Swiss cheese logic is my favorite thing. If you don't know was Swiss cheese logic is, it is logic that is flawed and full of holes. It can be easily debunked with facts that are based on truth.
Why would I want to write about Swiss cheese logic? What does Swiss cheese logic have to do with church? Swiss cheese logic can be found anywhere. This logic appears to be more prevalent when it comes to discussions surrounding biblical understanding, looking at historical and scientific data, and how the faith of Christ-followers is portrayed in society.
There are arguments surrounding Christianity that include but are not limited to the faith of violence, corruption, superstition, polytheism, homophobia, bigotry, pontification, abuses of women's rights, and sectarianism. By writing this post, I want to make it very clear that I am not trying to force someone to think the way I do. I enjoy reading arguments that are in favor of opinions in opposition to mine. Without looking at both sides of the coin, one cannot be sturdy in their foundational beliefs.
To play the role of opposition to my own stance, it is necessary to acknowledge the extreme hypocrisy that runs in several sectors of Christianity. Multiple mainline denominations have a man-made policy that is in opposition to the Holy Scriptures that we have. On top of the problematic manmade doctrine, there needs to be an understanding that due to free will, humanity has the ability to think and act in a way that doesn't match what they preach. This goes for members of this faith tradition and members that are not part of this faith tradition. There are groups out there that are filled with hateful, corrupt, violent, and power-hungry folks that just want to be supreme. That is not the role of humanity.
Pontification
There is a difference between communication and pontification. Ashley Kolaya, the TED-Ed's Director of Curation and Coaching, stated: "Communication conveys meaning. It’s a dynamic process that involves both the audience and the messenger. Effective communication depends as much on the receiver’s understanding as it does on the messenger’s message. Communication centers the audience.
Pontification expresses opinions or judgments. It’s less of a process and more of a static delivery mechanism for information the messenger has deemed valuable. It is often dogmatic (even when it’s friendly), and it favors what matters to the speaker over what matters to the audience. Pontification centers the speaker."
Do I think/know that there are leaders within Christianity that teach and speak in a pompous way? Yes. Are their leaders in the universal church who teach messages that matter more to themselves than the message matters to the congregation? Yes.
Christianity has split over its time from being a united front to having over 47,000 denominations. Due to the split among the faith tradition, the truth has been warped. Think about that for just a moment:
- Why did we divide ourselves into so many denominations? Humanity cannot agree on The Truth of how one should "operate" within the faith tradition. The Truth changed and continued to change.
- What happens when The Truth is disagreed upon? Each group adds, subtracts, or divides The Truth to fit their narrative of what it should be.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." In this passage, there is a need for Timothy to remain alert and centered on the Word of God. Humanity, with free will, can be easily distracted by worldly teachings and may not want to hear the revelation of God. Humanity wants to hear what humanity wants to hear. With this in mind, humanity will search for teachers that will speak what they want them to say. The most popular teachers are not always the most sound. A popular teacher may not be popular because one is faithful. A popular teacher may not be popular because one is also "itching the ears" of one's listeners.
David Kuzik made an interesting point when he talks about how people within the faith tradition are likely to turn from The Truth and lean into fables. "It is possible for many churchgoers to turn aside from the truth and to believe many fables:
The fable that you must earn your way before God.
The fable that God only loves you when you are good.
The fable that you should walk around thinking of yourself as better than others because you are a Christian."
Pontification can happen anywhere. Yes, it can and does happen within the Christ-following tradition. Does that mean the entire faith system is nothing but one giant example of Pontification? No.
Christians are Violent
A consistent problem in our country is the fact that when something bad happens or when a bad apple appears in a group, the whole group gets painted in the same way the bad apples do. There is the misconception that Christ-followers are this violent group of people. There are sub-groups of people that claim to be part of the Christ-following faith tradition that have the extremist and conspiracy views that have plagued the universal church as we know it.
QAnon is an example of extremists that claim to be part of our faith tradition. Kevin Roose of the New York Times explains QAnon as "the umbrella term for a set of internet conspiracy theories that allege, falsely, that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles." Leaders within the movement have painted a cataclysmic picture that God is ready to judge the earth here and now, providing the justification needed to carry out acts of violence in the name of the faith tradition.
Here is the problem with this logic: At no point in the ministry of Christ did he ever advocate for violence. When he was being stalked, he didn't send his disciples out to "take care of" the Pharisees. When he was arrested in the garden, and Peter cut off the ear of the soldier, he didn't say, "Way to go! Do it again." He took the ear and placed it back on his person and healed him, turning to his disciple and saying, "he who lives by the sword will die by the sword." When Christ was beaten to within an inch of his life, then nailed to the cross, he didn't tell John, who was present, to seek revenge. Instead, he told John to care for his mother. When being mocked from the cross, he didn't respond with anger and violence; instead, he offered mercy to the criminal hanging beside him.
As a follower of Christ, we are called to live in a nonviolent manner. Those who chose to do so in the name of God will be held accountable at their given time. Romans 12:17-21 says, "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Polytheism
Polytheism, the belief in or worship of more than one god, is an aspect of many other religions in the world (Hinduism, Shintoism, Thelema, Wicca, druidism, Taoism, Asatru, and Candomble). Judaism, Christ-followers, Islam, and Zoroastrianism practice monotheism, the belief in one God.
There are those that argue that Christ-followers are technically polytheistic in their belief because of the misrepresentation of scriptures. Many that want to argue against the validity of scripture will take scripture out of context and try to use it to further their message.
-Psalm 95:3, "For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods."
