Religious Skepticism

[steve_bank]

Do Christian believers have skepticism?

A Christian can be highly skeptical of scientific evolution yet believe without question the Genesis creation story written thousands of years ago with a few sentences by an unknown author.

Is there a skepticism for atheists or non believers and a skepticism for Christians, or is there just one skepticism?

Is it possible to be a Christian theist and be truly skeptical? I do not think so. All questions and answers must fit theology in the end. In comparison science has undergone a number of transformations in the last 300 years.

Is it possible to be a theist and be skeptical, does skepticism even apply to theists? Religious faith is belif in something unprovable.

While not universal, an answer to evolution was to make it part of god's plan. Conflict between science and theology resolved.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Denial of evolutionary theory caused by superstition is not skepticism.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Is there a skepticism for atheists or non believers and a skepticism for Christians, or is there just one skepticism?

There's just skepticism. That's saying 'prove it' to a truth claim.
The difference is what you accept as evidence in support of a truth claim.

While not universal, an answer to evolution was to make it part of god's plan. Conflict between science and theology resolved.

That wasn't the resolution, though.
The conflict came from two very different accounts being taken as historical: Genesis and Evolutionary Theory.
Making it 'god's plan' didn't resolve the conflict. That was accomplished by making Genesis allegory or metaphor or poetry, something other than a historical account.

So rather than holding both accounts to be accurate, one is accurate history, one is whatever it needs to be to not conflict with the accurate history.

 

[Lion IRC]

You can't be a true (methodological) skeptic if you think that God deals in absolute/ultimate truths. The atheist skeptic deals in tentative hypotheses and flexible definitions of evidence.

 

[Politesse]

Since you more or less define religion as the absence of skepticism, then no. But it has more to do with your heavily biased definition than any quality of really existing people.

 

[steve_bank]

I was hoping for a theist to talk about why he or she is not skeptical of the biblical creation myth. I suspect it is fearful to even frame the thought of skepticism. To do so brings into questio one's entire set of beliefs. It can not be answred without invalidating faith.

In the mean time Lord, give me the patience of Job....

 

[steve_bank]

You can't be a true (methodological) skeptic if you think that God deals in absolute/ultimate truths. The atheist skeptic deals in tentative hypotheses and flexible definitions of evidence.

Your honor, the witness is evading the question. Please direct him to answer the question.

 

[Lion IRC]

OK

Do Christian believers have skepticism?

Yes. They can be skeptical of the assertions made by atheists.

...Is there a skepticism for atheists or non believers and a skepticism for Christians, or is there just one skepticism?

I use the same definition as Keith&Co

Is it possible to be a Christian theist and be truly skeptical?

Yes.

...Is it possible to be a theist and be skeptical,

Yes

does skepticism even apply to theists?

Yes.

 

[steve_bank]

OK



Yes. They can be skeptical of the assertions made by atheists.



I use the same definition as Keith&Co

Is it possible to be a Christian theist and be truly skeptical?

Yes.

...Is it possible to be a theist and be skeptical,

Yes

does skepticism even apply to theists?

Yes.

Still avoiding the question. Skeptical of the Genesis creation story of god creating the Earth? Theists can be skeptical of some things but not questions of faith. If you question one su[ernatural part then it opens the entire narrative to question.

That is why the RCC for over a thousand years has had an army of theologians creating a theology that is logically bullit proof. No contradictions. You can not question one aspect of the narrative without dragging in all of it.

Being skeptical of certain things is not the same of being a skeptic. A skeptic is always questioning including ones own beliefs and assumptions.

Why believe in a few lines of an ancient writing about a creation myth written by unknown authors, why not be skeptical? It is the crux of faith.

 

[Lion IRC]

I answered everything that had a question mark.
Only just now do you ask...
[can a Christian be] ...skeptical of the Genesis creation story of God creating the Earth?

If a Christian doesn't believe God created the Earth, I'd like to know who else they think did so.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Nintendo.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It's quite possible to be skeptical in general but then just have that process shut down in regards to certain subjects. Some of the best conversations I've had in my life about economic theory were with a guy who was a YEC and didn't let his kids read Harry Potter because it promoted witchcraft. In university, one of the top guys in my science class thought that communism was a viable socioeconomic theory.

