Between Man and Man (Pt I)

"Pity those who seek for shepherds instead of longing for freedom."

Back in the days of the Coffee Evangelist, I had started to make a list of the things I believed. It's been well over a year now, and I only remember one thing from that list - I believe that no man should place himself between another man and God.

Now, the atheists among you will no doubt read that as an indictment against the notion of priests and organized religion. And it is. But it is also an indictment against anyone who would use any appeal to authority as a way to tell another man what to think about God.

Before I read The God Delusion, my thoughts about it were pretty much limited to "Poor sap. He actually thinks it's about God." After I read The God Delusion, I had to wonder if Dawkins didn't understand the more fundamental truth of things - It's not about God. It's about power over one's fellow man, and man's desire to be reassured that someone smarter/wiser/holier than himself has figured things out and can tell him the answers. You'll remember that TGD begins by describing Dawkins' perceptions of Einsteins' views on God/religion. You'll remember that I was heartily annoyed that Dawkins peppered his book with similar claims about great scientists - He was an atheist, and he was smarter/wiser than you. Do you really think you know better than him? (Sorry Dawkins, but it smacked of that whether you said it openly or not.) For all the convincing arguing Dawkins did about the evidence (or not) for God, he still couldn't resist putting in the appeals to an authority greater than himself.

You see, it's really not about God. God is an unanswerable question, because a fundamental aspect of the idea of God is that S/He is outside of our realm of experience. I have nothing against debating the merits/existence of God if you feel you need or want to do that. But do it respectably, by discussing the only thing you truly have - your own ideas, thoughts, and experiences - without resorting to a tally of which respectable person falls on which side of the debate. (Well done on that point, Horgan.)

And decide if your real problem is with God, or with organized religion (Man). Because I'm betting that almost everything you think you know about God actually came from Man. Even those tablets of inscribed stone/gold that are supposed to have come directly from God. Unless God dropped those tablets at your feet, your knowledge of them came from Man.

I wish that God were something intensely personal. I wish that each man (and of course I mean woman also) questioned the unknown aspects of his universe on his own and decided what to believe based on his own thinking and experience. I wouldn't presume to tell someone that he can't feel the presence of God, or the peace that passes understanding, except to say that if he finds these experiences too distressing, there's probably a medication that can help with that. But when one man thinks his vision of whatever is out there is superior to that of others, then the problems start. When one man becomes convinced that he must share that vision, he becomes an authority, at least on that topic. (And I know what some of you are thinking. Yes, that goes for scientific visions too. Even mine.)

When one man becomes convinced that he must defend his vision, he is no longer working for his own understanding - he is fighting for the loyalty/respect/right to influence other people. And once you are in that position, it's very hard not to resort to appeals to the authority of others who shared your vision. Because you have tasted power, and it tastes good. (Pt II will be about my recent experience as a juror, and let's just say... sometimes I scare me.)

Authority is an inescapable consequence of organized group activity. Any time there is a division of labor - such as is required for a civilized society to function - or task specialization among members of a group, one member comes to know things that the others do not. He becomes a trusted authority in that thing in which he specializes. People come to him when they need advice or information about his area of expertise. And this system can work well, because we usually recognize how it enhances our collective strength. We can't all be doctors - who would put out fires?, etc. I just don't think that our knowledge or ideas about God are something that we need to trust to others. God shouldn't be an acceptable area of specialization. You might specialize in the history of the idea of God, or the reasons people want to believe in God. But you do not and should not claim to specialize in God. You do not and should not claim to have any special authority from God.

Let me say it again - God is an unanswerable question, by definition. Talking about God only shifts our attention away from the real problems that prompted us to think about God in the first place. (I can't believe I'm writing yet another post that talks about God. Really. It annoys me.) And those problems are between Man and Man. Even those problems that appear to have no origin in the actions of Man (e.g., natural disasters) can be alleviated somewhat by the efforts of Man. And because Man is a creature of diverse ideas, he will argue and fight for the right to lead other men according to his vision of how these problems should be solved. But his vision should never be confused with God's vision. Even if he believes God may have communicated something to him, he is the one communicating it to you. And he is a man. You are never being asked to choose between God and Man; you are being asked to choose between man and man. Even when you are choosing between your own experience and the experience of others - man and man.

At some point, you will follow someone whose vision or charisma or other attributes you admire. But never give up the right to question that person, or their actions. Never let them convince you that their position is unassailable, or their authority is beyond reproach.

I know what you're thinking - "You're sounding a little preachy there, missy." And in Pt II I'll tell you exactly why you should never unthinkingly give me power or authority.