Ignorance, arrogance causing some to look down on others
Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. Text: “The FOOL says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” Psalm 14:1/a. And: “But God said to him, ‘You FOOL! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'” Luke 12:20. And: “For the message of the cross is FOOLISHNESS to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18. One word connects our scripture reading and our text, namely FOOL or FOOLISHNESS. Our text is based on three verses quoted from the Bible. Today, we like to use stronger words in the case of disagreement. We like to be called wise and smart and not fool; however, may I humbly ask you to see the positive through the negative. We do not wish to be critical or cynical; however, seeing these two opposite poles, namely the gifted and the average person, we find that these two groups mutually blame each other. From this tension between the talented and simple-minded, we wish to come to constructive conclusion that the majority of the people are in between these two extreme points.
DO SCIENCE AND RELIGION CONTRADICT OR COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER?
Books have been written by scientists and theologians supporting both views. The final decision – as far as I know – has not been reached yet. We know scientists who were atheists and became believers as well as believers who eventually gave up their faith in God. I cannot tell you which group outnumbers the other one. Numbers alone do not have the final evidence or proof.
Unfortunately, there are not sufficient resources and space available for us to make scholarly research and presentation on the topic of “SCIENCE VERSUS RELIGION,” thus, we wish to depend on our general observation asking you to read this meditation with logic and open mind, offering you the possibility to have a different opinion.
BELIEVERS OUTNUMBER THE SCIENTISTS; HOWEVER, A FEW SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS KNOW MORE THAN THOUSANDS OF AVERAGE PERSONS. THE AGE OLD DILEMMA: QUANTITY VERSUS QUALITY.
Any kind of power can make a person self-centered, and having an excellent mind, that is possessing a very high IQ, can easily lead to overconfidence and even to arrogance. There are names that are well-known, who are or were outstanding, exceptional, and highly-respected in their respective field, yet some of them have spoken quite contemptuously and defiantly about God, faith and church. For instance:
“To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.” Isaac Asimov.
“The believer is happy. The doubter is wise.” Unknown.
“The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.” George Bernard Shaw.
“People fashion their God after their own understanding. They make their God first and worship him afterwards.” Oscar Wilde.
We can find more similar quotations; however, these should be sufficient to come to the conclusion that very smart people can look down on people with average IQ and attribute their faith in God to their limited intelligence. Saying it disdainfully, they are IGNORANT, and ignorance could be the source of religion and superstition. Avoiding any debate and argument, we do not wish to blame the agnostics and atheists (please study our Scripture reading), just simply mention a few points: The Bible was NOT written for SCIENTIFIC BUT for SPIRITUAL purposes. A thousand years from now, people can say so little was known at the beginning of the 21st century. One of the great philosophers who denied God was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) and according to his critics, this could have been written on his tombstone: “God is dead, Nietzsche.” “Nietzsche is dead, God.’
Those who defy God and ridicule the believers are usually very critical of everybody else also, always making others feel how little they know. We can say with tactfulness that wisdom and MODESTY have achieved more than wisdom and ARROGANCE.
We trust the Bible where we read these: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10, see also Luke 1:52 and James 4:6, as well: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25.
The Rev. Alexander Jalso is a retired United Presbyterian minister living in Brownsville.