Monday Musing

I am a massive fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, in fact this is not the first time I have quoted him on my blog - and I assure you, it will definitely not be the last time I share his marvellous mind with you...

Patterson Maker

Oh So Lovely Obsessions

I hope you have an awesome week friends xx

A Second Look at Doubt

Below is an excerpt from a book called "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller,  a Christian apologist. As I have said before (here), I am a Christian, I do not force my beliefs on those who are not Christian, and will always listen to the arguments posed to me by those who do not believe what I do, with an open mind. Tim Keller, is to me, a role model in this regard. I found this piece titled A Second Look at Doubt very thought provoking, as I often engage in religious discussions with those close to me who are irreligious. 

So give it a read, or don't - if it is just going to rile you up (You can just look at the pretty picture)...

The Gifts of Life

A Second Look at Doubt

I want to make a proposal that I have seen bear much fruit in the lives of young New Yorkers over the years. I recommend that each side look at doubt in a radically new way.

Let’s begin with believers. A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.

Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts—not only their own but their friends’ and neighbors’. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, just as important for our current situation, such a process will lead you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt.

But even as believers should learn to look for reasons behind their faith, skeptics must learn to look for a type of faith hidden within their reasoning. All doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs. You cannot doubt Belief A except from a position of faith in Belief B. For example, if you doubt Christianity because “There can’t be just one true religion,” you must recognize that this statement is itself an act of faith. No one can prove it empirically, and it is not a universal truth that everyone accepts. If you went to the Middle East and said, “There can’t be just one true religion,” nearly everyone would say, “Why not?” The reason you doubt Christianity’s Belief A is because you hold unprovable Belief B. Every doubt, therefore, is based on a leap of faith.

Some people say, “I don’t believe in Christianity because I can’t accept the existence of moral absolutes. Everyone should determine moral truth for him- or herself.” Is that a statement they can prove to someone who doesn't share it? No, it is a leap of faith, a deep belief that individual rights operate not only in the political sphere but also in the moral. There is no empirical proof for such a position. So the doubt (of moral absolutes) is a leap.

Some will respond to all this, “My doubts are not based on a leap of faith. I have no beliefs about God one way or another. I simply feel no need for God and I am not interested in thinking about it.” But hidden beneath this feeling is the very modern American belief that the existence of God is a matter of indifference unless it intersects with my emotional needs. The speaker is betting his or her life that no God exists who would hold you accountable for your beliefs and behavior if you didn't feel the need for him. That may be true or it may not be true, but, again, it is quite a leap of faith.

The only way to doubt Christianity rightly and fairly is to discern the alternate belief under each of your doubts and then to ask yourself what reasons you have for believing it. How do you know your belief is true? It would be inconsistent to require more justification for Christian belief than you do for your own, but that is frequently what happens. In fairness you must doubt your doubts. My thesis is that if you come to recognize the beliefs on which your doubts about Christianity are based, and if you seek as much proof for those beliefs as you seek from Christians for theirs—you will discover that your doubts are not as solid as they first appeared.

I commend two processes to my readers. I urge skeptics to wrestle with the unexamined “blind faith” on which skepticism is based, and to see how hard it is to justify those beliefs to those who do not share them. I also urge believers to wrestle with their personal and culture’s objections to the faith. At the end of each process, even if you remain the skeptic or believer you have been, you will hold your own position with both greater clarity and greater humility. Then there will be an understanding, sympathy, and respect for the other side that did not exist before. Believers and nonbelievers will rise to the level of disagreement rather than simply denouncing one another. This happens when each side has learned to represent the other’s argument in its strongest and most positive form. Only then is it safe and fair to disagree with it. That achieves civility in a pluralistic society, which is no small thing.

About Me

In the post Moving Along I wrote about how the company I am working at would be closing down at the end of April – As much as I would like to say it came as a complete shock to me, if I am honest, there were many signs that the business was not doing well. I suppose I was in denial, and remained optimistic. Once I had received my letter of retrenchment, I updated my CV, and began the search for a new job. I was inspired by an article my brother sent me from The New York Times, which I posted in Sell Yourself, and shortly after that wrote a piece about me…

I sneak around in sneakers, and scale great heights in heels. I adapt to a multitude of environments in black, leopard print and floral. I admire the modesty of inverted pleats, appreciate the thoughtfulness of bound seams, and the charm of covered buttons. I consider Chambray the lighter denim that could, and think on the mulberry leaves consumed while spinning silk. I sit in front rows at fashion shows throughout major cities, resort to ready to wear, critiquing ranges from Azzedine Alaïa to Zac Posen.

I host cooking shows while exploring the kitchens of world famous chefs, a gastronomist in my own right. I passionately brew world famous coffee, and drink fine wines based on the ingenuity of the packaging.  

I perform at night clubs in Paris in the 1950’s alongside Edith Piaf, singing words to songs sung in a language I can’t speak. I enjoy travel - the arrivals, the departures, the hellos and goodbyes. I spend Friday nights at the airport, writing books based on the lives of the people who randomly pass me by. I read books, and fondly illustrate them in my mind. I am an inventor, an artist - I paint poetry.

I am an excellent teacher, and an even better learner. A curious mind, with a limitless imagination. A hopeless romantic, certain that all things should be done with love. I believe that only boring people get bored, in a world filled with wonder.

Fortunately, I have found a new job, beginning in May. I am going back to a company I worked at just after I graduated. I am relieved and excited to be working with some familiar faces again.

xxx 

Monday Musing

For quite some time I was diligent about regular posting, but life managed to get in the way of that… so once again I shall attempt a steady flow of posts...

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Twisted Glamour

Being in a creative industry, I sometimes feel uninspired, which, when I look at the world around me seems impossible. There is just so much beauty all around me, it is hard not to be inspired...

Have a fabulous week friends xxx