Testing My Faith

[Later Addition/Redaction: As Prof Bibb points out in the comments below (and go read his fantastic blog, btw… I’ve been subscribed for the last few weeks and it’s one of my fav reads now), this is satire. And yes, I’m an idiot for a) not catching that and b) not doing my homework and clicking over to Edward Current’s YouTube page (lots of great stuff as well).

So, on with my righteous indignation…]

Besides my head literally exploding from the recursive and numerous logic fails, this video, it does point out a rather concerning strand that is influencing contemporary “theologies” associated with some members of movements such as the emerging church: the push against intelligence and asking questions.

In the video itself, we get the summary statement of these sorts of theologies:

“Maybe God created the evidence infinitely difficult to understand on purpose to test our faith in his son, born of virgin, and sent to die so that he could rise again and cleanse mankind of our sins. God is infinitely intelligent, you know?”

Well, we don’t *know* that since that would indicate we understand the nature of God. Some of us humans describe God with that descriptor, but it’s not something I’d ever claim to *know*. Language is important, folks.

Even more unsettling is the assertion that God would be a manipulative deity playing sleight of hand tricks with dinosaur bones and soil strata so that a very small percentage of our species (white, middle class North Americans living in the late 20th/early 21st century) could find redemption based on superior faith.

Trusting God is good and right. Trusting our tiny and inept brains to fully comprehend the nature of the deity, the cosmos and conceptions of absolute truth is idolatry.

I’ll stop there.

(BTW, William of Ockham was a very devout monk.)

Thanks to Pharyngula for the find.

7 thoughts on “Testing My Faith”

  1. I'm an idiot. Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!Sam

  2. I’m an idiot.

    Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!

    Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!

    Sam

  3. I’m an idiot.

    Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!

    Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!

    Sam

  4. I’m an idiot.

    Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!

    Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!

    Sam

  5. I’m an idiot.

    Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!

    Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!

    Sam

  6. I'm an idiot. Made an addition to the post to clarify my complete lack of appreciation for satire this morning. Too much coffee and Kierkegaard!Great blog, btw… thanks for stopping by!Sam

  7. I was completely fooled by it myself until he showed the porno magazine as an illustration of sin. At that point something in the old Southern Baptist layers of my mind went, 'huh?' I clicked on his Youtube channel to make sure, because let's face, you can't be sure these days. Many evidently sincere Christians these days are specializing in unintentional comedy.

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