This is not
to say that faith is the cause of error.
Error is created by random possibilities. But when human error is not corrected, look
to faith for the cause of sustaining the error.
A simple example of this would be that the Sun and stars rotate around
the Earth. Simple observation would lead
to this error of observation. Through
science and technology, it has been proven that this is not the case. The theory of the universe rotating around
the Earth was loved by both humans and the religions that they created, because
it placed humans at the center of it all.
But long after there was proof that this was not the case, Faith held
the concept to be true. Early scientists
were even jailed and put to death for contending that the Earth was not the
center of the Universe. Martin Luther, a
founder of protestant Christianity once said, “Reason is a whore, the greatest
enemy that faith has …” If you leave
out the “whore” part, his statement is true.
Faith is
born from a belief in any source that one would see as absolutely reliable,
such as your church, your country, your parents, your teachers, your work
place, your doctor, your friends or your political party. An excellent filter to use on the “facts”
from any of these sources would be my son’s line from a song he wrote. “See what is plain to see. Doubt what is not.” Doubt here, to me, means research and apply
knowledge and reason. Another example of a faith inspired error can
come from the above mentioned, “your political party.” A man that I often have coffee with, in the
morning, believes a Republican inspired piece of mythology (error), that
President Obama is a Muslim. Now, I
don’t believe that The President’s religion is relevant to his job
effectiveness, but my Republican friend knows that President Obama has said
that he is a Christian, that the President doesn’t pray to Mecca the required
five times a day, and that during the campaign the Republican party claimed
that President Obama was a member of retired senior pastor, Jeremiah Wright’s,
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
Obama did affirm this membership.
To be a Republican who believes that Barak Obama is a Muslim requires
suspending your memory and your reason.
This is a true test of Faith, that is, “To believe the unbelievable.”
As
Americans, we have faith in science. We
spend billions of dollars to reach the Moon and beyond. We spend billions of dollars to research “The
God Particle” (Higgs boson). The
question is, “If you were going to donate $100 to scientific knowledge of the universe
or to save several starving children, which cause would you donate to?” Of course, you are never asked that
question. The decision is made for you
in our democracy. How long has Ebola
been a problem, or is it not a problem until it reaches our shores?
Comments are welcome, Old Buz (a man of little faith)
