We can learn a lot by subjecting our beliefs to thought experiments. A thought experiment is a mental exercise that involves imagining a scenario to explore concepts.
I guested on a podcast recently, which focused on one of the thought experiments in The Way that asked whether the virgin birth, Jesus’ divinity or the physical resurrection are essential beliefs. To me, these thought experiments are some of the most challenging and interesting parts of the book. The book encourages readers to ask questions and to do their homework.
The Way does NOT try to convert or deconvert anyone. I hear from devout Christians, skeptical Christians, former Christians, and non-Christians. There is something in the book for each of them. In my spiritual journey and elsewhere, most of what I learned, I learned by asking questions.
Should We Give Our Own Beliefs the Benefit of the Doubt?
If you ask most people what it would take to persuade them that another religion is correct, they have a pretty high standard for leaving, and they need to verify the truth claims. At the same time, if you ask them what it would take to persuade them that their religion is INCORRECT, they do NOT have a very high standard for staying. They accept many unverifiable claims, based on faith.
When I explored Christianity, I expected to confirm my beliefs. There are two billion believers, there is a 2,000 years history, and there is a book. What could go wrong? A lot, as I soon learned. Some doctrines are NOT absolute, authentic, original, rational, unchanging, or universal. Also, I found some speculative theology, some supernatural beliefs and some unkind practices.
Of course, we can find speculative theology, supernatural beliefs and unkind practices in other traditions, too.
Some people say that their religion is the best religion, but they have NOT practiced other religions. This is like Texans who say that Texas is the best state, but they have NOT lived in other states. Would we embrace different beliefs if we did NOT give our own beliefs the benefit of the doubt or if we did NOT grant a theological home-court advantage to our own beliefs?
In my opinion, if we are seeking comfort, then we can give our beliefs the benefit of the doubt. But, if we are seeking clarity, then we cannot. Instead, we should follow Truth wherever it leads.
Would We Still Follow a Less Divine, More Human Jesus?
We can learn a lot by subjecting our beliefs to thought experiments. Most of what I learned, I learned by asking questions.
Initially, the book asks readers to imagine everything that they know about God, but NOT to list any claims that they heard somewhere or read somewhere, unless they have verified those claims. We do NOT know anything. Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest, asks, “What does any of us mean when we say ‘God’? We use the word as if it were made of steel instead of silk netting.”
The book asks readers to imagine that Christianity was lost to the ages, like so many other ancient religions, and that archaeologists only recently discovered the Bible. If our beliefs were NOT embedded in our culture for the last 2,000 years, would we accept at face value that Jesus was divine, that he was born of a virgin, and that he was resurrected from the dead, or would we conclude that Jesus was one of many ancient holy men who became mythologized? “Yes, ancient people used to believe these things,” Space Age archaeologists might say about Iron Age writers.
We can know so much more now than we knew then. Did the people who taught us our beliefs ask the questions, do the homework and verify the truth claims? Usually not.
The book asks readers to imagine that Jesus was not born of a virgin, that he was not divine, and that he was not resurrected. In some ways, if these statements are true, and Jesus still had impact, then the facts might be more powerful than the stories. Would we still follow this less divine, more human Jesus, or would the wisdom of his words and the power of his works lose their allure?
Would We Still be Astounded by a Universe That Is Natural, Not Supernatural?
The book asks readers to imagine that the beginning of the Universe, the beginning of life and the emergence of sentience all occurred naturally, rather than supernaturally through a Creator. Would the complexity and diversity and interconnectivity of the Universe be any less astounding? Would we be any less grateful for a world of natural, rather than supernatural, origin?
On the other hand, imagine that scientists did NOT have natural explanations for the beginning of the Universe, the beginning of life and the emergence of sentience. That would be compelling, and ardent atheists would be searching for natural explanations. (Scientists suggest that these events do NOT require supernatural causes, but we may never have definitive answers.)
Of course, it is NOT possible to prove a negative. Just as we can NOT prove that God exists, we cannot disprove that God exists, either. Just as we can NOT describe the nature of Ultimate Reality, we cannot reject any description of Ultimate Reality, either. All theology is speculation.
Some radical Christian theologians embrace some challenging, but compelling, concepts of Ultimate Reality. Theologian John D. Caputo asks, “Does the Kingdom of God need God?” Fundamentally, is it more important to adopt Christian beliefs or to embrace a Christian way of life? What are “Christian beliefs?” What is a “Christian way of life?”
We can learn a lot by subjecting our beliefs to thought experiments. Most of what I learned, I learned by asking questions.
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The Way received a 2024 Nautilus Book Award.
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