Do you "cherry-pick" your truths?

Question

Do you "cherry pick" your truths? By cherry pick, I refer to the practice of selecting only evidence that supports your claim while discarding any data that contradicts it.

I ask this because when a non-theist points out apparent flaws in the Bible by comparing contradictory scriptures, we're accused of "cherry picking" and taking those passages "out of context". Yet, when a Christian cherry-picks evidence that seems to discredit science (e.g., the Theory of Evolution) while discarding the bulk of evidence, that's okay. Seems to be something of a double standard, don't you think?

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Based on his answer, "grnlow" obviously never studied physical geology or paleontology.

Answer 1

Since truth is relative, and is by no means universal, yes, everyone cherry-picks truth.

I'm a biology teacher. During my education, I learned pretty definitively what evolution is and is not. The facts and evidence that it relies on are just that, facts and evidence. Are the facts and evidence true? Sure. Are they truths? Only in the light that they are scientific support of the theory.

I have also been raised a Christian. Throughout my life, I have been told that Jesus died for our sins, that the only way to enternal life is through a personal relationship with him, and that the Bible can and should be taken literally. Are these things truth to me? Not necessarily, but I don't deny that they may be true, and are certainly held as truth by others I know.

Answer 2

To answer the question, no. If someone has evidence to support their view, and someone else doesn't have any evidence but an old book of myths, then I'm obviously going to go with the side that has evidence.

The problem is largely fundamentalist Christians who are very outspoken about the Bible being literal history. Most people, especially outside of America, will take the Bible as allegory -- that is, they are stories that are supposed to guide you in your decisions, not as literal history.

That means that Adam and Eve are more or less a metaphor, creation is an example of the power God could have, etc. While I'm an atheist, I still think the Bible, taken as just a book of stories, has some good in it. Unfortunately, interpretations will vary and allow for some views that are just plain bad for most people.

Answer 3

We all do. None of us can live and completely conform to one idea of "absolute truth".

Think of it this way -- All of us who are drivers are guilty of speeding. The law says that we shouldn't exceed a certain speed on any given road, but oftentimes we use our own discretion. If we're in a hurry, or its a wide road without much traffic, we'll choose our own speed. Yet if someone were to rape or kill or kidnap a member of our family, we'd want to see justice carried out to the exact letter.

The same goes for any religious dogma or scientific theory. You can think that the Ten Commandments are a good moral code but disagree with Judaism's dietary restrictions. You can agree with the Supreme Court's rulings regarding the Constitution but still think that abortion should outlawed.

We all do it ... otherwise we'd be letting someone else dictate our every thought.

Answer 4

Yes and no. It is almost human nature to "cherry-pick". This is how debates work.You highlight your points and try to shadow the oppositions. if you look at any confrontational aspect of life - from religion, homosexul marriage, abortion, gun control, the war...to everyday regular life dating, marraige, parent and teenager, sibling, divorce, there is always a need to protect yourself or your interests when your debating (arguing). Politicians do it. Lawyers do it. What about your job resume? You probably mentioned your promotion or the great account you landed, but did you bring up how often yoou were late, how many hours you spent chatting online instead of working? Probably not. But you wanted to show that you were the best person for that job, and , to you, the "bad things", even though they were true, were not relevant.

Answer 5

Cherry picking Bible verses is an error of the unlearned or a trick of false teachers. Our understanding from the Bible should come from the whole counsel of God's Word taken in immediate context and modified by the whole context of Scripture.

That having been said, when considering things like the theory of evolution, it seems to me at least that it's supporters are the ones who cherry pick evidence and string it together with a lot of guess work based upon presuppositions that come from a desire to fit the evidence together to support that theory.

They take the evidence of fossils that have similar characteristics and claim them as proof that one animal fossil was from a species that went on to become the other animal fossil even though there is not a clear line of fossils showing the gradual changes over the thousands of years that would give weight to that theory.

It's like the skeleton of Lucy where we have a portion of the skeleton of an animal that appears to have been a semi-erect chimpanzee. Since we don't see similar fossils today we know that this particular species of animal is on longer with us. Either it went extinct (most likely explanation) or it changed through mutations and natural selection over time and became a different type of animal and it didn't leave any traces in the fossil record to demonstrate that this process ever occurred.

Why is it that supporters of the theory of evolution say isolated fossils like the Lucy fossil "prove that evolution is true" when all that it actually proves is that at one time there existed on this planet a species of semi-erect chimpanzee and we don't know for sure what happened to it?

Answer 6

Sane people with no beliefs of their own, trained minds and proper care for truth are very anxious to know that what they know and believe in are both same and true. A person with truth in his or her mind will always know they are bound to erase patterns and establish links so they have no disconnected knowledge and no random thoughts. A proper religious person will actually know god is about love and respect, mercy and justice, and his or her own way of life is supposed to avoid becoming an example but an exception to that of god himself. He is to know god has a couple, they are both evolved and this god is a mere figure of mental imagination, such as the person is a figment of imagination. Eventually a person is to know even gods keep learning, escape godlike realms or lokas, and become something else, going perhaps to a higher loka to establish knowledge for other after them. Many people believe there are many gods, I think there are many, considering mithology and eastern cultures and other religions. Muslims, christians, and other persons believe there is only one god, this could be linked to a personal perspective, not necesarily a proper view to godlike personality.

Answer 7

The new and old testaments do contradict IF one holds that each statement in the Bible is true for today. The new testament says that it is a NEW covenant because we, in human form, cannot avoid sin.
If you 'cherry pick' you will find whatever you are looking for. The truth is not relevant to you.

Answer 8

There is a big "cherry picking" difference here. Trying to make out the Bible says things it does not, is bad. Looking at the rest of the Bible to understand what it means by some statements is good.

Trying to discredit good science (medicine, flying, botany) is bad. Discredit bad science is good. Like evolution bulk of evidence does not include any fossil record of any between species. Any jumps between one life form and a higher one that remains. Nor does it explain why those lower forms still exist along with higher forms but no in betweens exist. Nor can the finest scientists in the finest labs make on purpose what they claim with their loudest breath happened by accident. Bulk of evidence? Laughable!

Answer 9

I think everyone does to a certain extent.

And little warrior, You could not live by the bible "all of it". Have you disowned your parents? Stoned your children? Do you wear cloth of more then 2 fibers? Have you given away all your possessions? Have you drank poison and handled snakes to prove your devotion?

Answer 10

No, I tend to stick to the truth as "I know it to be", I think most people do the same. Those that aren't religious zealots, that is. I think religious zealots cherry pick the truths that serve them the best at that moment.