and after a short absence...
...i'm back. not happy to be, but alas, life isn't everything we want it to be all of the time.
where was i? on vacation.
was it lovely? it was.
shall i write about it? yes, later.
why not now? work beckons.
and i leave you as such, but not for long this time.
jh..
matters of fact.
the search for Truth is not only elusive and difficult, it's also rare in its pursuit.
many people claim to be searching for Truth, but the validity of the claim is quite often dubious. the most common way of avoiding a true search for Truth appears to come in two primary forms. either someone refuses to entertain other possibilities because they're engrossed in the belief and subsequent research of one avenue, or they refuse to take into objective (as much as possible, when beliefs are involved) account arguments against their beliefs, the ignorance of which is most notable when the arguments against are based in evidence, fact, and sound reasoning, while the arguments in their defence are based elsewhere, perhaps at best on faith. all too often i see people in the act of "critically" examining their faith, by way of reading books about their faith written by fellow believers who argue only the reasons for believing. an examination fails to be critical if it only employs reviewing a common thesis or single side of an argument. in order to be truly critical, one must entertain, at the very least, a definitive antithesis comprised arguments against the thesis. the objective and fair critic, of course, will entertain all relevant theses and arguments, and refute and strike those which fail to stand supported by way of reason and evidence.
it seems to me that very few people who are brought up in a specific belief system, most often a religion, end up legitimately, critically examining their faith. whether it's because they fear the the unknown, they need to have some sort of answer handed to them that they can believe in, they don't want to leave the religious-/belief-based community, they are apprehensive of abandoning a lifelong habit, they fear the repercussions of family and religous friends, or myriad other reasons, they would rather continue to believe as they always have than to genuinely challenge their faith. the irony of the situation is that in truly challenging and critically examining a faith, one can only come across positive consequences. either the person will decide that their faith is not reasonable and as such is not Truth, or they will affirm their belief and it will now sit on a foundation of firm reasoning, evidence, and support, which can only serve to bolster faith if the belief is in deed Truth. of course, those who do not appeal to reason in forming their beliefs will discard critical thought as unnecessary, and appeal to internal evidences as support for their faith. however, those who appeal to reason, logic and evidence in searching for support and Truth will not be able to rest comfortably while their fundamental beliefs are grounded in a poorly crafted base.
in another sense, it seems careless and unreasonable for a person to believe, let alone claim, that a religion is Truth, when that is the only avenue that they've thoroughly (which is an overstatement for a majority) explored, and when their faith is based on comfort, routine, and habit. the modern world would be a dismal place in deed, were it not for our ability to think critically and to reason. the strength of conviction characteristic of religion is itself a heavily contributing factor to the lack of objectivism in critical analysis of faith and belief. how is it, then, that such a vast majority of people fail to do just that with respect to the beliefs that they claim to hold so strongly? the argument commonly employed is that unless there appears to be good reason to do so, why should one give up their faith? sadly, giving up that faith is often the only way to gain an objective viewpoint from which one can critically examine their beliefs. i can say from first-hand experience that faith is blinding. i think that it's possible to grow some spiritually based on faith alone, but i would argue that it's a complete crapshoot as to whether or not that bit of spiritual growth will bring a person any cloer to Truth. it seems that most people aren't willing to abandon their comfort in an born-into faith in order to genuinely search for Truth; they'd rather cling to whatever naive faith they do have because it seems to be better than nothing, despite the fact that when one has nothing, one also has nothing holding one back.
in the end, it seems that most people don't genuinely want to find Truth; what they really want, is for what they believe in to be true. my questioning did ultimately lead me away from what for a long time was my religious faith, and many "believers" would describe that as a tragedy and a loss. yet while the end result of my critical thought has offered fewer concise and packaged religious "answers", it has offered much more clarity, and has thus far led me to what, for me, is a much closer and more genuine idea of Truth.
