Blind Faith or Prudence

I am reading Proverbs 14 this week and verse 15 stayed in my mind as it speaks to the tendency we all have to believe something without verifying the context or the messenger. As small children, we believe what parents and teachers tell us and in most cases, this is a good thing. But with maturity, we should learn to question what we are see and hear. 

I am increasingly wary of people who have all the answers. I prefer to interact with imperfect people who may struggle honestly with their faith, people who have different life experiences and perspectives from my own. Anne Lamott is an author I recently discovered. (better late than never!) Her writings are honest, humourous, and open as she discusses struggles with depression, alcoholism, single motherhood in the context of her Christian faith. Growing up in a dysfunctional family in the Boomer generation, Lamott's trajectory in life was far different from my own. But she is a very authentic person who speaks with wisdom gained from experience. 

The late M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist who returned to his Christian faith in later years, wrote a best-selling book published in 1978 called The Road Less Travelled. In this book he describes four stages of spiritual development. This concept has been adapted by many people but this is an outline of Peck's theory. I have read the book but will use this summary from Wikipedia because I cannot say it better. 

The four stages of spiritual development

Peck postulates that there are four stages of human spiritual development:

• Stage I is chaotic, disordered, and reckless. Very young children are in Stage I. They may defy and disobey and are unwilling to accept a will greater than their own. They are egoistical and lack empathy for others. Criminals are often people who have never grown out of Stage I.
• Stage II is the stage at which a person has blind faith in authority figures and sees the world as divided simply into good and evil, right and wrong, us and them. Once children learn to obey their parents and other authority figures (often out of fear or shame), they reach Stage II. Many religious people are Stage II. With blind faith comes humility and a willingness to obey and serve. The majority of conventionally moralistic, law-abiding citizens never move out of Stage II.
• Stage III is the stage of scientific skepticism and questioning. A Stage III person does not accept claims based on faith, but is only convinced with logic. Many people working in scientific and technological research are in Stage III. Often they reject the existence of spiritual or supernatural forces, since these are difficult to measure or prove scientifically. Those who do retain their spiritual beliefs move away from the simple, official doctrines of fundamentalism.
• Stage IV is the stage at which an individual enjoys the mystery and beauty of nature and existence. While retaining skepticism, s/he starts perceiving grand patterns in nature and develops a deeper understanding of good and evil, forgiveness and mercy, compassion and love. His/her religiousness and spirituality differ from that of a Stage II person, in the sense that s/he does not accept things through blind faith or out of fear, but from genuine belief. S/he does not judge people harshly or seek to inflict punishment on them for their transgressions. This is the stage of loving others as yourself, losing your attachment to your ego, and forgiving your enemies. Stage IV people are labeled mystics.

Peck argues that while transitions from Stage I to Stage II are sharp, transitions from Stage III to Stage IV are gradual. Nonetheless, these changes are noticeable and mark a significant difference in the personality of the individual.

In the past few years, I have been working through Stage III and hope that I no longer "accept things through blind faith or out of fear, but from genuine belief". Stage IV is my goal. 

Dr. Diarmaid MacCulloch, an English historian and scholar, wrote a large book called A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. His work was adapted to a six part BBC documentary called A History of Christianity and it is currently free to stream at Watch Documentaries . The book and the documentary are historical, not doctrinal and provide a worldwide overview of Christianity that I was never taught. They tell the stories of many brave people who were prudent and gave thought to their steps within their historical and cultural context. It also shows how corruption spreads when "the simple" believe anything and follow corrupt leaders and teachings, often in exchange for political favour and power.

And it is true that history repeats itself over and over again.