Friday, December 12, 2014

Truth and Justice are the American Way

I think that truth and justice fit with Christianity, so that makes it easy for me to be an American as a Christian. I believe it could also be the case for someone who is Muslim as well... or a Buddhist, or some other religion.

But I'm reading some of a high school world history textbook. Take this line: Islam's "fundamental teaching that all Muslims are equal within the community of believers made the acceptance of conquerors and new rulers easier" (176). It's talking about the military conversion of parts of Africa to Islam in the 1000s.

I almost laughed. Now think of ISIS. Imagine they come to town and say, "We're going to come in here and take over your cities. But if you will convert to Islam, we will consider you all equal and that will make it okay." Of course not if you're a Christian or Hindu. Of course not if you're a woman.

I am of course not wanting a textbook that is biased against Islam either. What I'm wanting is a real commitment on the part of objectivity and truth, thinking that ardently strives neither to be biased one way or another. I don't want to walk on eggshells around someone who holds to a Black Athena theory or around Ken Ham or around some person who skews the history of Islam. I want to be able to say, this is just a mess of special pleading.

The American way is truth based on evidence and logic, approached as objectively as possible. America was forged by Enlightenment thinkers. An objective approach can fit with all these religions, including my own Christianity. The goal is to find what God truly thinks, not what my tribe wants him to think.

Give me truth, not collectivist thinking!

1 comment:

Susan Moore said...

God's thinking seems to be simply stated, "I am the way, the truth and the life." His use of the word truth is singular. Yet, due the emphasis on self that heralds Enlightened fallacies, His one truth has become relativized. As long as a person believes it's ok to relativize truth, that truth, then, can never be objective because it will always stem from, and be focused on the self. Relative truth is a condition of theologies based on works instead of a theology based on grace. Why would God grant grace to people worshipping idols?