How True Is The Truth?

[This expansion of commentary related to the video work Easter Dharma posted above is included in part in an expanded treatment of the subject 'Multiple Perspectives' in the ongoing work of Elements  of the Subconscious Mind.]

This expression of complexity in terms of study of the Bible must be seen as doctrinal, and an issue of debate and dispute, to a greater or less importance to each person it concerns. I do not see this expression as contradicting the things other persons believe in or have faith in, the Bible or other sacred scriptures. That is as may be for each to decide for herself.  For myself, it is clear that the Bible is a useful tool for human intellectual development. It is a source of complexity in print to aid we human beings to understand the complexity of the world around us, as a pole of common data by which human brain chemistry may be developed and brain function sharpened to spearhead the civilization of humankind and make all things possible. To contain this examination of doctrine I will limit its scope to only three perspectives; strict interpretation of scripture, a Jesus Christ’ teachings centered interpretation of the Bible, and the atheistic mistrust of scriptures and religion. 

Beginning in the middle, I shall lay my case for the Bible as a historical tool for human intellectual development. The introductory video examination of the chapter of Matthew 22 is a key passage in which Jesus tells the multitude the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven as our life here on Earth. As a direct result of Jesus’ revelation, and subsequent  talk with the lions of the temple, the iconic events of the story of Easter took place. Until this point human beings were bound to the Temple for all of the spiritual aspects of their lives. To those persons who came to hear Jesus’ teaching and learn of his miraculous works he had a bona fide reality in his words that the temple clergy did not, so when Jesus condemned their practices and pointed out their self-serving ways and hypocritical behavior, the multitude knew that this also was indeed the truth. Then when Jesus told them the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, they marveled at its message, for it was difficult to see the blessing it contained as it related to their own lives. Life was difficult and often painful and full of deprivation, but at least the Priests offered the solace of paradise in Heaven in exchange for good behavior in the midst of their suffering.

Of course the Bible as such did not exist at this period of time. For most of the two millennium following creation of the scriptures that became our Bible were held to be infallible. There was very good intellectual and anthropological reasons for holding and teaching the doctrine of Biblical infallibility; it amplified the many basically good and useful aspects of their teachings, and gave a reassuring answer to any ambiguities that arose. Most important it steered students of the scriptures to focus on studying them as whole entities that impart complex meanings. Perceiving this complexity has the twin benefit of developing our brain structure; and in turn understanding the complete meanings that the Bible contains.  In this example of Matthew 22, a cursory count gives me 47 separate variables (that is thoughts, statements or ideas) in this account that leads directly to Jesus’ iconic end. Each one of these variables can be understood as correct, incorrect, partially correct or partially incorrect. By accepting infallibility one may accept each verse at face value in order to derive the benefit of the whole teaching. When we solve a simple problem such a 2 + 2 x 2 = 8 it is vital that each variable be true for the answer to be correct. But this is not necessarily true for a complex equation like Matthew 22. There are a number of verses each with an individual meaning that in their aggregate are a complexity that leads to a momentous conclusion.

For a student of the Bible, or any complexity it is very important to trust the material until the end before making a judgment, because if verse 12, 23 and 37 strike chords of contradiction with knowledge we feel we know, we can lose the whole truth and meaning of the chapter. In studying complexity it may not be necessary that all of the variables considered in a proposition be “true” as we understand them, so long as we find truth in the aggregate. In being open to seeing multiple perspectives we come to feel truth in the body, taste it in the tongue and hear it in a speaker’s voice and see it in her face and body. Don’t let the things you know blind you to things you do not yet know. I can’t say if I said that, or Dr. Strange or Yoda or Thoreau, but this is the first truth of perception of complexity.

