Sorry, great question. Here, Moore is observing the nature of identity politics in the US. Identity and faithfulness to one’s own tribe (more than politics, actually) become so important that one ignores the importance of truth and reference to a common language of verifiable science. Logic breaks down in this process. Thanks.
Yes! This is huge, isn’t it? We see it all the time.
If Christians are not telling the truth about some things, Why should people believe anything else we say?
No the context was much different. I honestly think you would love the book Dale. I am, truly.
Interestingly, in this context, Moore talks about the song “Losing My Religion,” which actually apparently in context has more in common with “losing my sanctiification,” when one sees something so much needing fixing, that one nearly loses sight of levelheadedness in trying to set things right. It’s a double meaning. He’s talking about refocusing on what is right.
What I meant is in reference to Randy’s Moore quote. We see Christians in the U.S. connecting themselves to all sorts of conspiracies, fabrications, misinformation as if they have some moral obligation to hold to a particular form of politics, no matter what untruths are being promoted by the talking heads representing that group. Or Christians who glom onto those things, because their “gut” tells them something there is right. Or the person spouting the untruths claims to be a Christian, or or or.
This IS a huge part of evangelicalism in the US today.
If Christians demonstrate themselves to be divorced from love of truth, from truth, from truth-telling, then they are simply unreliable, untrustworth. Skeptics and unbelievers have no reason to trust Christians, if as a group this is how we behave. Or, if a large enough group behaves that way, that it gives the impression that that’s the whole.
“Well, yes, I know there are those liars over there, but I’m not like them. People don’t buy it.
The message of the Cross and Jesus is hard enough to believe, if one has not been raised in it, and even then it can be hard. If Christians seem to be an untrustworthy lot, who follows all kinds of far-out untruths, then no one should believe we have any kind of truth to tell. The group has demonstrated itself to be untrustworthy, unreliable witnesses.
What is postmodern about the question: Why should people believe anything else we say? Particularly, why should people take the word of Christians, who demonstrate that they themselves don’t believe or speak true things, that is, don’t believe or speak truth?
Having just recently been reminded of Michael Behe in the other thread, that in turn reminded me of the scandalous Dover trial and the demonstrable lies that were exposed. I felt sorry for Behe, getting pulled into that. So much for American evangelical Christian witness.
Well, that is true; but sometimes our entities make the deviation that is apparent through the entire culture to be more apparent. Growing up in West Africa, as I matured, I realized that even my neighbors that I idolized were not perfect. Certainly, tribalism occurs all over the world. It’s when we encounter it in a case of “man bites dog” that it makes more of an impression.
About 18 years ago, I encountered a very humble Roman Catholic priest who did everything he could to nearly obsessively avoid any appearance of abuse. It struck me how much the ill use of the relative few can horribly affect the many who really try to do well.