I’m a little concerned about the state of things right now. Not just the political situation, or the economy, or the environment, but in general. There just seems to be a bent toward anti-intellectualism. There are a great many who are championing removing books, erasing history, denying facts, downplaying scientific evidence. This is concerning on many levels.
As the human race, we have clawed and fought hard to build a civilization that is based in fact, evidence, and truth. When we allow those things to be torn down, or cast aside, in favor of self-aggrandizement, we run the risk of losing so much. We begin to question and dismiss those who have spent lifetimes learning, testing, verifying all that keeps society going. Scientific inquiry is constantly checking, verifying, updating the evidence it has, and then updating its understanding. All of this helps us to progress and to hopefully inform us when we need to correct what we are doing to further our progress.
There is a belief system known as gnosticism which emerged in the 1st century AD, and flourished in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. This was a belief system which rose up alongside Christianity. Some of the gnostic texts were discovered in the Nag Hammadi library. These were alternative texts to those of the early church. The thing about Gnosticism was it emphasized personal experience and direct revelation over the established religious thought stream. Basically, gnostics believed what they came up with in their own thoughts were valid truths without any sound testing or verification. One could believe what they dreamed up was as good, or superior to that which the church had wrestled with, tested, and debated.
What would have happened if gnosticism had taken hold and became the dominant belief system? It would have created much chaos and quite possibly we wouldn’t have much to cling to today. When someone can state something as if it is factual, but without verification, what do we have? Chaos and confusion.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t question our beliefs, test our knowledge, look for new insights. I’m saying there is a basis of knowledge we have already have. Its from that we start, then we learn more and update as new evidence is available. Just saying I think I know something to be true because I will it to be, that isn’t how advancement works. Throwing out, casting aside, undermining, removing evidence and discovery that has been tested and found to be true is concerning to me. It should be of great concern to a great many others.
The Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought like a child; but when I matured and grew up, I put away childish things.” We are not children, we are adults and we know what factual evidence is. No matter how often someone tells us something that isn’t true, doesn’t in fact, make it true. We know truth, and just saying something similar is true doesn’t make it so.
I guess where I’m going with this is, we as believers know truth and we have the obligation to continue to seek and uphold the truth. I am concerned when someone I’m speaking with parrots something they heard as if it were verified truth. As truth seekers and truth bearers, we have to be willing to be a part of what it takes to keep the truth alive. I read a post recently on Facebook that said, “Never in the history of the world have those banning or burning books, been on the right side.” As I started to investigate that statement, guess what? Its true. I can’t find one instance where banning books or knowledge has proved to be a good thing in the end.
I’m not sure where we are headed as a society, as a people, but I pray those who know the truth will always stand firm and share it with as many as possible. In John 8:32 we read where Jesus says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” May God continue to well up in us a desire to seek the truth and share the truth with all we can. Its truth that will light our path, and that of all the world.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom