From The Pastor’s Heart By DR. ROBERT KENNEDY, OP-ED
When I was in college and my mates and I wanted to show that we were among the intellectuals, we took pride in debating what it meant to have a healthy skepticism. In those days, when one spoke of skepticism, many people immediately thought that we were all wrong.
You see, skeptics were connected with “infidels.” And infidels were among the greatest mockers of religion. It was thought that to think along the lines of the infidels and skeptics of the period was to be defiling the mind and living in the devil’s camp. It was treating the claims of God’s law with jest scoffing and denial. It was casting aside one’s faith and the Bible and to live in a world of total distrust.
And, we are not to doubt that skepticism has been used by the devil for leading the world to lose confidence in God and separate people from the divine love. Or put another way, there is a plot to keep the world in ignorance, false pride, and final destruction, because as is said, “skepticism is attractive to the human mind.”
But if I dare use the term skepticism as we used it in college, the world needs “a healthy dose of skepticism” right now. I do not mean it in how we relate to God or the Bible, but how we relate to social media and much of what is being put out as news and trolls. Some “healthy skepticism” seems especially needful during this time of political crisis when dictators and extremists are trying to use all kinds of “tricks” to capture people’s minds.
Just think of the claim shared on a viral video of anti-racist protesters in Portland, Oregon, apparently burning a stack of bibles. The video went viral quickly. The president of the United States and one senator commented, saying, “This is who they (the protestor) are.” And it is interesting as one looks at how the Bible burning was reported. One headline read, “Protestors in Portland, Oregon burned a Bible in the street during a protest outside a federal courthouse in the early morning hours of August 1. ” Another said, “According to sources at the peaceful protest in Portland, … more and more peaceful protesters (began) to join in on the Bible burning.” Other social media posts used more cunning headlines, depending on what they were trying to communicate.
After much investigation, the Intelligence community reported that the Portland Bible burnings appear to be one of the first viral Russian disinformation hits of the 2020 presidential campaign, intended to influence individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice. In reality, after the protest, individuals cleaning up the debris found a Bible that was burned. But it was not an effort to disrespect the Bible, but social media picked the burning, and the Russians were quick to pounce on it to spread division.
Let us also think of the announcement that has been made by President Putin, that he has approved a coronavirus vaccine in Russia. One comment on the announcement read, “Russia has become the first country in the world to approve a vaccine for the coronavirus, President Vladimir V. Putin announced on Tuesday, though global health authorities say the vaccine has yet to complete critical, late-stage clinical trials to determine its safety and effectiveness.”
My question on the vaccine is, “Are you ready to take the vaccine, or are you prepared to wait until this or any of the 150 other efforts being made to secure a vaccine across the world is tested, tried, and declared safe?” I know what I will do, God, helping me to be alive. I will wait.
I have mentioned the Bible burning and the vaccine to highlight two case studies that might lead us to think that there has to be such a thing as healthy skepticism for us to survive. When I was a college professor, we used the term “critical thinking.” I usually reminded students that they should read critically and listen carefully. In these days of rapid information sharing, critical skills are needed more than ever. What I taught my students and what I am calling for is nothing new, and not just my own making.
Today, every good teacher, parent, mentor, or capable newscasters must still call for “healthy skepticism” or critical thinking. My grandmother, who was illiterate, used to say, “You can’t believe everything you see or hear.” She was right. Although Grandma was not always right, on this one, she was “right on.”
In his book, The Anti-Education Era, Dr. James Gee said it more intellectually, “human intelligence can easily run off the rails. We humans can be made stupid in many different ways, ways that often combine to lead to super stupidity.” He argues that we run into stupidity by going after what we feel to be meaningful to us, instead of searching for the truth. We like to fool our minds to believe things that have nothing to do with reality. We do what we do because we are enslaved by our ideas, ideologies, traditions, and bad histories. Instead of wisdom (healthy skepticism), we choose ignorance.
Jesus taught his disciples what we need today; that is, learn to search for the truth. Apart from his word about, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (cf. John 8:31, 32),” Jesus reminded the disciples that the search for truth is hard work.
Look at his two parables on the kingdom in Matthew 13:46, 47. Notice that if one were not prepared to dig beyond the surface, one would not be able to find the kingdom’s treasure. And if one were not willing to sell what one has (the things that hold one in a prejudicial position) and embrace the pearls, one could not obtain the kingdom.
Yes, to have a healthy skepticism, we need:
1. Divine wisdom – so we can see beyond the fake and façade of deceptions.
2. Humility – so that we will not just trust our judgments or emotions, but trust the one who leads us into truth.
3. Faith – so that we can be taken beyond our normal human vision.
4. Patience – so that we do not rush to judgment.
5. Determination – so that we will not get discouraged before we find the truth.
My point is more straightforward than just to endorse what we called in college, “Healthy Skepticism.” It is to challenge us to evade false knowledge and untrue stories that are spun to deceive us. The time has come for us to earnestly pray that God will guide us to think more carefully about what we believe, rather than accepting every little piece of fakery peddled to us.
