In our last study, we discussed the dangers and problems
that come from debating topics, specifically in Scripture, when both of the
parties involved are building their arguments from different foundations. When
two people build their arguments from different foundations, each person may be
convinced in his or her own mind that the argument is sound and reliable, but each
person will fail to convince the other. This lack of progress can be attributed
greatly to the different underlying assumptions which shape each person’s
perception of his own argument and of his opponent’s argument.
In this study, let’s dig a little deeper into this concept.
Try to visualize your belief-set as a house in which your heart, soul, and mind
live and go about their daily tasks. Essentially, last time we saw why your
house looks different from other people’s houses – the foundations are
different. In this study, let’s start looking at some reasons why the
foundations are different.
First of all, and to me the most obvious, is the fact that
people are different genetically. Everyone has tendencies to think certain
things or feel certain ways simply because of their parents’ genetics. You
might think of these tendencies as their “default settings” – I’m a big
computer nerd, so that’s how I see it. When you first get a new computer or a
new phone, it has certain pre-installed defaults.
If you’ve ever used a computer with Apple’s default
operating system (i.e. most Mac computers) and you’ve also used a computer with
Microsoft’s default operating system (i.e. most other computers), then you know
that there is a pretty big difference in the way they work! The menus are in
different places, they look different, the screen displays things differently –
pretty much everything about the way you use each computer is different, even
if both computers are designed to perform similar tasks.
Similarly, people come with different default operating
systems. Even though we’re all humans and we all perform similar tasks (i.e.
eating, sleeping, working, having meaningful relationships, etc.), pretty much
everything about us individually is different! Even if you find someone who’s
very similar to you, odds are that there are thousands if not millions of other
people who aren’t similar to you at all.
How does this all work? When you buy a Mac computer, brand
new, it comes with the latest Macintosh Operating System (a.k.a. the latest Mac
OS). It has that operating system because it was installed onto the system at
the factory in which it was manufactured, by the people who manufactured it.
Similarly, when we are born, we come with a combination of our parents’ genetic
operating systems installed onto our brain.
Note that the default operating system can be changed on a
computer. If you didn’t know this already, you can take a computer that
previously had Windows 10 on it and replace it with Mac OS X. Similarly, just
because someone has a tendency to behave or think a certain way doesn’t mean
that he is solely at the mercy of his genetics – we each have a choice, and we
can each fundamentally alter the way we think. But more on that later.
Everybody has certain genetic defaults, but those aren’t the
only defaults that shape our actions and reactions. We also have defaults that
are imposed upon us, either willingly or unwillingly, by the environment in
which we are raised.
Allow me to demonstrate.
Computer software now is designed differently than it was 20
years ago. For example, if you’ve ever played with a computer from 20 years
ago, then you know that the defaults on that computer from 20 years ago were
pretty different from the defaults on a brand new computer. Windows 10 (2015) looks
and feels totally different than Windows 95 (1995). Computer software is also
different depending on where you are in the world. If you open up a computer
you just bought in China, you’ll probably see a fairly familiar format with
lots of Chinese characters – it’s got some similarities but it’s totally
different from the computer you have at home where everything is in English!
Similarily, the way you were raised is probably fairly
different from the way your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, or great
great great great grandparents were raised. If you’ve ever talked with your
grandparents about their childhood, then you know that the defaults that they
grew up with were pretty different from the defaults you grew up with. In a lot
of cases, it’s totally different. Even the things you saw and did as a child in
were different from the things that they saw as a child – my generation had TVs
and video games to take up all of our time when we were young, but my grandpa’s
generation had to do hard work in the fields all day! The cultural norms change
from generation to generation. Your childhood looks totally different from your
grandma’s childhood. If you compare your childhood to someone raised in China,
you may see some similarities (i.e. technological advances, world events), but
in some ways it’s totally different from your American upbringing.
The similarities only go so far – if we draw the computer
vs. human similarity as far as we can logically, we’ll see some major
contradictions. People aren’t computers! Computers are, however, based on the
human mind, and it really shows if we look at the individual details.
People are born with certain defaults, and people are raised
to be a certain way by their parents and by the influences they see around
them. Every day we’re changing based on the things around us, albeit to a
lesser extent. With all of these differences, it’s easy to see how someone’s
reasoning on a particular Bible verse might be different!
Genes + Environment + Free-will = foundation. It’s easy to
see why your foundation is different from anybody else’s.
We haven’t really talked about free-will all that much, and
we haven’t really talked about how we can change from the person we are
genetically and environmentally predisposed to being. In order to be described
as nothing more than the result of genetic and environmental influences, I
would have to coast through life without ever changing a view or opinion, but
we know that’s not real life. In real life, we make free-will choices every
day, even choices that don’t fit in with our defaults, and during our next
study, we’ll go over free-will and changing our foundations. Eventually, we’ll
also take this brief study of our foundations and our houses and parallel them
with real-life scenarios and positions, and we’ll discuss some ways that we can
approach them.
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Until our next study, I’ll keep praying for you and I hope
that you’ll pray for me too.
In Christian love,
Ethan