Everyone has their little blindspots where they don't apply the same level of critical thinking that they do to other areas. It's kind of odd, but not all that uncommon.

 

[Treedbear]

... Some of the best conversations I've had in my life about economic theory were with a guy who was a YEC and didn't let his kids read Harry Potter because it promoted witchcraft. ...

It doesn't?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

... Some of the best conversations I've had in my life about economic theory were with a guy who was a YEC and didn't let his kids read Harry Potter because it promoted witchcraft. ...

It doesn't?

REAL witchcraft. That was his concern. Actual fucking witches.

 

[Keith&Co.]

... Some of the best conversations I've had in my life about economic theory were with a guy who was a YEC and didn't let his kids read Harry Potter because it promoted witchcraft. ...

It doesn't?

REAL witchcraft. That was his concern. Actual fucking witches.

Yeah. A guy who cannibalizes his god every Sunday for the benefits of immortality is worried his kids will read about drinking the blood of unicorns and think the Philosopher's Stone is real.

 

[Politesse]

... Some of the best conversations I've had in my life about economic theory were with a guy who was a YEC and didn't let his kids read Harry Potter because it promoted witchcraft. ...

It doesn't?

REAL witchcraft. That was his concern. Actual fucking witches.

I know a lot of Pagans with a fondness for the series.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I was hoping for a theist to talk about why he or she is not skeptical of the biblical creation myth. I suspect it is fearful to even frame the thought of skepticism. To do so brings into question one's entire set of beliefs. It can not be answered without invalidating faith.

How does a child experience skepticism with regards to Santa?

Adults know Santa isn't real, doesn't bring presents or ride a sleigh and flying reindeer, live at the North Pole, have a workshop with elves. Children hear the same thing but believe it.

Then at some point a child experiences someone telling them that Santa isn't real. How do they experience this, skeptically speaking? What is going on with that child's thinking at this point, what does the child do, how does the child resolve the two conflicting claims?

Flat earthers must be experiencing heaps and heaps of skepticism, as are any number of people who embrace conspiracy theories. What's going on in the head of a person who claims the earth is flat?

 

[ruby sparks]

Is it possible to be a theist and be skeptical, does skepticism even apply to theists .

Imo it does, and I’m not sure there’s different types of skepticism. It’s all doubt.

As far as I know, doubt and uncertainty are common features of being a theist. They are common features of being a human as far as I know.

The interesting thing may be what stops doubt developing and becoming stronger. My guess is that there are inhibitors, and for some people those inhibitors are stronger than for some other people, probably for a variety of understandable reasons.

I think we’re (sometimes) talking about perceived vested psychological interests, at least in some cases. I think it’s generally more difficult to change your mind about something if you are heavily invested in it. This seems to be true for anything, religious or otherwise.

 

[steve_bank]

I answered everything that had a question mark.
Only just now do you ask...
[can a Christian be] ...skeptical of the Genesis creation story of God creating the Earth?

If a Christian doesn't believe God created the Earth, I'd like to know who else they think did so.

Ok, I got it now.

A belief in a few lines of a disjointed inconsistent set of wrings from thousands of years ago saying that some god creatd the Earth and the universe. Any Christian who doubts is suspect as a Christian.

To summarize you are saying you believe without any skepticism a few lines and words written thousands of years ago. One can be skeptical abbout some things but not that. All's you had to do was say so.

 

[Bronzeage]

There is no universal standard of what constitutes a Christian, so the question of "Do Christian believers have skepticism", sounds like you're trying to construct a paradox.

There's no reason a person couldn't believe Jesus Christ is their savior and this belief grants them eternal life in Heaven when they die, and still doubt the narrative given in the Bible, from the Garden of Eden, through the Flood, and all the way to the Resurrection.

If there is an all knowing, all power being who is independent of time and space, why should anyone assume a bunch of humans could hope to comprehend the true nature of such a being. Just being a human being in this situation means that any observation or conclusion is doubtful.