What a fascinating journey.
What do I know, at the end of it all? I mean, really?
Well, that question begs a lot of other questions. What is knowable? How do I know it? What are the processes, the methods, the ways and means by which knowledge is obtained, or distilled, or claimed, or wrested out of the hand of the universe? And how do I know that I know it? How do I know the difference between knowledge vs conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehood?
Guess what, guys: I don't know.
I don't know what is real or true.
So I'm finding, at 29, with my eyes forcibly opened to my own lack of knowledge, that I am now on a journey to find out. TO REALLY find out. Not to just be content with what little I've already been given, but to embark on a journey to really grasp the truth as it is. Fully aware that I will probably never know the complete truth: it is too much for a single mind to grasp, no matter how broad that mind (and mine is far from being the broadest!) Fully aware that along the way, I may be duped, I may be wrong, I may jump to conclusions and fall prey to conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehoods. Such is the nature of being human; we can only accept this truth, and move forward with awareness.
The relationship between truth and religion is an interesting one. Having some training as a scientist, I would say I'm an empiricist: knowledge can only be derived from our physical senses. This view is part of what informs the boundaries of science, giving it the power to transcend mere conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehoods. This is also the basic problem with religion from the scientific point of view: saying things like "Jesus is the Christ" and "The Sun is powered by magic fairies" are both equally meaningless because neither deal with physically verifiable characteristics. Thus, they are unknowable, and thus perfectly unsuited to the realm of science. Thus, from an empirical point of view, I cannot say that I genuinely know anything through religion. If it provides a path to truth at all, then it does so through means other than the senses.
But science is also not free from limitations. Firstly, there are things much less vague than religion that cannot be proved through science, such as the existence of a naught. Secondly, the core principles of science were first determined by philosophical reasoning, such as Karl Popper's work on falsification, that are not provable through the scientific method. Thirdly, science cannot fully answer certain very important questions that have urgent relevance in the lives of everyday people, you and me: How should I live? What should I value? What is my purpose in existence? Lastly, science is at its core a human endeavor, and being a human endeavor thus riddled with the biases, errors and problems attending all human endeavors. Our brains and minds are limited in their capacity to grasp truth, and we are foolish if we think that those limitations do not extend to science. I say that, knowing that science is potent tool producing many important findings for our world, and I challenge anyone who does not take its findings (such as the reality of human-induced climate change or the efficacy of vaccines) seriously.
So, religion has a place in my world. In dealing with the nature of physical phenomena, I turn to science; in matters of the mind, philosophy; in matters of the heart, I turn to religion for guidance.
I was raised in a religion that values saying "I know that X is true" with confidence and certitude. It is a phrase familiar to anyone who has attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for any length of time. From the earliest ages Latter-day Saints are taught to say "I know."
I hold that with compassion. I cannot say for certain that it is wrong to do so.
But I do know that for me, at this stage in my life, I cannot say any of those things now. It feels dishonest to me to bear a simple testimony.
But instead, I offer what I believe. These are not things I know; they are simply statements I derive from my lived experience that make the most meaning of the existence granted to me. Do not take them as doctrine or dogma. This is simply Bryce's best attempts to make sense of his life.
I believe this life is a journey to find and embody the truth, and in fact it is only through our action that truth can be found and embodied in the first place. I believe that God, which I define as the force that responds to me with great love and compassion when I pray, whoever that Being is, has good intentions in store for me and all of my fellow creation and desires to guide us to that which is good, right and true. And I believe that that God has spoken to me through Mormonism, through the modes in which I was taught to pray, the scriptures I was taught to read, and the worship services I was taught to attend. And I believe that matters.
But I do not know if that means that the Church is the only way, or that it is "true." It could be, and I am open to it being so, but I do not know.
So this is why, if you've followed my facebook page, you've seen quotes from the Bhagavad Gita and now the Quran. I am in the process of studying these and other religious texts and their respective religions. And following the modes I've been taught, praying and reasoning to see if they "the Truth" or they have "the truth" or if they're all wrong together. To see if God will speak to me through these other traditions and their features.
What a fascinating journey it's been already! I've never fully grasped the complexity of all that is out there in terms of religion and philosophy. It is mind-bogglingly, almost individualistically complex. Even Mormonism, despite its unifying narratives and features, is not a monolithic entity, and there are steep divergences and stiff differences of opinion among even its most ardent adherents. This has proven true of Islam as well, another religion with a strong overarching narrative that still presents with strong differences among its varying sects (Sunni and Shi'ite being the two main branches, themselves divided into 5 and 3 major subdivisions, and that's not counting smaller independent subgroups such as Sufism, Alevism or Ahmadiyya.)
It seems to me that the logic is this: If truth exists in religion, then it will not be found out by contentedly humming along to the familiar tunes of my own memory. I will need to go out and find it by study and prayer. I am not deceived into believing that I will ever completely understand other religions to the same degree I understand the faith of my upbringing, but I can certainly discover enough to make a sound judgment of their practices and orthodoxies.
If you've read this far, thank you for joining me on my journey. I hope you can find some wisdom for yourself in what I discover.
