{"id":17749,"date":"2018-05-24T08:20:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T15:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=17749"},"modified":"2018-05-24T08:20:34","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T15:20:34","slug":"the-house-divided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-house-divided\/","title":{"rendered":"The House Divided"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We\u2019re born to be righteous, but we have to learn what, exactly, people like us should be righteous about<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jonathan Haidt<\/p>\n

To be \u201crighteous\u201d means our minds, our wills, and our behaviors will be conformed to God\u2019s will. It means holiness, goodness, love, justice, and good works<\/em>. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Scot McKnight<\/p>\n

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As a moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt believes that people can improve their capacity to understand and get along with each other and work together for the common good. On the whole, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, <\/em>is an upbeat, optimistic book. Can liberals and conservatives sit down at the table and look at their differences honestly and see how each may contribute something of value to society?<\/p>\n

Haidt says, \u201cYes\u201d and his case is built in three sections:<\/p>\n

Principle #1<\/u>\u2013 Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Where does morality come from? Typically, sociologists give one of two answers; either it is innate (the nativist answer) or it comes from childhood learning (the empiricist answer). Haidt explains in his book that is can be \u201cinnate (as a set of evolved intuitions) and<\/em>learned (as children learn to apply those intuitions within a particular culture).\u201d<\/a>[1]<\/p>\n

Haidt provides the metaphor of a rider and an elephant. The rider is the conscious mind with its rational functions and volitional power. But the elephant is everything else: all the internal presuppositions, genetic inclinations, subconscious motives, and raw experience. The elephant is bigger (more powerful) than the rider. This is why, Haidt says, that the reasoning process is adapted to our moral intuitions. We act on how we feel, and then justify it.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/u>– Quite honestly, I believe that most Christians believe the truth in the Bible and probably act more on their beliefs than feelings. The elephant may be big, but the rider has a stick and more importantly, the food.<\/p>\n

Principle #2<\/u>\u2013 \u201cThere\u2019s more to morality than harm and fairness.\u201d<\/em><\/a>[2]<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Haidt\u2019s research suggests that human morality can be categorized into six moral foundations. Each of us responds differently to or is pulled more strongly by some of these receptors than by others. The moral impulses and values beneath major political affiliations can be described with reference to these six foundations. Haidt claims that conservatives (not necessarily the Republican party) understand this better than liberals (not necessarily the Democrats). Republicans know how to speak to the elephant better and so they have an advantage over the Democrats who also don\u2019t understand the Durkheimian vision of society. Conservatives are strong in all six of Haidt\u2019s moral categories; liberals in three to four. If both parties could only understand this they might be able to work together, suggests Haidt.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/u>\u2013 Again, most Republican Christians I know truly believe that they are following the Word of God when they choose a candidate to vote for. That is why Republicans honestly think they have the moral high ground.<\/p>\n

The bigger question for me is why do they vote for people whose lives really don\u2019t reflect good moral values? (See Principle #3 below.)<\/p>\n

Principle #3<\/u>\u2013 Morality Binds and Blinds<\/em><\/p>\n

Why are we so groupish?<\/p>\n

Haidt says, \u201cWe all get sucked into tribal moral communities. We circle around sacred values and then share post hoc arguments about why we are so right and they are so wrong.\u201d<\/a>[3]\u00a0He said that there are \u201clinks between virtues and well-established evolutionary theories.\u201d<\/a>[4]For millions of years there has been warfare between tribes. This is part of the \u201cevolved intuitions\u201d mentioned above.<\/p>\n

Reflection <\/u>\u2013 I like Scot McKnight\u2019s explanation for why we separate into groups better. God\u2019s image is lovingly reflected in man and woman as one. When Adam and Eve sinned, Adam blamed Eve instead of taking responsibility. Eve became \u2018other\u2019. \u201cThis otherness problem is what the gospel fixed, and the story of the Bible is the story of God\u2019s people struggling with otherness and searching for oneness.\u201d<\/a>[5]Haidt is right; we do like to form groups and justify our actions. But I agree with McKnight that the division is due to sin, not evolution.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/u>\u2013The need to be part of a group or tribe can be used by leaders in bad or good ways.<\/p>\n

Bad motivation<\/u>– The Republicans have no doubt capitalized on the group idea by getting people to associate Christianity with conservatism. When people like Billy Graham or Wayne Grudem (leader in the Self-Named Council of Biblical Manhood\/Womanhood) throw all of their support to the Republicans, Christians who don\u2019t have time to study or who just go with the collective readily vote for a man of questionable morals. This is a sleight of hand by those in charge of the party.<\/p>\n

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Good motivation<\/u>– Someone who understood the power of oneness and community, but used it for good to promote unity was Nelson Mandela. \u201cSport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Nelson Mandela<\/p>\n

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Amazingly, the strong division between blacks and whites was eased as each group joined together behind their \u2018tribe\u2019 \u2013 the Springboks. It didn\u2019t solve all of South Africa\u2019s problems, but surely Mandela\u2019s demonstration of forgiveness and enthusiasm went a long way to helping. The team did what it was supposed to do \u2013 create community. \u201cIt pulls people up from Durkheim\u2019s lower level (the profane) to his higher level (the sacred).\u201d<\/a>[6]<\/p>\n

\u201cA House Divided\u201d religion can be compared to a team sport. This past weekend I attended my granddaughter\u2019s high school graduation. She and her best friend have been accepted at two Florida universities. The party room was divided. Everyone had a lot of fun with the rivalry. I asked the girls to switch sides for the photo. They laughed but they did it.<\/p>\n

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(BFF’s – Nicole, Grandma’s Gaitor Girl, Katie, ‘Noles)<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/u>\u2013 Of course, religion is much more serious than sports. But one lesson we can learn from this concept is that community is very important. Diversity is wonderful, but instead of feeling superior with our own group, why not learn from others? \u00a0Why not have a community of unique people who love each other and major in what\u2019s important?<\/p>\n

What a better testimony we would have as a church. Sadly, we are a House Divided. But we can get back to Jesus\u2019 admonition, \u201cBy this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another\u201d (John 13:35).<\/p>\n

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<\/a>[1]Jonathan Haidt. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.<\/em>New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2012. 31.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[2]Ibid. 114.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[3]Ibid. 364.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[4]Ibid. 143.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[5]Scot McKnight. The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible<\/em>. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008. 72.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[6]Haidt. 287.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  We\u2019re born to be righteous, but we have to learn what, exactly, people like us should be righteous about.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jonathan Haidt To be \u201crighteous\u201d means our minds, our wills, and our behaviors will be conformed to God\u2019s will. It means holiness, goodness, love, justice, and good works. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1214,1262],"class_list":["post-17749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-haidt","tag-the-righteous-mind","cohort-lgp7"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17749"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17763,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17749\/revisions\/17763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}