Recently, during this challenging week where we lost a close family member and some other challenges were happening, someone suggested that a small group I am facilitating watch the film, Reasons to Believe. Given that most people recognize and honor the space held for the closely moderated and facilitated group that I host, I don't really have to expend a lot energy on the resources shared by people who participate even when I am unfamiliar with the resource.
I honor the group and most people with my real listening and other good faith efforts, not just listening to respond. If I have done the associated healing work, I can listen without reacting emotionally. In some cases, I appreciate having strong emotions because I need the information my emotions are providing since that is their purpose according to my worldview. I realize that I had a visceral reaction to this film because it was a space of dishonor. I don't mind engaging any conversation about any subject, but I will not harbor one of dishonor. I recently recorded a whole video on this subject, so I won’t expand on that now. One does not always need to answer dishonor but sometimes it is necessary, this is my answer to Reasons to Believe.
All manipulations/lies have some truth in it. I have spoken about the realization that I had about the truth existing in the feedback loop of any grouping of people, outside of that, all conversations about "truth" are anecdotal. Science has an agreed upon method as does any systemic expression distinguished or not. It is not the matter of religion being a "sacred cow" as some like to say, rather, I would like to disabuse the promoters and makers of this film of their own hubris. While I appreciate the generic discussion of the development of belief and the need to not hold one higher than another, they are doing that very thing about their system of belief that is based on science.
Let me start by saying, I LOVE science! I often refer to myself as “a geek” but I don't worship science like many geeks may. It is okay for those who worship science to do so, but I don't. The "science" of humanity has taught me that all humans hold systems of belief. The participants in this film seem to be unaware of theirs. They seem to hold their belief in science above all belief because of their confidence in the scientific method. They admit that science is progressive in its evolution but don’t hold it to the same scrutiny as they hold spiritual belief. Science has been wrong plenty of times in the past and it still is today, there are even parts of the Bible that describe things that popular science did not understand at the time the scrolls were written. Yet, they want us to leave aside the “mythological side and keep the social side that’s been beneficial”. They define the “mythological” by anything science cannot measure or for which it cannot find evidence.
How dare they tell us what to do with our belief? If they don’t experience the spirit, they ought to lay aside their criticisms realizing how inappropriate and hubristic their feedback is. It is unfortunate that they don’t seem to know about the racist traditions in science like a lack of diversity in science research subjects unless it was a eugenics type of effort, the racial skew of their findings as a result; the Western worldview that often informs how they apply the scientific method, and least of all, the fact that (pseudo)science is still cited by those who consider themselves educated to prop up systemic racism. They say that science double checks itself. They display their unawareness that healthy spirituality checks itself multiple times. They miss that the steps in the scientific method are limited by the worldview that informs the hypothesis. Data is used to mislead and manipulate, it is like many tools, it all depends on what hand is holding it. They criticize belief for relying on authority, they do too (journals and research), just different than believers. The major unserious and hubristic flaw in their arguments throughout this film is that they hold their worldview as “the truth”, just like they are trying to disabuse "non-skeptics (believers)" of doing.
I am thankful that as they clearly reject spirituality of any kind, I am dismayed that they haven't focused on their belief, leaving others alone. They rightly address the harmful results of the White supremacist expression of Christianity commonly known as “White evangelicalism” and even the Whiteness of Islam. In my sojourn in Christianity, I have observed a lot of things with which I disagree, and I will be hosting a recorded session regarding that this afternoon called “Recovering from the Lies the Church told Us”. I hope that those with something to say will join the conversation. The approach of this video is different than the constructive criticism I plan to share during that upcoming discussion. In this film, they wrongly and ignorantly collapse the White expressions of faith/spiritual practice, not considering others. This is another way this film centers Whiteness which is not in alignment with a healthy democracy.
This video is also an example of a post about WASP communication that a friend shared. For those who may hold the same level of self-righteous disdain as those who developed and promote this film, missing the levels of dishonor in its messaging, let me share some of the dishonorable ways they spoke of and referred to belief. They used dishonoring terms and phrases like: “false pattern”, “false idea”, “faulty beliefs”, “learned helplessness”, “magical thinking”, “particularly inaccurate portrayals of reality”, comparing belief to conspiracy theories, astrology, cults, addictive drugs, and considering “how to talk to them”.
I have noted quite a list from this video, hopefully you get the gist of what was said. Also, I identified it readily as Atheist/Skeptic (AS) propaganda. I have no issue with ASes in general. One would think I would because I am definitely a believer in a "non-physical explanation of the world" as they put it in the film. I am a believer who also respects the spiritual expression of others as one of the many cultural ways to express spirituality. I also readily recognized the propaganda because they brand themselves as the logical, rational and reasonable point of view, usually backed by science, hence the black and white film/themes. They often speak in even tones to appear even more reasonable while they use phrasing outlined above, how “WASPy” of them. Contrary to popular notions, I hold as a value in the anti-racist (-ism) group I facilitate that people who aren't part of a group cannot criticize another group. They may question in an honorable way, but not criticize. I always find it useless to debate ASes, we have fundamentally different worldviews. I can, however answer all of their issues that have been presented to me by the multiple skeptics I love for years. Most skeptics I find are ex-Catholics/White evangelicals. I understand that, they are the two most White supremacist examples of spiritual belief systems/practices, although, as we have seen with the Tibetan Buddhists, they are up against those who would want to control the spirit. That is what is at the core of this, manipulation and control of the spirit and therefore the people who regard the spirit, I wish they would stop trying to do that.
It is unfortunate that Atheists/Skeptics aren’t animated by something that is about them. Instead they seemed animated by their reaction to the belief of others that they do not share. I understand that their education might be the reason they hold such hubris. Have you ever experienced the egos of many academicians in one room? The walls and halls they traverse do not hold them. I look forward to when they contribute their important research and findings applying humility to their personas. Shifts in society are always dependent on the manifestation of a critical mass holding a particular belief/knowledge. Imbuing a population with malignant lies like the ones they criticized in conservatism is toxic to society. I see no harm in allowing people to practice their spirituality that does not obligate or otherwise oppress another.
Let’s remember, there is always someone that knows more than us, especially about topics in which we have no expertise. One of my favorite sayings about this is, “None of us is as smart as all of us” attributed to Ken Blanchard. I don’t want to exchange one system of oppression for another. Do you?
Please use your power for good rather than a distinction of your false sense of superiority because the toxic expressions of this that I am pointing out is a supremacist expression. Just because a group doesn't say they are anti-Black doesn't make them less anti-Black. I am calling it out here, as everything I do here, to have conversations I don't see happening anywhere else. Please become aware of what these systems look like regardless of what label it is given so it has no place to hide, starting with your heart.
a song that discusses the arrogance of scientists
I had been saying this about this show for some time, I am so glad he said it about Ancient Aliens.
Comments