Well, that question begs a lot of other questions. What is knowable? How do I know it? What are the processes, the methods, the ways and means by which knowledge is obtained, or distilled, or claimed, or wrested out of the hand of the universe? And how do I know that I know it? How do I know the difference between knowledge vs conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehood?
Guess what, guys: I don't know.
I don't know what is real or true.
So I'm finding, at 29, with my eyes forcibly opened to my own lack of knowledge, that I am now on a journey to find out. TO REALLY find out. Not to just be content with what little I've already been given, but to embark on a journey to really grasp the truth as it is. Fully aware that I will probably never know the complete truth: it is too much for a single mind to grasp, no matter how broad that mind (and mine is far from being the broadest!) Fully aware that along the way, I may be duped, I may be wrong, I may jump to conclusions and fall prey to conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehoods. Such is the nature of being human; we can only accept this truth, and move forward with awareness.
The relationship between truth and religion is an interesting one. Having some training as a scientist, I would say I'm an empiricist: knowledge can only be derived from our physical senses. This view is part of what informs the boundaries of science, giving it the power to transcend mere conjecture, superstition, bias or outright falsehoods. This is also the basic problem with religion from the scientific point of view: saying things like "Jesus is the Christ" and "The Sun is powered by magic fairies" are both equally meaningless because neither deal with physically verifiable characteristics. Thus, they are unknowable, and thus perfectly unsuited to the realm of science. Thus, from an empirical point of view, I cannot say that I genuinely know anything through religion. If it provides a path to truth at all, then it does so through means other than the senses.
But science is also not free from limitations. Firstly, there are things much less vague than religion that cannot be proved through science, such as the existence of a naught. Secondly, the core principles of science were first determined by philosophical reasoning, such as Karl Popper's work on falsification, that are not provable through the scientific method. Thirdly, science cannot fully answer certain very important questions that have urgent relevance in the lives of everyday people, you and me: How should I live? What should I value? What is my purpose in existence? Lastly, science is at its core a human endeavor, and being a human endeavor thus riddled with the biases, errors and problems attending all human endeavors. Our brains and minds are limited in their capacity to grasp truth, and we are foolish if we think that those limitations do not extend to science. I say that, knowing that science is potent tool producing many important findings for our world, and I challenge anyone who does not take its findings (such as the reality of human-induced climate change or the efficacy of vaccines) seriously.
So, religion has a place in my world. In dealing with the nature of physical phenomena, I turn to science; in matters of the mind, philosophy; in matters of the heart, I turn to religion for guidance.
I was raised in a religion that values saying "I know that X is true" with confidence and certitude. It is a phrase familiar to anyone who has attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for any length of time. From the earliest ages Latter-day Saints are taught to say "I know."
I hold that with compassion. I cannot say for certain that it is wrong to do so.
But I do know that for me, at this stage in my life, I cannot say any of those things now. It feels dishonest to me to bear a simple testimony.
But instead, I offer what I believe. These are not things I know; they are simply statements I derive from my lived experience that make the most meaning of the existence granted to me. Do not take them as doctrine or dogma. This is simply Bryce's best attempts to make sense of his life.
I believe this life is a journey to find and embody the truth, and in fact it is only through our action that truth can be found and embodied in the first place. I believe that God, which I define as the force that responds to me with great love and compassion when I pray, whoever that Being is, has good intentions in store for me and all of my fellow creation and desires to guide us to that which is good, right and true. And I believe that that God has spoken to me through Mormonism, through the modes in which I was taught to pray, the scriptures I was taught to read, and the worship services I was taught to attend. And I believe that matters.
But I do not know if that means that the Church is the only way, or that it is "true." It could be, and I am open to it being so, but I do not know.
So this is why, if you've followed my facebook page, you've seen quotes from the Bhagavad Gita and now the Quran. I am in the process of studying these and other religious texts and their respective religions. And following the modes I've been taught, praying and reasoning to see if they "the Truth" or they have "the truth" or if they're all wrong together. To see if God will speak to me through these other traditions and their features.
What a fascinating journey it's been already! I've never fully grasped the complexity of all that is out there in terms of religion and philosophy. It is mind-bogglingly, almost individualistically complex. Even Mormonism, despite its unifying narratives and features, is not a monolithic entity, and there are steep divergences and stiff differences of opinion among even its most ardent adherents. This has proven true of Islam as well, another religion with a strong overarching narrative that still presents with strong differences among its varying sects (Sunni and Shi'ite being the two main branches, themselves divided into 5 and 3 major subdivisions, and that's not counting smaller independent subgroups such as Sufism, Alevism or Ahmadiyya.)
It seems to me that the logic is this: If truth exists in religion, then it will not be found out by contentedly humming along to the familiar tunes of my own memory. I will need to go out and find it by study and prayer. I am not deceived into believing that I will ever completely understand other religions to the same degree I understand the faith of my upbringing, but I can certainly discover enough to make a sound judgment of their practices and orthodoxies.
If you've read this far, thank you for joining me on my journey. I hope you can find some wisdom for yourself in what I discover.
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