February 16, 2005
My crazy brothers and sisters
I have spent the last couple of hours in a rather foolish fashion, hopping from blog to blog and entry to entry. Then I followed one of Cynic's links to an old post he made regarding idiots, whereupon I was ensnared for more than an hour by what I would describe as the "lunatic fringe" of the Protestant faith. I read arguments against Harry Potter, The Passion, and wine, among others. I then followed links to a supported site and read on the debate about the King James Bible being inspired. Following that rather length period, I have some thoughts on the whole thing some of you might find interesting.
First, after checking their salvation page and reading it carefully, I've come to the conclusion that these are, in fact, my brothers. They may represent a part of the family I don't acknowledge too often (like those weird uncles), but they're family. I'm not sure whether or they they'd see me that way, but I don't think they'd be very pleased with me.
I must confess that they're pretty awesome debaters. They're pretty detailed in their denunciation of Harry Potter and The Passion, and their arguments for the "wine" at the Last Supper actually being "grape juice" are very involved. What struck me was the awesomeness of the task I would be confronted with if I had to try to argue any of them out of their position through reason. I don't think I'd get anywhere; they're dug in pretty deep and would fiercely resent it. It would be an interesting exercise, and might be good for me, but it would likely result in hurt and angry feelings on both sides. I have to admit that their worldview seems to be pretty airtight, their doctrines pretty bulletproof. I imagine holes might be poked in them, but I don't get the impression these people are easy to argue with.
When I was trying to explain the depth of my vexation to my wife, I began to realize that there is a spendid passage in Orthodoxy that applies in a wonderful way. By the way, I'm positive that they would consider Chesteron an agent of the Anti-Christ.
And if great reasoners are often maniacal, it is equally true that maniacs are commonly great reasoners ... Every one who has had the misfortune to talk with people in the heart or on the edge of mental disorder, knows that their most sinister quality is a horrible clarity of detail; a connection of one thing with another in a map more elaborate than a maze. If you argue with a madman, it is extremely probable that you will get the worst of it; for in many ways his mind moves all the quicker for not being delayed by the things that go with good judgment. He is not hampered by a sense of humour or by charity, or by the dumb certainties of experience. He is the more logical for losing certain sane affections. Indeed, the common phrase for insanity is in this respect a misleading one. The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.The madman's explanation of a thing is always complete, and often in a purely rational sense satisfactory. Or, to speak more strictly, the insane explanation, if not conclusive, is at least unanswerable ... Nevertheless he is wrong. But if we attempt to trace his error in exact terms, we shall not find it is quite so easy as we had supposed. Perhaps the nearest we can get to expressing itis to say this: that his mind moves in a perfect but narrow circle ...
A man cannot think himself out of mental evil; for it is actually the organ of thought that has become diseased, ungovernable, and, as it were independent. He can only be saved by will or faith. The moment his reason moves, it moves in the old circular rut ...
Such is the madman of experience; he is commonly a reasoner, frequently a sucessful reasoner. Doubtless he could be vanquished in mere reason, and the case against him put logically. But it can be put much more precisely in more general and even aesthetic terms. He is in the clean and well-lit prision of one idea: he is sharpened to one painful point. He is without healthy hesitation and complexity.
GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy, p. 18-22
Well, Chesterton said it so well I can hardly add anything to it, except to soften the tone in case my fanatical brothers or sisters read this. *Addressing them* Yes, dear brother and sister, I do consider you partially insane on a large part of your worldview. Your quest for certainty and avoidance of grey areas has led you astray. And if you can no longer hear me, I'm sorry. If you still can, then I do want to say that though I think you're a little crazy, you're still family and still welcome in my home. I recognize you have good points (to some extent, your problem is that you have too many good points and not enough good lines) and that I do not have a corner on truth. When we get to heaven, I may discover that you were right all along. In such a case, I present my apologies in advance for the pain I cause you now. We serve the same God, and we are both cracked pots in His service.
