Mindless Devotion

Yesterday I read a link on my nephews facebook page. The topic was mindless devotion in religion and science. I believe that God wants us to pursue the truth and be unafraid of where it leads. That may mean that we leave our comfort zone when we find a conflict between hard facts and our current views. I cannot imagine that God would want any of us to be mindlessly devoted. Why would God give us the intelligence he has unless he wanted us to use our minds? I sometimes find myself discouraged when I encounter Christians who believe things but haven't the foggiest clue as to why. As Christians, we call people to a world view that demands major course corrections. That being the case, the soundness of our thinking is all the more important.

Here is my response to my nephews post.

Whether the topic is science or religion, beliefs must be made based on evidence. In science you collect evidence using the scientific method. Scientific theories are tested by repeating experiments and by review of members of the scientific community. Evidence for religious beliefs cannot be tested using the scientific method (unless of course the religion enters the scientific realm - i.e. making claims about natural phenomena). Unlike the scientific realm, religions often require an element of faith. A step of faith is reasonable if and only if the evidence for the religion is sound. This sort of evidence can be found in personal experience, historical records, testimony, and the validity/reliability of religious scriptures. Mindless devotion occurs when people hold to beliefs regardless of any and all evidence to the contrary. This sort of devotion, whether in science or religion, constrains the growth of mankind and the pursuit of truth.