tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832486.post1542474073459055406..comments2024-02-29T04:02:48.619-05:00Comments on keeping feet: A Thinking FaithJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12937512054883534573noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832486.post-53187530402448049952007-11-09T11:22:00.000-05:002007-11-09T11:22:00.000-05:00I wouldn't go so far as to say if someone is claim...<I>I wouldn't go so far as to say if someone is claiming certainty or taking a stance on things you personally aren't sure of, that they're not thinking hard about it.</I><BR/><BR/>I totally agree. There are things I take a strong stance on, primarily because I have thought hard about them. I would say (and, I meant to say), that if a person is taking a strong stance on something <I>they</I> personally aren't sure of (self-admittedly, after I ask them why they believe the way they do), they aren't thinking hard about it and are being intellectually dishonest. As you said, "<I>I could just as easily say "I'm certain of this because someone told me to be certain" as I could say "I'm uncertain of anything because someone told me I can't be certain." Both are the fruits of shallow thinking, no?</I>"<BR/><BR/>Also, I've been in conversations where the person with the strong stance does not allow me to admit I Don't Know. They say "You must take a side on this, because I'm sure of it. If you come to a different conclusion than I do, you're against me (Even if that conclusion is You Don't Know)."<BR/><BR/>The example that has been on my mind as of late: Someone asked me if I believed the <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles'_Creed#Text_of_the_Creed" REL="nofollow">Apostles Creed</A>. I said I did in spirit, but there are parts that I don't know about (specifically, the "he descended into Hell" bit, which was <A HREF="http://joannal.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-waiting.html" REL="nofollow">discussed a while back on this blog</A>). Does that mean I'm not a Christian, because I cannot with certainty defend the Apostles Creed? Must I be be intellectually dishonest and <I>say</I> I am sure of it? I was in a corner. This is one of the issues I was thinking of when I said "When I state the impossibility of knowing for sure, or leave open the possibility of being wrong, I am shot down."<BR/><BR/>And then the discussion ensued with Josh- is saying I Don't Know a show of little faith? Because I'm not taking tenets at face value, "on faith", without answers? These are the hard questions I've been asking lately.Joannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12937512054883534573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832486.post-70936721682684903352007-11-09T10:37:00.000-05:002007-11-09T10:37:00.000-05:00I wouldn't go so far as to say if someone is claim...I wouldn't go so far as to say if someone is claiming certainty or taking a stance on things you personally aren't sure of, that they're not thinking hard about it.<BR/><BR/>Questioning and exploring uncertainty is not the only way to engage in critical thinking. The efforts in assembling and testing a systematic theology have involved some hard thinking on the parts of many people throughout history, and it takes hard thinking for a believer to prescribe to that theology as well. So for someone to say "I'm sure of XYZ and cannot be swayed" may seem stubborn, but it's not inherently naive.<BR/><BR/>I could just as easily say "I'm certain of this because someone told me to be certain" as I could say "I'm uncertain of anything because someone told me I can't be certain." Both are the fruits of shallow thinking, no? Hard thinking leads to personal conviction. I don't see how that favors either certainty or uncertainty.Matt Moberlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18412881013249366988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832486.post-34472078979378487282007-11-09T09:28:00.000-05:002007-11-09T09:28:00.000-05:00Lisa- Unbelievers do challenge me to think about m...Lisa- Unbelievers do challenge me to think about my faith, and I appreciate that immensely. Unfortunately, it's some Christians that are afraid of thinking. They wouldn't say that, of course, but I have certainly run into some who Must Be Absolutely Sure of Everything, and when I question a point of theirs, even if they have no way to back it up, they insist on believing it, and are frustrated when I don't take a side on the matter, because I really Don't Know. When I state the impossibility of knowing for sure, or leave open the possibility of being wrong (on a side issue, not a foundational issues), I am shot down.Joannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12937512054883534573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832486.post-51727988759205427302007-11-08T15:50:00.000-05:002007-11-08T15:50:00.000-05:00Of course it is "ok."Do you run in some circles wh...Of course it is "ok."<BR/><BR/>Do you run in some circles where you are *not* encouraged to think hard about your faith? <BR/><BR/>I am curious about this. I seem to be in a lot of circles with unbelievers, and it has always had the effect of challenging me continually in this area. And that keeps me thinking. Anf that is good.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263318070028478292noreply@blogger.com