why do a lot of christians have trouble with hypothetical questions?

Question

NOTICE : i said a lot, not all christians......
anyway, i see people asking 'what if' questions and a lot of you can only respond with "my god wouldn't do that" type of answers. why is that? are you not able to think outside the box?

Answer 1

There is a lot more to it than that. There are some subtleties at work here that seem to be escaping most people. They have to do with the nature of 'belief'.

A rational person might say "I believe in the Big Bang." A religious person might say "I believe in creation, as described in Genesis." But these statements are not even remotely similar, with respect to what is meant by the word 'believe'.

For the rational person, the statement of 'belief' in the Big Bang means that they understand that the concept provides a scientifically and mathematically consistent explanation, congruent with the evidence, which accounts for the evolution of the universe from a fraction of a second after the initiating event, up until the present. When the 'inflationary model' came to the fore, rational people said "Well, good... that clears up a few questions and makes things even more coherent." NOBODY threw up their arms and wailed "Oh, no... oh, no... ain't so... ain't so... the Big Bang is the inerrant truth... not this ridiculous, atheistic 'inflationary' model."

See... when we say "I believe in the Big Bang", we don't really mean the same thing as the religious person means when he says "I believe in creation, as described in Genesis," or "I believe in God." Our 'belief' in the Big Bang (or anything else) isn't really a 'belief'... it is more properly a 'paradigm'... a useful way of looking at something, or thinking about something. If additional information is uncovered that adds to the conceptual model, that is a good thing... not a disaster. If part of the conceptual model is discovered to be incorrect, and must be tossed in the trash and replaced with something completely different... that is also a good thing... not the end of the world as we know it. And often, no matter how highly confident we may be of the accuracy or completeness of a particular paradigm, we may have reason to apply a DIFFERENT paradigm to the same thing; for example, we might want to contemplate the potential implications of a major change in a physics theory from the perspective of the Tao, the Gaia hypothesis, or ecological homeostasis. We KNOW that all theories are approximations... and that is OK. We KNOW that we don't know all the answers... and that is OK. There is nothing wrong with saying "We don't know... yet; but we're working on it."

But these modes of thinking, perceiving, contemplating and understanding are utterly alien to the 'religious' mind. For the religious mind, a 'belief' is not a paradigm... not a useful way of thinking about something... it is an internalized conviction that one knows the absolute 'truth' pertaining to some aspect of existence and/or fundamental reality. 'Beliefs' are a key component filter of the religious person's 'self-description'... a part of what DEFINES them as a person... the very thing that creates their world-view... their 'subjective reality'. Any attack on one of these internalized 'beliefs' is interpreted as a vital threat... an attack upon the 'self-description'... and attack on their subjective reality.

And here is the key difference: When there is a change in one of the paradigms dealing with a scientific concept, or a new insight into the workings of the universe, it constitutes an interesting new piece of knowledge and understanding. However, if some new piece of information (a feature of the universe, for example) seems to threaten a tenet of Christianity, everybody goes to battle stations, goes into 'damage control' mode... for fear that the whole edifice will come crashing down. And, ultimately, it will.

So, when a fundie disparages evolution, for example, it really has nothing to do with a genuine, intellectual dispute regarding scientific details... they are generally scientifically illiterate, anyway. Any 'scientific' arguments that they present are inevitably not even understood... they are just lifted from the pre-packaged lies and misrepresentations that are found on dozens of 'Liars for Jesus' (LFJ) web sites, and parroted. They are in a battle. They are trying to sink science before science sinks them. They are desperate... and science is (mostly, and unfortunately) oblivious to the fact that they are even in a fight, and that somebody is trying to sink them. They are just blithely bopping along, doing what science does... figuring out how nature works.

No... none of this has anything to do with a mere disagreement pertaining to evidence and understanding. It has to do with minds that deal with fundamental issues in an entirely different way. It has to do with a flexible, open-minded, intellectually honest curiosity about the universe contending with a rigid, unyielding world-view that depends from a certainty that their delusional faith-based 'beliefs' represent the absolute 'truth' of reality.

We might as well be talking to an alien species, from a distant planet.

