It is a frustrating, swirling tangent that can enter in to a conversation about religion. The frustration starts because the believer truly does not see the circular path they are walking. They have a thick set of filters, but because they grew up with them, and live in a society that supports them, they are not even aware of their presence - the fish has no concept of being wet.
The believer cannot see their perspective as one among many. In their mind, they have THE perspective... and everyone outside of their perspective needs to get with the program. So conversations tend to sound like this:
Believer: What a glorious shade of blue our God has colored the world in! Don't you love the blue he has made it?
Non-believer: Actually, I don't see it in blue. You see it in blue because you are wearing blue glasses.
Believer: How can you say that? Everything around us is clearly blue! Look for yourself!
Non-believer: I am looking, and I am telling you that you are seeing blue BECAUSE you are wearing blue glasses. See that guy over there? I was talking to him a moment ago and he sees everything in red because he is wearing red glasses... and that lady over there is seeing emerald because of her green glasses. You are all seeing different colors because you are wearing different colored glasses.
Believer (speaking in patient tones): Friend... you can choose to live in denial of what is clear all around us... but denying the truth does not change the truth. Blue surrounds us!
Non-believer: I do not deny that you are seeing blue, but you must see that ...... hmmmm... let's try something. Will you do me a favor and take the glasses off?
Believer: What glasses?At this point, one has to consider how long to keep spinning in this circle....
Nice! ... unless the person reading this can only see in blue...
ReplyDeleteThe idea that the Bible is true because God wrote it is very common.
ReplyDeleteBut the Bible was written by men.
It is only inspired by God.
It takes skill to change out the glasses ... sometimes I wonder if it's possible to eliminate them entirely... hmm.
ReplyDeleteMD.... I am not sure. In my experience, Jesus still seemed real to me in a lot of ways after I deconverted. A lot of my life and thought patterns were still the same. But I find it becoming less so all the time; however, doubt it will ever leave entirely. I am an Atheist now, but as Hitchens said "my particular atheism is a Protestant atheism."
ReplyDelete