Articles
Critical Thinking Skills - 3
It is a fair question: Why do so many theologians disagree on basic Scriptural concepts? Modern denominations as well as non-affiliated faith groups all read the same Bible and yet worship differently, believe conflicting doctrines and disagree even on the simple question of how to become a Christian. What is going on here?
First, such disparity is not merely a religious phenomenon. Why was there an initial “orthodox” view of Covid, advocated by “experts,” and then there gradually arose dissenting views relative to origin, treatment and contagion protocols (which were ostracized by the orthodoxy)? Why is there so much division on Ukraine, national borders, climate change, gender identity, nuclear power, immigration policy, etc. – each side defended by PhDs and other academics?
But returning to the spiritual realm, why was it that when Jesus came into the world the Jewish nation was so divided on His nature, pedigree, credentials, moral soundness, fidelity to the Law of Moses, miraculous ability, etc.? It wasn’t a differential of raw intellect, for there was division among Jewish scholars: Nicodemus deemed Him to be a “teacher come from God” (Jn 3:2) while others said, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath” (Jn 9:16).
The same dissension was evident among commoners: “If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing” declared the blind man whom Jesus healed (Jn 9:33). Yet others saw His exorcisms and scoffed, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (Lk 11:15).
We know that Jesus wasn’t sending out mixed signals or was deliberately obtuse; thus, the problem of disparate viewpoints did not originate with Him. That leaves us with His audiences, observers and opponents. How could they draw such different conclusions regarding what – and Who – they were seeing and hearing?
Second, it is evident that a lack of information does play some role in these disparities, but this is not necessarily tied to a lack of intellectual capability. Listen as Jesus’ rebukes His generation concerning their ignorance concerning the Law of Moses:
Ø “‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”’” (Mt 22:4-5)?
Ø “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mt 22:32).
Ø “‘Have you not read this Scripture: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”’” (Mk 12:10-11)?
There are two realities in play here: 1) the people were indeed ignorant of much of what the Law taught because the rabbis had drifted away from Scripture in favor of their own oral traditions (collected in the Mishna, ca. AD 200); and consequently, 2) they had lost the critical thinking skills that should have enabled them to draw the proper conclusions about Jesus’ true identity. This second aspect of intellectual blindness is a judgment of God against earlier generations of Jews who likewise abandoned the Law for their own preferences: “For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden” (Is 29:14).
A concordance search of OT words like knowledge, understanding, wisdom, etc. shows that moral and intellectual awareness are often associated with familiarity with the Law. The opposite is also true: when Israel forsook the Law, they lost their capacity for understanding; i.e., their critical thinking skills diminished. As a result, Israel repeatedly made foolish decisions such as installing poor kings, alliances with the wrong nations, forsaking God for idols, mistreating their fellow Israelites, etc. When God did send prophets to confront the people the result was usually rejection of the message and persecution or death of the messenger: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it” (Ac 7:51-53). So thundered the prophet Stephen against the Sanhedrin shortly before he became the first Christian martyr.
What is so powerful as to entice us away from the pursuit of truth and the ability to distinguish it from error? To what do we sacrifice our critical thinking skills?
In a word, groupthink. Google AI gives this definition of groupthink: “A decision-making process where a group prioritizes agreement over critical thinking. It can lead to bad decisions and disastrous outcomes.” Groupthink arises from social pressure, blind allegiance to authority and the influence of propaganda disseminated to foster dependence upon that authority. It takes a lot of effort to sift truth from the garbage pile of human ideas and philosophies. Better to just stick with what “everyone believes.”
People attach themselves to groups for various reasons, one of which is to find acceptance, support and significance. Whatever the group thinks or whatever “our” theologians and church officials decree, that is the truth. No thinking required. Rather than examine doctrines that may be wholly without Scriptural support, it is easier to simply slander one’s opponent and reject their position without seriously examining the evidence. The servant’s plea to the prophet Micaiah, who was called to advise Ahab on warring against the Syrians, illustrates this tendency: “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement” (2 Chr 18:12). To which Micaiah famously replied: “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak” (18:13). If we make Micaiah’s declaration our mantra, we will not stray far from the path of critical thinking, sound judgment, clear truth and wisdom for daily living.
