Author: Theodore Timpson
Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Subject: evolution

Bruce, I like your response approach. I'll be less thorough, but here's mine.

Paul C: The reluctance to go create a faith that includes all faiths actually has to do with epistemological humility and having seen how much theological attempts at defining the truth for us all have been misguided and even destructive.

Bruce S: I agree with this. History gives us many failed examples. And yet -- there seems to be a fundamental and universal human drive towards doing exactly this. Is it some human weakness or innate tendency to prejudice or narrowness? I see the drive towards "syncretism" as an inherent and positive aspect of the human instinct to create solutions, to create answers. It should not be repressed, but instead, be seen as a vital and healthy and probably essential part of cultural and religious evolution.

Theodore: I also agree with humility in the face of difference, and the danger of imposing or assuming agreement when it is not really there. I think evolution is something often overlooked in discussions of faith because it is so gradual. None of the faith traditions have really remained the same over the centuries. Their doctrines change; new ideas and attitudes come into play; new movements and sects develop. Religions also respond to each other. I'm not enough of a scholar to know the details, but it's fascinating to me how much interreligious exchange has actually occurred in history.

It's difficult even to identify what the beliefs of a particular faith are. Each of us comes to faith differently, with different goals and assumptions, even if we learn to repeat the same language. Each group contains an element of orthodoxy and an element of liberalism.

As Bruce is pointing out, the world is fundamentally changing in its awareness. We change when we gain new knowledge; we cannot help it. Real, authentic dialogue will inevitably lead some people to alter their religious perspective, even if they remain deeply loyal to their tradition. There is something about the reality of another person, another way of life, that cracks us open to a new, broader way of looking at things. We can hold on to narrow perspectives only by denying what is in front of us.

Please sign in to participate!