{"id":846,"date":"2010-07-09T11:01:16","date_gmt":"2010-07-09T17:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/mainlineportal\/?p=846"},"modified":"2010-07-09T11:01:16","modified_gmt":"2010-07-09T17:01:16","slug":"my-thirst-for-evidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithforward\/2010\/07\/my-thirst-for-evidence\/","title":{"rendered":"My Thirst for Evidence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

by Monica A. Coleman<\/em><\/p>\n

I find comfort in those two tones that indicate that an episode of a \u201cLaw and Order<\/a>\u201d franchise is coming on.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind watching reruns because I\u2019ve usually forgotten the outcome.\u00a0 I feel the same way about the \u201cCSI<\/a>\u201d franchises and the television show \u201cHouse<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 This might be my personal television vice, but I suspect that it\u2019s part of a wider fascination with evidence.\u00a0 That is, many people have become increasingly interested in various forms of evidence\u2013 through technology, skepticism, a need for healing or a quest for justice \u2013 and how it plays out around us.<\/p>\n

These television shows affirm some of my beliefs about the world:\u00a0 I love that we always leave evidence of our presence in the world.\u00a0 I\u2019m interested in what evidence counts \u2013 and what\u2019s left out \u2013 when decisions get made.\u00a0 I realize that it often takes a team of people to figure out what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

I thirst for evidence.<\/p>\n

This desire for proof can also be found in faith communities.\u00a0 Christian scriptures often portray Jesus\u2019 disciples as asking him for a sign.\u00a0 There\u2019s one example in\u00a0John 6:30<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So the disciples said to Jesus, \u201cWhat sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This suggests to me that even when people have committed themselves to a cause or teaching or community, they still want proof that they\u2019re on the right track.\u00a0 In this case, the disciples want proof of God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

Theologians and philosophers of religion have filled volumes talking about proofs for the existence of God.\u00a0 Thinkers from\u00a0Anselm of Canterbury<\/a> to\u00a0Immanuel Kant<\/a> argue that we know God exists because of what we see in the world \u2013 from creation to a sense of human morality.\u00a0 (Of course they are referring to a particular Christian God with certain attributes.)<\/p>\n

Likewise, religious scholars have also written extensively about religious experience.\u00a0 In this category, we ask: How do I know God is present?\u00a0 How do I know that God is with me?<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Varieties of Religious Experiences<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0William James<\/a> interviews a number of devout Christians and concludes that people themselves know when they have experienced God.\u00a0 The evidence people give ranges from charismatic expressions to internal senses of peace and love.<\/p>\n

Some communities demand more objective data.\u00a0 That is, other people should be able to confirm that God is present.\u00a0 Some insist that the ability to handle snakes or speak in tongues is necessary proof of the indwelling of God.\u00a0 Others find power in rituals like baptism and Eucharist.\u00a0\u00a0 Still others argue that God\u2019s presence should be manifest in good works and moral behavior.<\/p>\n

The same questions can be asked in the context of depressive conditions.\u00a0 How do I know?\u00a0 What is my evidence?<\/p>\n

Therapeutic communities are very good at gathering evidence.\u00a0 If I understand the DSM model correctly, many mental health conditions are determined by aggregating symptoms.\u00a0 Clinicians look at the evidence before them, and use this data to assess, treat, and hopefully heal.\u00a0 There are checklists and markers and questions.\u00a0 They seem to be asking the question:<\/p>\n

How do we know when something is wrong?<\/p>\n

In the midst of this accumulation of information, there\u2019s something people rarely ask me when it comes to depressive conditions:<\/p>\n

How do you know you are well?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is it an internal feeling?\u00a0 New behaviors?\u00a0 Or does one simply fail to show the symptoms that declared one\u2019s condition in the first place?<\/p>\n

Here I learn from the faithful.\u00a0 Faith communities do not ask for proof of God\u2019s absence.\u00a0 They inquire about affirmation of God\u2019s presence. This questioning reminds me that wellness is more the absence of negative symptoms.\u00a0 Wellness is something positive.\u00a0 Wellness can actually be normal.<\/p>\n

How do you know you are well?<\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s small things.<\/p>\n

Every day activities are everyday (not monumental feats).<\/p>\n

Breakfast tastes good.<\/p>\n

I laugh.<\/p>\n

I need bits of evidence that I can piece together.\u00a0 Although my faith persists when I feel horrible, I\u2019m more like the disciples than I want to admit.\u00a0 I need signs and wonders that I\u2019m on the right path.<\/p>\n

In a world that\u2019s often more interested in what\u2019s wrong, I find power in the evidence, however small it may be, that things are good.<\/p>\n

Monica A. Coleman is Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religions at\u00a0Claremont School of Theology<\/a>. \u00a0This post originally appeared at Beautiful Mind Blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I find comfort in those two tones that indicate that an episode of a \u201cLaw and Order\u201d franchise is coming on. I don\u2019t mind watching reruns because I\u2019ve usually forgotten the outcome. I feel the same way about the \u201cCSI\u201d franchises and the television show \u201cHouse.\u201d This might be my personal television vice, but I suspect that it\u2019s part of a wider fascination with evidence. That is, many people have become increasingly interested in various forms of evidence\u2013 through technology, skepticism, a need for healing or a quest for justice \u2013 and how it plays out around us.” Guest blogger Monica Coleman shares her fascination with ‘evidence’ from her Beautiful Mind Blog. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMy Thirst for Evidence<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""I find comfort in those two tones that indicate that an episode of a \u201cLaw and Order\u201d franchise is coming on. I don\u2019t mind watching reruns because I\u2019ve usually forgotten the outcome. I feel the same way about the \u201cCSI\u201d franchises and the television show \u201cHouse.\u201d This might be my personal television vice, but I suspect that it\u2019s part of a wider fascination with evidence. That is, many people have become increasingly interested in various forms of evidence\u2013 through technology, skepticism, a need for healing or a quest for justice \u2013 and how it plays out around us." 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