The books of the Torah are made of a wide range of characters who all share in common that they seek the truth. As the scriptures progress they use the thought, actions and interactions among themselves and with God to express incremental human progress made by available technology, process and ingenuity. If they lacked the benefit of scientific process, they at least perfected transcription and proofreading, so that scriptures could be slowly but accurately disseminated, no mean feat even today. For instance the genealogy of the books of Kings were carefully kept and maintained for their contemporary value of establishing important lineage, but they were much more valuable to later generations of persons as a tool for the development of human brain chemistry and a source of academic credential. Each book of the Bible fills a spiritual, anthropological and intellectual function. It is a work constructed to impart value to contemporary readers in Biblical times and still hold relevant value in present times and also in the future.

So here is the turning of the screw, and it is wholly a doctrinal question for Fundamentalists and strict constructionist persons who hold the value of scriptures is derived from prophets and prophesies false and true, a perfect lamb as Messiah, belief in the way of Salvation steering clear of a hell of punishment for non-belief after a final global tribulation and Final Judgment Day. It is curious that this strict doctrine is so prevalent and persistent, especially considering the number of divisions and schisms that split one denomination from another over the past five hundred years and causes member persons to be unable to accept the doctrinal interpretations of their respective parent church. Objectively the case of the Church v Galileo drove a stake through the heart of a strict constructionist doctrine and Fundamentalism. In fact doctrine itself is only the bare bones of any religion; the meat is in the good works churches do for their members, society and the culture as a whole. This importance is not to be denigrated or dismissed. However as science and technology progress, persons become more capable of benefiting from multiple perspectives which in turn equip us to absorb complexity so that belief may fall away in favor of perception in terms of scriptures. Throughout history from the time of Abraham until today there has been an industry of the Temple. Always people benefited from the religion in their life to a greater or lesser degree; and the hierarchy of priests and preachers of all descriptions filled an important role in teaching and interpreting scriptures in all times, for good or ill.

The lynchpin of all Western scripture is of course Jesus Christ. He fills the shoes of the true messiah for all modern peoples of all faiths because his life and teachings change all the rules for human beings going forward. Jesus’ teachings all bid us to ‘use your head’ to solve the problems that stream through our lives. Be compassionate in our dealings with all persons right up until we have to fight them or run. To see that this lifetime we have here on Earth is for us to live as we are in heaven or in hell as we can understand and follow his teaching. Just as all scripture has value it also has purpose. In believing Jesus’ teaching, one will find dissonance reading the work of St. Paul, but Paul was the bridge anthropologically speaking that kept early Christians in the game. His teachings allowed Jesus’ then seemingly bleak prophesy to be mere pretext to the iconography of his suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. One of Jesus’ teachings from Matthew 22 that has always held true is “many are called, but few are chosen.”

Jesus’ unhappy depiction of the Kingdom of Heaven was felt by John and many others in the early church to be weak and unresponsive to the needs of his present generation. His gospel and especially the book of Revelations reject Christ’s simple teachings and attempt to bring a sort of Old Testament authority to Jesus Christ’s mythos. In careful reading Revelations does not hang together well or communicate in the way other books of the Bible do. Unless the goal is to justify clergy in telling the faithful  what to believe and how to live for murky reasons that cannot be known the book has little purpose. The book of Revelations reads like a series of disconnected dreamlike vignettes that are the less intelligible for the lack of a serviceable narrative. It does have the function of contradicting all of Jesus teachings in service of frightening repentant sinners into toeing the line. Belief in it only allows forgoing heaven in favor of feeling superior or desperately hoping for some paradise hereafter.

I do not claim any universal truth for these assertions, for if they have any truth it must be manifest, and in no way dependent on my authority or any other. The reality I have come to perceive in working with complexity of thought, particularly considering Theology is that the perhaps infinite variables in play make the existence of any one actual truth improbable. Thus the tighter one clings to any perceived doctrinal ‘truth’ the further removed one is from its fruition.

