How to talk to a (Fundamentalist) Christian Part III

Third in a 4 Part Series

Part III Why do you believe you believe what you believe?

It's not enough to know what a person believes. You have to know why they believe it. In other words, you have to know the process that got them there. One of the best theories of moral and intellectual development was developed by Lawrence Kohlberg. His theory has been criticized by feminists as being a bit androcentric, but the variations found in later theories that account for gender are not pronounced enough to make a difference for the purposes of this discussion. As it is, I'm reducing Kohlbergs 6 levels of development to only 3. Here's a graphic that has the breakdown I'm using.

As babies, we do what feels good. As toddlers, we're all about reward and punishment, and we struggle with first deferring to a higher power (usually a parent) then resisting that authority. This stage is sometimes revisited in the college years, when a young adult lives and dies by their grades, so be aware of that. For the most part, around the age of 8 or so, we've developed a strong sense of us and them.

This School age level is the most important. It's when the rules become important. Fitting in means everything. We learn the rules of the herd/tribe/school/religion/culture and decide our position within - or sometimes, without- them. People at this level of moral and ethical development never question authority in an abstract way. If you are born in a Christian (or Islamic, or communist or any other group) environment, you either accept it, or ignore it, but you don't question whether there is a different way.

The second stage doesn't go looking for answers. The answers are already determined by someone else - an authority, like the law or government, a religious text, a parent, etc. You are a good person or a sinner. You are a good citizen or a "commie" or "hippie" or "terrorist". This is an either/or mindset and you have to speak its language or you are seen as outside the group and therefore subversive. Anything foreign is suspect. Conformity is more important than logic.

You have to keep in mind that most of the people you meet are functioning at this level. If you ask a person at Level 2 how they know their religion is the right one, they'll probably look at you as if you are crazy. They have probably never questioned its origin, will probably feel blessed to have been born into the "right" culture, and they'll have little knowledge or understanding of different groups even within the context of their own culture.

Now I'm not saying that all Christians operate at this level. It's entirely possible for a person to use 3rd level reasoning and still subscribe to Christianity, though they'll be of the more tolerant, truly Christ-oriented style Christian than the Bible-thumping, Old Testament stone-the-sinners style that has taken over our government.

The 3rd level of moral and ethical functioning becomes possible around age 16 or so, when abstract thought is possible, but most people never reach that stage. Environmental factors, such as education, social groups, travel to other countries and experience with other cultures are all factors that contribute to this level of functioning. This is where the "Liberal Elite" label comes from. Level 3's get frustrated that Level 2's can't follow what we consider simple logic. Level 2's think we're uppity because we aren't following the program, and who the hell do we think we are trying to change the way it's always been. Sound familiar?

But wouldn't it be better to dispense with religion altogether?

End of Part III

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