Have you ever noticed that sometimes discussion of theology produces the feeling of anger in some people? How about fear? Or anxiety? Have you ever wondered why?
Full scale rejection is unfortunately the road taken before two sides even have the opportunity to discuss their differences amicably. Theology can be a divisive field to study and debate. This is not always the case, but there are times when the task of theology (which may also be understood as “talk about the Divine”) seems to separate people rather than bring them together. It is a passionate field for many people because it is, truly, the foundation for their entire worldview. This is not a bad thing, but it is something of which to be aware.
In the fields of psychology and philosophy there is an interest in how it is that people engage with new and old ideas. This field is specifically known as “structuralism.” The human brain has developed some unique and interesting ways of relating to information. It should not be difficult to admit that we, as creatures of habit, tend to prefer what is familiar to us. As a result of studying the human brain, cognitive and social theorists have identified the there are at least three types of bias. What is meant by this? Scott Plous, a published social psychologist, defined it as, “the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities.”
Three of the known types of bias are:
- Affinity Bias – we tend to seek out those most like us whether by means of blood, behavior or beliefs. (Social)
- Confirmation Bias – we tend to surround ourselves only with those things that are not contrary to our perspectives. (Intellectual)
- Systemic Bias – we tend to stay within particular systems that support particular outcomes that we prefer. (Societal)
In conversations about theology/the Divine, it is important to recognize the possibility of falling into these subtle biases. Why? Because of the Amygdala.
The Amygdala is the part of the human brain that is responsible for survival. It is the part of the brain that causes you to feel anger, fear, and/or anxiety. It is activated whenever there is a perceived threat, when there is something that challenges us on a physical, emotional, or intellectual level. Thus, anger, fear, and anxiety are the emotions of survival and are to be thanked on a biological level for the ongoing existence of the human species.
However, when the amygdala is activated for “perceived” threats, then it can be a stumbling block or hurdle in the midst of a conversation. Modern politics are full of operating out of this level of brain functioning. Fascinatingly enough, when one encounters any one of the three potential biases it releases in some degree the sensation of pleasure. This means that according to brain chemistry, the outcomes are…
Confirmation = Pleasure
Contradiction = Threat
This brings me to the levels of brain functioning. There are, in total, three different levels to cognition:
- The Reptilian – which is concerned with survival (“Does this help or hurt my survival,” or “Fight, Flight, or Freeze”)
- The Mammalian – which is concerned with emotional health (“Does this make me happy?”)
- The Rational – which is concerned with rationality (“Does this make sense?”)
The highest level is the Rational, which does not negate or ignore the Mammalian or Reptilian. Rather, the Rational level knows how to allow those earlier two levels to inform (and not dictate) the decision making process. A hopefully mature individual is capable of operating on the Reptilian and Mammalian informed Rational level.
Curiosity, therefore, is a supremely helpful posture to have in theology. Curiosity allows us to hijack the amygdala processes before it activates our anger, fear, or anxiety. A posture of curiosity takes the “perceived” threats and turns them into an adventure. Surely, the new thought experiment could be dismissed or laid aside at the end, but at least it is not dismissed or rejected for the reason of the lowest level of our cognition. As creatures that are called to love God with all of our minds, we must beware of intellectual laziness.
I may be wrong, but I think that theology is best when done in conversation. It is best when allowed to be dynamic rather than static, as dancing rather than stationary, as playful rather than work. Theology is a discipline or field of which we must remember one thing, that we are grasping things of which the human language is not “big enough” or “grand enough” to contain the mystery that is God.
I was having lunch with a professor of mine with an enormous intellect when we were brought in conversation to the topic of human language and theology. The comment of “Who are we to try and speak of the Divine?” To which, he, with great wit, said, “But now that the Incarnation has happened, how dare we not try?”
Ultimately, theology is not a “naming of” but rather, “a naming towards” (This thought comes from Elizabeth Johnson, a Social Trinitarian theologian). All we can ever do is “name towards” the things of God with pious curiosity. Theology is a task of which must always be done with humility, it must ever “bend at the knee,” ever “bow before the Mystery.”
May we ever approach this Divine Mystery with humility, humor and honorable curiosity. We do not attempt the task of theology because we have earned admittance with our sophistry, but because we have been invited due to God’s kind allowance to apprehend and to adore.
The Musings of Fools 