Learning to Discern
Posted by Steve - December 3, 2008
In a recent idea submission, Gloria asked a question about knowing the difference between truth and trickery. How can we determine what is actually real and what is being put in our minds by manipulation. It’s one thing to look at a cult and see the manipulation that takes place. But what about within Christianity? Is there stuff going on that is more about the power of a leader to manipulate his/her followers?
In this episode, Ray and Steve bounce off Gloria’s question and discuss some ways that manipulation takes place. They also discuss the way that believers can be sure what they are hearing/seeing is truth.
Beyond the Box is the podcast of Raborn Johnson and Steve Sensenig. We have been encouraging each other in the journey outside the bounds of institutional religion for several years now and share many of our candid thoughts and questions in our podcast.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Hello Steve and Raborn,
So the answer to “how can believers be sure that what they are hearing/seeing is truth?” is the Holy Spirit? Now I’ve heard that before, but have received disparate and sometimes conflicting descriptions of what, exactly, it is. How is the Holy Spirit distinguishable from a regular human conscience that almost every human has, regardless of religious belief? How can it be distinguished from any other subconscious process such as intuition, feelings, imagination, etc.? “This idea of what is true just popped in my head. Is it my own subconscious, with all of it’s confirmation bias, or is it the Holy Spirit?” Do Christians even ask that question?
By the way, even as a non-believer, I enjoy C.S. Lewis’s apologetic (though I don’t care for his fiction – his metaphors are too transparent): http://www.sidfaiwu.com/blog/index.php/2008/01/mere-morality-true-insights/.
Now I can’t wait for next weeks
January 29th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
This is quite a loaded podcast. I’m not going to say much (and since you have the standard “thinking out loud” disclaimer, you’re probably already safe) but I will say this is something I’ve struggled over for a long time. It touches SO many different subjects that this is really something that needs to be dealt with in more detail.
I think one of the concerns around today is that there are so many different people hearing so many different things out there that any sort of acquiescing to anything that is delivered under a banner other than Christian is always wrong. So when someone hears “Ghandi”, the automatic reaction is to turn the other way. But I think it more accurately addresses the question “Why look to such sources for truth in the first place?”.
But then I guess the rejoinder is that one need not look in such places, but simply hear the Holy Spirit at all times in all situations…
Did you ever answer the question in more detail than that?