When the religious enter a forum like this one, they are (generally) NOT seeking new information which might allow them to QUESTION their beliefs more effectively, or might put their beliefs at risk... they are seeking VALIDATION... of their beliefs, and hence, their self-description.

Answer 2

I agree with mickjam about hypothetical questions for the most part. I have to laugh at how many people just blurt out the statement that Christians can't think analytically and that Christianity stifles thought as if their saying it somehow makes it true. The facts are that Christianity is the fountainhead of modern mathematics and that Christian scientists laid the ground work for most of the modern advancements in Physics and many other sciences. Hardly the product of a "non-thinking" religion. I challenge all to read the article listed under source with an open mind, not one blinded by preconceived notions. Have a great day and God bless. :)

Answer 3

Christians would appear to have difficulty imagining hypothetical scenarios for a number of reasons. First of all, Christians, particularly in the more extreme fundamentalist denominations, distrust the imagination as if it were a "tool of Satan." The second reason, in part, derives from the first reason: this kind of imaginary exercise very much threatens their commitment to their faith. Why? Christians are very much dependent upon a literal interpretation of their book of myths, the bible, as actual historical fact...despite the sheer lack of evidence to verify most of it, particularly the existence of their god-man character, Jesus. For many Christians, the belief in the history of Jesus is far more important than anything he may have said or taught in the myths. Without this extreme literalism and certainty of historicity, their faith would surely fail. Imagining hypothetical scenarios threatens many Christians because if they allowed themselves to imagine other scenarios, they might begin to consider the possibility that the whole Jesus story is itself nothing more than another story, NOT a historical fact. So, until Christians find some way to become more intellectually flexible then it is unlikely that hypothetical situations will accomplish much more than great discomfort for them.

Answer 4

Well, a lot of the "hypothetical" questions are really pretty... welllll.... stupid.

What would you do if there was no God? What would you do if God came and said Jesus was just a guy? What would you do if God came out as a flying spaghetti monster?

These are just not even real questions worthy of thought.

Remember, if you ask a hypothetical question you'll get a hypothetical answer.

Answer 5

You have to remember when you ask questions like what if. Especially about religion, its a sensitive subject. You have to remember most people are introduced to religion at childhood by their parents or family so it becomes in beaded into them. I'm not saying they get brainwashed. But they are taught to view God in a certain light so when someone Say's something that may challenge the way they were taught most people become defensive. It's not only found among Christians but in other religions around the world. When you ask a question like what if, it challenges there beliefs that's all

Answer 6

You are close to the correct answer. A Hypothetical question is formed as in "If is true" and therefore is dealing with logic but not necessarily truth. So if the foundation of the very question is explicitly drawing question on the truth of it, then it misses the foundation of christianity which is the Truth.

Christianity has a basic foundation that there is definite Truth, and operates all other tenets of the faith on the required solid foundation of Truth.

So yes. The box, the boundary line does in fact exist for the Christian perspective.

Answer 7

You're right, Christians often have a "my god wouldn't do that" kind of answer, and something I find really interesting is how Christians DISOWN the OT god—or at least dismiss him as trivial. Ask a question about the cruelty of the OT god and all you get is a quick disclaimer regarding covenants, as if it's not important that it's the same god who committed the same acts of horror.

Answer 8

Not many Christians think outside the box.

Answer 9

No I don't believe many Christians can think outside the box. That would stem from the nature of the American Christian experience. Dogma is taught, memorized and regurgitated. That doesn't leave much room for independent thought.

Answer 10

you're remarkable - David made an enormously sturdy factor and nicely reported too. regularly I bypass those questions over yet each and every now I then i will locate one that is nicely well worth the time. a lot of those questions (unrealized via the asker) oftentimes in basic terms factor to God's assertion of the utter sinfulness of the human heart. the guy asking the question isn't content to stroll faraway from God's revealed be conscious yet they gained't, and each so often can no longer, face up to the urge to re-write what God has reported. the ability of God is extra special. It gets under the exterior of the unredeemed guy and penetrates deeply into the guts of the redeemed toddler of God.