Comments on: Logos and Truth http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/ But by the grace of God, I am what I am. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:28:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Lifewish http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3596 Lifewish Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:24:48 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3596 Yeah, I know. I was more referring more to the way everyone raises their hand at his question. Some of their friends probably did deconvert due to changing concepts of truth, but I'd wager hard money that at least a few deconverted due to changing social environment, and it just <i>looked</i> to the audience members like horizon expansion syndrome. It's a fundamental rule of anthropology that, when studying a culture, you can't just ask members of that culture why they behave in certain fashions. What they perceive as the reason quite often bears no relationship to the actual root cause. I find this concept really interesting. Yeah, I know. I was more referring more to the way everyone raises their hand at his question. Some of their friends probably did deconvert due to changing concepts of truth, but I’d wager hard money that at least a few deconverted due to changing social environment, and it just looked to the audience members like horizon expansion syndrome.

It’s a fundamental rule of anthropology that, when studying a culture, you can’t just ask members of that culture why they behave in certain fashions. What they perceive as the reason quite often bears no relationship to the actual root cause. I find this concept really interesting.

]]> By: Terri http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3595 Terri Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:10:19 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3595 Good post. I might have to buy this book. Maybe Rob Bell should pay you for your great advertising! ;-) Good post. I might have to buy this book. Maybe Rob Bell should pay you for your great advertising! ;-)

]]> By: Buffy http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3594 Buffy Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:20:58 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3594 Very good. I am amazed how many Christians in the States cannot face up to the facts about evolution because they fear it will destroy their faith. If they hadn't been taught that the two were mutually exclusive in the first place they wouldn't have to make such a terrible choice between God and intellectual honesty. Very good. I am amazed how many Christians in the States cannot face up to the facts about evolution because they fear it will destroy their faith. If they hadn’t been taught that the two were mutually exclusive in the first place they wouldn’t have to make such a terrible choice between God and intellectual honesty.

]]> By: Amanda http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3593 Amanda Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:44:19 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3593 People who are religious only because they're sheep are religious, but not Christian. And I would say he's not talking about those folks. He's specifically talking about the group of people who are taught that the Bible is the be all end all to everything, and as a result, when some new truth comes along, they can't handle it. He's specifically talking about people of faith who keep that faith in a box and rather than expanding the box or getting rid of it altogether, it just crumbles, taking their faith with it. People who are religious only because they’re sheep are religious, but not Christian. And I would say he’s not talking about those folks. He’s specifically talking about the group of people who are taught that the Bible is the be all end all to everything, and as a result, when some new truth comes along, they can’t handle it. He’s specifically talking about people of faith who keep that faith in a box and rather than expanding the box or getting rid of it altogether, it just crumbles, taking their faith with it.

]]> By: Lifewish http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3592 Lifewish Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:43:29 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/12/06/logos-and-truth/#comment-3592 I hope more people come to the same conclusion as this guy. The problem I suspect he's hitting is that the people who do come to this conclusion are less likely to go back to living in the small-town fundamentalist communities where the problem originates. Thus, the insight never gets conveyed to the people with the power to improve matters. I suspect there's one other factor he's missing: a lot of people are religious primarily because everyone else is. Going to college causes them to deconvert because there's no longer a social consensus for them to follow. A person like this would probably experience the same sort of deconversion process as someone who fell away due to an intellectual expansion, but the underlying motivation would be very different. So it's quite easy to accidentally lump both effects together. I hope more people come to the same conclusion as this guy. The problem I suspect he’s hitting is that the people who do come to this conclusion are less likely to go back to living in the small-town fundamentalist communities where the problem originates. Thus, the insight never gets conveyed to the people with the power to improve matters.

I suspect there’s one other factor he’s missing: a lot of people are religious primarily because everyone else is. Going to college causes them to deconvert because there’s no longer a social consensus for them to follow. A person like this would probably experience the same sort of deconversion process as someone who fell away due to an intellectual expansion, but the underlying motivation would be very different. So it’s quite easy to accidentally lump both effects together.

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