[asa] Christianity: “balance?” of truth and solace

Somewhere among the legions of Dawkins posts, I remember him quoted as
saying that religion may be okay for comfort or solace, perhaps – but
not to be confused with truth. –which, unless memory has deceived me,
would amount to a downright conciliatory thought (for Dawkins).

A friend of mine shares that he has never been at any funeral where a
pastor presides in which the pastor did not gush a stream of certainties
and promises about the heavenly destination where the deceased now is.
It didn’t seem to matter what kind of person the deceased was or what
their state of faith had seemed to be. (AND, my friend notes, even if
the person did seem an epitome of faith, righteousness, and correct
doctrine, we still don’t really know.) So my friend, as a result, has
grown cynical that pastors aren’t interested in truth so much as to say
whatever comforting words people want to hear. Their credibility has
become near zilch in his eyes. Now, while a funeral is probably not
the proper venue for hellfire and brimstone, his (and Dawkins’)
criticisms do have some sting.

The proper answer, of course, will be that we need to be about both
truth and comfort, and to painfully favor truth when that is demanded.
And just because Dawkins may concede the comfort function (even if as
more of a taunt) does not mean we should rush pell-mell to disagree with
him. What, after all, does Dawkins know about theology that we should
take our cues from him? Yes, solace is a part of any healthy church
body. How often is this in tension with truth, and how do we respond?
When a wife already knows what her husband will say in response to “do I
look good in this dress?”, she ceases to ask because she knows (if she
wants a truthful opinion) she will have to seek it elsewhere. Dawkins &
many others say the same of religion. My friend tends to be of like
mind (though, unlike Dawkins, he doesn’t write off faith so much as the
spiritual leadership of various church officials). So much the worse
for the church.

--Merv

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Received on Fri Apr 6 12:02:03 2007