Faithful Acceptance v. Intellectual Honesty

[StillStanding]

An old friend, Tim Landry, wrote a quote on Facebook from an LSU student concerning praise for a history professor. "I had been taught to view the world with faithful acceptance, and he challenged me to look instead with unflinching intellectual honesty."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Apostolic heritage that was handed to me relied on "faithful acceptance". Just submit and do and believe exactly how your pastor teaches. Don't question anything because then you are rebelling against authority and that will send you to Hell!

AFF and it's predecessors were the first opportunity for me to be honest with my feelings on Apostolic beliefs without the pressure of being labeled "rebellious"!

I think that there is a level of faithful acceptance that is healthy for you, but we must also rightly divide the word that is presented to us. We have a right to question things, especially things that aren't clear in the bible.

Which is more important? Faithful acceptance or intellectual research and honesty?

[Maximilian]

Originally Posted by Mr. Steinway

An old friend, Tim Landry, wrote a quote on Facebook from an LSU student concerning praise for a history professor. "I had been taught to view the world with faithful acceptance, and he challenged me to look instead with unflinching intellectual honesty."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Apostolic heritage that was handed to me relied on "faithful acceptance". Just submit and do and believe exactly how your pastor teaches. Don't question anything because then you are rebelling against authority and that will send you to Hell!

AFF and it's predecessors were the first opportunity for me to be honest with my feelings on Apostolic beliefs without the pressure of being labeled "rebellious"!

I think that there is a level of faithful acceptance that is healthy for you, but we must also rightly divide the word that is presented to us. We have a right to question things, especially things that aren't clear in the bible.

Which is more important? Faithful acceptance or intellectual research and honesty?

Cognitive Dissonance. Possible?

Intellectual honesty/curiosity is critical. Our faith should be held in one hand, intellectual honesty in another. From time to time they need to straighten each other out.

[StillStanding]

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Cognitive Dissonance. Possible?

Intellectual honesty/curiosity is critical. Our faith should be held in one hand, intellectual honesty in another. From time to time they need to straighten each other out.

Great post! This "battle" between belief and unbelief is summed up in this scripture:

Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

My belief/unbelief balance changes from one day to the next sometimes. There's a certain amount of unbelief in all of us. After a great service I might be 90/10, but other times I might be 40/60 or worse.

[ILG]

I think maybe the key is to not deny our questions and pretend they are already answered.

[StillStanding]

Originally Posted by ILG

I think maybe the key is to not deny our questions and pretend they are already answered.

[CAD/JPY]

Originally Posted by ILG

I think maybe the key is to not deny our questions and pretend they are already answered.

ILG, I love that line above!!

Is it really faith if we don't question it?

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Mr. Steinway

An old friend, Tim Landry, wrote a quote on Facebook from an LSU student concerning praise for a history professor. "I had been taught to view the world with faithful acceptance, and he challenged me to look instead with unflinching intellectual honesty."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Apostolic heritage that was handed to me relied on "faithful acceptance". Just submit and do and believe exactly how your pastor teaches. Don't question anything because then you are rebelling against authority and that will send you to Hell!

AFF and it's predecessors were the first opportunity for me to be honest with my feelings on Apostolic beliefs without the pressure of being labeled "rebellious"!

I think that there is a level of faithful acceptance that is healthy for you, but we must also rightly divide the word that is presented to us. We have a right to question things, especially things that aren't clear in the bible.

Which is more important? Faithful acceptance or intellectual research and honesty?

I agree with you and Timbo's friend on a fundamental level. We are on a journey. We must seek the proper path for ourselves. Guidance and input from others is invaluable, but it can also be misleading.

Of course, what some folks call "unflinching honesty" when it comes to historical analysis is often the act of "faithful acceptance" - just from a different "faith" then the one they had before.

Howard Zinn's The People's History of the United States is an example and has been widely influential. It purports to be "unflinching intellectual honesty" but it really just comes across as Leftist propaganda. Zinn's myths are as fanciful as the ones we learned from Washington Irving and others.

Matt Damon has followed up Zinn's work by producing the series "The People Speak" which has aired on the History Channel. Though Damon actually achieves more balance than Zinn, both are propagandists pushing Leftist causes.

I wonder what view Timlan's quoted corespondent was looking at? Is such a question even warranted as a part of my own "unflinching pursuit of intellectual honesty" or do we just faithfully accept whatever is contrary to our past experiences in an effort to show that we've really "found the light" this time, for sure?

[ILG]

Originally Posted by CAD/JPY

ILG, I love that line above!!

Is it really faith if we don't question it?

Thanks.

It probably isn't faith if we don't question it. People say they "know" this and that because "the Bible says it". Well, all they are really saying is that they know how to quote portions of the Bible and give their interpretation of it. They don't really "know" heaven is there, for example.