I feel that this is a very important point that absolutely must be understood. While I have included this line of thinking in my last 3 posts now, I also included a lot of other thoughts which could have diluted this one essential issue. I want to do a single post just on this, because it is very important.
I will first make my statement, and then provide you with a few links to blog posts containing my reasoning to support it. Please consider the following with an open mind, and if you think I'm wrong please check out my other posts before responding or deciding not to listen to me! If after reading my other posts supporting this you still think I'm wrong, please let me know why! If you are right and I am wrong I would love to change what I think. Without further ado, think about this:
Everyone probably starts out in the wrong world view.
I feel that the general assumption most people make is that they started out in the right world view, and need to be presented with earth-shattering evidence to be persuaded otherwise. But there is no reason to assume that you started out in the right worldview, simply based on the fact that you started out in it. Instead of assuming that you are right to start out with, it makes much more sense to assume that you started out wrong.
Forgive me for not getting to the reasoning backing this up just yet, but since most of my readers are Christians (and obviously I could make this statement with any worldview), let me say it this way: If no evidence has been examined, and due to the large number of belief systems that are not Christianity, the odds are that Christianity is false. Having a high index of suspicion that Christianity is not true should be your starting point.
I will provide one thought here as support, and leave the rest up to my other posts. If you are having trouble swallowing what I said about Christianity probably being false to start with (which may indicate that you are a Christian), then consider this. Would you prefer that a Muslim starts out assuming that they are right? I think that in most cases this initial assumption leads to a lifetime of unjustified belief in something that is not true (and I'm talking about every belief system here- not just Islam and Christianity).
How does one start to raise their index of suspicion that one belief system is more valid than the others? By examining evidence for and against every world view.
Here are the posts with material supporting this statement:
Thank you very much for reading and for having an open mind!
-Josh
I will first make my statement, and then provide you with a few links to blog posts containing my reasoning to support it. Please consider the following with an open mind, and if you think I'm wrong please check out my other posts before responding or deciding not to listen to me! If after reading my other posts supporting this you still think I'm wrong, please let me know why! If you are right and I am wrong I would love to change what I think. Without further ado, think about this:
Everyone probably starts out in the wrong world view.
I feel that the general assumption most people make is that they started out in the right world view, and need to be presented with earth-shattering evidence to be persuaded otherwise. But there is no reason to assume that you started out in the right worldview, simply based on the fact that you started out in it. Instead of assuming that you are right to start out with, it makes much more sense to assume that you started out wrong.
Forgive me for not getting to the reasoning backing this up just yet, but since most of my readers are Christians (and obviously I could make this statement with any worldview), let me say it this way: If no evidence has been examined, and due to the large number of belief systems that are not Christianity, the odds are that Christianity is false. Having a high index of suspicion that Christianity is not true should be your starting point.
I will provide one thought here as support, and leave the rest up to my other posts. If you are having trouble swallowing what I said about Christianity probably being false to start with (which may indicate that you are a Christian), then consider this. Would you prefer that a Muslim starts out assuming that they are right? I think that in most cases this initial assumption leads to a lifetime of unjustified belief in something that is not true (and I'm talking about every belief system here- not just Islam and Christianity).
How does one start to raise their index of suspicion that one belief system is more valid than the others? By examining evidence for and against every world view.
Here are the posts with material supporting this statement:
- http://honestsearchfortruth.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-are-odds-your-denomination-has.html
- http://honestsearchfortruth.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-are-odds-that-you-were-born-into.html
- http://honestsearchfortruth.blogspot.com/2012/07/you-probably-started-out-believing.html
Thank you very much for reading and for having an open mind!
-Josh
The only thing here that can be regarded as true 100% of the time is that you were born. Whether or not your parents worldview is correct has nothing to do with you being born into it. This means that it is definitely possible to be born into the correct belief system (if things were really that simple).
ReplyDeleteI also think that examining each and every world view to discover its truth and validity is kind of a weird approach. First, wouldn't it make more sense to look at the largest worldviews? To look at each and every one individually is the best approach if you were the first Truth Seeker on the planet, but this approach does not take into account that there might be a reason that the largest worldviews in the world are so big. Secondly, every person (Christian, Muslim, atheist, Republican, Democrat, etc.) has a different world view, even if they are classified and labeled the same way.
The assumption that your parents were automatically wrong is just as illogical as the assumption that they were automatically right. I know that you are using probability, but you're using it to say that all worldviews are equal and valid, when this probability should probably be weighted.
There are many things that you talk about on this blog that you never question whether they are right or wrong, like murder. Should every child assume that the worldview they were born into that is anti-murder is probably incorrect? Should they search for evidence about murder without an assumption one way or another of its validity as an action? Because of examples like this, I think there are true things present within almost every human's upbringing (some more than others, of course). It was wired into us, we cannot help it.
Hi Robby!
DeleteThanks again for reading and taking the time to comment.
With regards to your first paragraph, I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you arguing that parent's belief systems don't influence the belief systems of their children? Obviously the belief systems of the parents influence what the children will believe. This is what I'm talking about when I say 'being born into a worldview.'
If everyone in the world assumed that the worldview they were born into is the correct one, most people would be wrong.
I don't think it makes more sense to look at the large one. This makes an assumption about God- namely that whatever the true God is (if God exists) is the type of God that wants a significant proportion of the population to have knowledge of God at this point in time.
My goal is to make as few assumptions as possible. Also, would you want a person in a small religion to give an honest listen to the gospel? If so, by the golden rule, you should also give an honest listen to them.
Response to paragraph 3:
I think that you are missing the point. If everyone assumed that their parents have the correct worldview and did no further inquiry, most people would be wrong. We fall within the category of 'everyone.' I'm not saying that we know that our parents are wrong. What I am saying is that we should do inquiry to check. We should be suspicious, curious, and eager to learn.
You said "I know that you are using probability, but you're using it to say that all worldviews are equal and valid, when this probability should probably be weighted."
Where in the world did you get the idea that I argue that "all worldviews are equal and valid?" I think that most worldviews are wrong. I think that there is a single truth out there which can be found, and this truth is superior to everything else. This is the truth that I am trying to find based off of an examination of evidence.
You bring up a good question in your last paragraph. Namely, what should our default morality be while trying to figure out what the truth is. This is hard to determine, because whether or not God exists (and the identity of God) determines what is and is not morally right. For me, I have to decide what my morality will be for myself until a higher power shows up (if one does) and dictates that for me. The morality I have chosen is based on the Golden Rule. No reason for this other than that I have chosen it.
Should we assume things, such as 'don't murder,' until we get to examine everything in detail? Great question. I don't really know on this one! I personally assume a morality of humanist maximalism.