There are millions of persons attending every sort of church, mosque and temple who all are in common searching for the truth, to make sense of the world that is changing so fast all around them. They wonder why they play by the rules and the others who do not seem to get ahead. We turn to religion because the answers life gives us are shifting and unsatisfactory and at least a church offers a firm morality we can understand. Religions sponsor schools, universities, hospitals and charitable missions to foreign lands. They help the poor in many ways and by moving resources from donors to those in need. Clergy visit the sick and those elderly or alone, council those troubled by all manner of concern, fears and regrets. There are uncountable good works performed by churches and persons of all faiths, and this is all too often overlooked by those who condemn and criticize religions. Even Fundamentalism and strict constructionist interpretation has resonance and value to many persons. Blanket condemnation of other person’s belief is not a useful tactic in understanding them or ourselves, but neither is it necessary to accept Fundamentalist belief without putting it to the test. As stated above the concept of Biblical infallibility is a valid one, but only in maintaining the integrity of its construction in its study and interpretation. Its structure is not to be discarded by the practice of pick and choose verses out of context to serve the preacher’s sermon. In respecting the Bibles structure of complexity it is less useful to find reasons to divide and disparage other persons.

Always the negative aspects of any doctrine are rooted in attachment to misunderstanding or misinterpreting the nature of the scriptures. Fundamentalists of all stripes claim their scriptures rule their righteous actions and behavior; yet all houses of worship hold doctrinal differences from the original root of their religion. All would argue that theirs is the one true interpretation of scripture; yet all exist in a modern world of science and technology that prove Fundamentalism to be fanciful at best. This reality is not lost on such believing persons, and its effect is twofold. Subconsciously or in unspoken fashion we experience fear and confusion; feeling determination to cling to our doctrinal faith and way of salvation, thus treating contradictory doctrine as the work of Satan, a useful iconic character that upholds the validity of doctrinal belief without the necessity of affectingly refuting any logical questions or contradictions. Unfortunately these characteristics infuriate both outsiders and similar Fundamentalist factions of veering doctrinal differences. One of the most difficult penetrations of perception is to become able to accept other, contradictory, even seemingly nonsensical or dangerous notions held by other persons or groups of people. We are misled in thinking we are superior to other persons, whether locally or internationally.

 So it is the doctrinal misuse of scripture and the misunderstanding persons have of the value these scriptures contain that cause so many to define themselves as agnostic or atheist. As these designations are not doctrinal or even progressive in nature they serve chiefly to cut short any unwelcome conversation concerting religion. The unfortunate thing for practicing atheists is that they deny themselves of valuable aspects of religion, that benefit many others, and in doing so they make a (generally false) case for religious persons to regard them as being without morals. As a personal cost of declaring atheism one in effect places herself squarely in the center of the universe; and so from that perspective all else revolves around herself. The mere fact of accepting the existence of a god in some form instead sets her in an orbit in relation to all others; a more useful and valuable perspective for all persons.

In general an atheist will deny herself the benefit of prayer, reasoning that prayer is a thing one does to appease God. This is a sad miscalculation, for prayer is not for God but for our self! Prayer acknowledges that there is something we do not comprehend or control. This element is the spark that makes life a constant source of joy and sorrow, as we make them, our prayers serve to clarify our priorities and our intentions. Prayer is a real way to know ourselves and to guide us through difficult times; and give hope when we feel hopeless. The value of prayer to a person cannot be overemphasized, even detached from any religion or doctrine.

The atheist doctrine is upon reflection the weakest of possible beliefs because it is only and entirely “the egress” in Barnum’s Museum; the door out of theological considerations of any sort. Unlike religious beliefs that offer some guidance in material and spiritual questions, atheism demands that all religious consideration must cease in my presence; and asserts that it holds no validity, and this denial trumps all discussion. Although this aspect of atheism is largely seen to be true, it should not be seen as a wholly negative thing. Rather in most cases this is a well-earned defense mechanism many adopt as a shield from the unwelcome imposition of religion upon them by others. Here again it is well to recall; do not let the things we know blind us the things we do not know.