- The term "all gods" is often manipulated into painting the picture that Christ-followers can worship more than one god. This is a false narrative, as the term used "all gods" is in reference to man-made idols and or false gods. The fact that LORD is presented in all capitals gives a nod to the most proper name of God, Yahweh. Yahweh is the one and only God, always with a capital "G."
- How can you say you are monotheistic when you worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
- These are not three separate gods that are worshipped. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three separate forms of the SAME GOD, the Triune God. Think of the three forms of the Godhead as water, ice, and steam: what do they have in common? They have the same chemical composition (H2O) while being in three forms: solid, liquid, and gas. 2 Corinthians 13:14, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." The one and only place in our Holy Teachings where the Triune God is mentioned in full is found in the second letter to the church in Corinth. Paul felt the need to bless those in the church with the fullness of God and by everything God is.
Homophobia
First of all, can we stop using the social definition of Homophobia and use the clinical definition of Homophobia? The clinical definition of Homophobia is the irrational fear of or aversion to homosexuality. The social definition of Homophobia (along with other phobias related to the LGBTQ+ community) is the hatred, prejudice, and/or disapproval of gays and/or homosexuality.
Now that we got the definitions out of the way let's break down how a majority of the Christ-following community is often labeled homophobic. Depending on the denomination one looks to, the "acceptance" of the LGBTQ+ community can be seen as more tolerated than others. What I mean by this is that certain denominations of the faith tradition allow members of the LGBTQ+ to become ordained. Some denominations also allow marriages of LGBTQ+ to be performed by clergy and recognized by the church. Not all denominations allow this.
Many say Christ-followers that cling to biblical teachings as their reasoning of not "supporting" LGBTQ+ is unfounded because it is only Old Testament, and we should be living in the New Testament where it "is not stated." Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, Hebrews, and Jude all give commands to avoid sexual immorality. The Gospel of Mark outlines that God created male and female, the male shall leave his mother and father and cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
If a member of the faith tradition holds on to these teachings, they are immediately labeled homophobic due to the social norm. No one is allowed to go against the LGBTQ+ community without being labeled prejudiced. As one that has loved ones that are part of this community, I would never close my doors to you. God loves you. God wants you to know him. It is not my place to judge you based on who you are. I didn't create you. I am not the Great Judge. This does not mean that I should have to change my beliefs and understanding of the Holy Scripture in order to make someone feel more comfortable. Being a Christ-follower isn't about comfortability. There is not a lot of comfortability involved in being a Christ-follower. The main comfort I have in my faith is knowing that I am loved and forgiven. Through the grace of God, I have the ability, through my repentance, to have burdens released and given to God to hold. The weight of all of my life choices, past, present, and yet to come, were already taken to the cross. Knowing this, why would I lower my morality standards for the sake of someone else? I have already done this to myself before and was left feeling broken and worthless.
I will not tell you not to come into our church. I will not tell you that you are not welcome because you are part of the LGBTQ+. If I am asked to do your wedding, I will say no. This is out of respect for my biblical understanding as well as out of respect for you as a person. Do you really want someone officiating your wedding that doesn't 100% agree with it from a theological standpoint? I would hope the answer is no. Does that mean I do not want you to be happy? No.
I am not afraid of you. I will not degrade you for who you are. Unfortunately, I have heard others within the faith tradition label members of the LGBTQ+ as disgusting creatures or allude to the fact that homosexuality=pedophilia. I will not stand for degrading remarks to you and will treat you the way Christ treated those with whom he interacted: decency and respect. I will preach and try to live the Gospel to the best of my ability. If you are uncomfortable, talk to me so we can have a fruitful dialogue.
Women's Rights
Women's rights have been a topic of debate in the Christ-following tradition for centuries. Based solely on reading the ancient manuscripts written by men through a literal lens, it is easy to see why women in ministry appear not to have the same rights as men. There are many denominations that still do not allow women leadership in the church because a women's job is to "sit and listen intently and care for the children and others." When thinking of different stories through the Holy Teachings, women are shown to be strong leaders.
Miriam: The First Female Prophetess.
Deborah: one of the major Judges.
Queen Esther: the Liberator of Israel.
Mary of Nazareth: the favored virgin entrusted to carry and birth Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.
Mary Magdalene: formerly possessed by seven demons to then be exorcised by Christ and became a prominent female disciple.
Lydia: the first convert to the Christian faith in the colonial Roman city of Philippi
Priscilla: trusted by Paul to manage the infant church he left behind and taught the gospel as Paul had done.
Phoebe: entrusted by Paul to bring his letter to Rome and preach his words to the local congregation; welcomed by Paul as a deacon.
For decades, women have been able to rise in leadership ways in different denominations. This will forever be a fight due to humanity's need for power and authority. There are men that think women do not have the ability to balance professional and personal life while devoting time to learning and understanding scripture. The Bible cannot be read through a literal lens. Yes, there are parts of the Bible that are to be read literally. There are many parts of the Bible that are written in an allegorical way using a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. Not all of the faith traditions think women need to wear long skirts, with long hair, and be good housewives. God places callings in the lives of his followers. The last time I checked, it wasn't up to humanity to determine someone else's calling. It is up to humanity to pray for and encourage their brothers and sisters as they discern what it is that God has called them to do.
Swiss cheese logic is everywhere you look. Those that are in the faith tradition, along with those not in our faith tradition, hold onto ideas and concepts related to Christ-followers without knowing the facts. Scripture is taken from context and twisted to make it say what the person wants it to say. Labels are given to individuals both in and out of the faith tradition. Unrealistic expectations of males and females in the faith tradition are held. Don't contribute to the ongoing Swiss cheese logic of the world. You are called to be in the world not of the world. When we come together in love and kindness, whether you agree or disagree, good things can happen.
Luke 10:27 "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."
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