge. I personally have found for me that the more I study spiritually, the more I want to learn secular knowledge as well. The more I learn scientifically I feel closer to God and want to learn more about Him. For me they are not separable and I would be surprised if that was not the same for all intelligent believers in God. I don't think this is a rare occurrence.
I find it funny when people say, "I only believe in science" and "science is tangible and solid, unchanging, proven, it is the only truth." No it isn't. I smile and shake my head, and think you don't really believe that. To me that sounds like you are saying there is nothing beyond what you know now. What we know now as scientific truth is far beyond what scientific truth was at any point in history. Science is changing all. the. time. If we saw science as finite then we would never discover anything new. We would be stuck in the past. Science is thinking about what you know and don't know. Wondering about the possibilities and then researching, studying, and sharing what you found. Things are getting proven and then dis proven or built upon all the time in the science world. I don't like talking with people that think there is only one way to do something because that's the way it's always been done and science hasn't proven otherwise. (I also don't like talking to people who think the New Testament is the ONLY truth. Jesus is truth and light, all truth, no matter where it is found and that means it is everywhere in earth and space, humans, animals, science, a variety of religions, and so much more than just the New Testament.) Think of all the great scientists through out history that had hope or faith to test a hypothesis and discover something other scientists said was impossible. Even if that faith is not in God to help them it is still a spark of faith, believing in an unknown until it is known. They aren't saying "I won't believe it until it's proven" because that is stifling and unmotivating and no progress is made with that attitude. Faith in God is the same, based on trusting the research or experience of others, some knowledge, strengthened with research and testing it out, gaining more knowledge--even if it isn't tangible. (Science can be not tangible too- wifi for example).
I think we would make more progress scientifically, and faster, trying to prove God right and possible than prove Him wrong or non-existent. God is the greatest artist, scientist, musician, poet, physician, and teacher. When we open our hearts and minds to Him we can gain so much. I don't think there is anything stubborn or stifling, or ignorant about seeing potential in everything.
I think scientists and believers in God can both admit there is more than we know and the "faithful" should not be criticized for admitting that and thinking there is someone who does know more. I don't see that as ignorant or unintelligent. I see it as being teachable. Something all people should be, no matter the IQ, religion, or lack of.
This makes me laugh. It's a very unscientific thing to say. It sounds just as ignorant as using God as an excuse for things we don't understand. How did you, authors of such essays, come to this conclusion? Did you poll believers in a God and test their IQ? Did you eliminate your biases and control the variables? Who qualifies as a believer in God and who qualifies as a "scientist"? Or did you just make an assumption because you don't have faith and want to make yourself feel better? There are no actual references to formal scientific studies on this matter in the articles I've seen. It's the typical "studies show there are less believers in God amongst scientists" with no actual name of the study and quotes from other people who don't believe in a God. The very type of opinionated article supposed scientists would typically claim as invalid.
This statement of "people who believe in God just use God as an excuse for the things they don't understand" is quite ignorant. How many universities are church owned, sponsored, or even built with funds from a religion? I don't know anyone who believes in God who believes God is an excuse for what we don't understand or that God knowing all is an excuse for us to not learn all that we possibly can. It really is more of the opposite. I know in my own faith we see it as a commandment to learn everything we possibly can on earth. A commandment to do our best to try to become like God- compassionately, spiritually, and in knowledge. I personally have found for me that the more I study spiritually, the more I want to learn secular knowledge as well. The more I learn scientifically I feel closer to God and want to learn more about Him. For me they are not separable and I would be surprised if that was not the same for all intelligent believers in God. I don't think this is a rare occurrence.
I find it funny when people say, "I only believe in science" and "science is tangible and solid, unchanging, proven, it is the only truth." No it isn't. I smile and shake my head, and think you don't really believe that. To me that sounds like you are saying there is nothing beyond what you know now. What we know now as scientific truth is far beyond what scientific truth was at any point in history. Science is changing all. the. time. If we saw science as finite then we would never discover anything new. We would be stuck in the past. Science is thinking about what you know and don't know. Wondering about the possibilities and then researching, studying, and sharing what you found. Things are getting proven and then dis proven or built upon all the time in the science world. I don't like talking with people that think there is only one way to do something because that's the way it's always been done and science hasn't proven otherwise. (I also don't like talking to people who think the New Testament is the ONLY truth. Jesus is truth and light, all truth, no matter where it is found and that means it is everywhere in earth and space, humans, animals, science, a variety of religions, and so much more than just the New Testament.) Think of all the great scientists through out history that had hope or faith to test a hypothesis and discover something other scientists said was impossible. Even if that faith is not in God to help them it is still a spark of faith, believing in an unknown until it is known. They aren't saying "I won't believe it until it's proven" because that is stifling and unmotivating and no progress is made with that attitude. Faith in God is the same, based on trusting the research or experience of others, some knowledge, strengthened with research and testing it out, gaining more knowledge--even if it isn't tangible. (Science can be not tangible too- wifi for example).
I think we would make more progress scientifically, and faster, trying to prove God right and possible than prove Him wrong or non-existent. God is the greatest artist, scientist, musician, poet, physician, and teacher. When we open our hearts and minds to Him we can gain so much. I don't think there is anything stubborn or stifling, or ignorant about seeing potential in everything.
I think scientists and believers in God can both admit there is more than we know and the "faithful" should not be criticized for admitting that and thinking there is someone who does know more. I don't see that as ignorant or unintelligent. I see it as being teachable. Something all people should be, no matter the IQ, religion, or lack of.
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