I began reading in the Douay-Rheims version today. That was not my intention. My software was set on it from the day before when I was talking with a Roman Catholic and encouraging him to read his Bible. The first verse jumped out at me and got me to thinking. Here it is:
(Proverbs 12:1 DRB) He that loveth correction, loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof, is foolish.I have read this bit of truth in many places in Proverbs. It is nothing new. But today the choice of words spoke to me of the scientific method. That’s right. The scientific method is rooted in the Old Testament.
The scientific method is one of the great concepts that Western civilization has produced. It is a powerful tool in the search for truth whether it be in science, history, math or any other discipline. At the core of it is the understanding that future knowledge may show that we have missed the mark. It is an openness to the possibility that we are wrong.
Current science seems to have left the road to truth in two ways. One branch is no longer teachable. They assume that they have the truth. Don’t confuse me with the facts. We have seen this in the open manipulation of data by East Anglia University to try and make it look like global warming is going to end life as we know it. I see it in education. Remember when they threw out phonetics? The change was a disaster but some educators still cling to it.
The second branch is found in post-modernism and the emergent church movement. Many think these people deny that truth exists. This is not quite right. They believe that there are in infinite number of truths and that theirs is as good as yours. Their thinking says there are many paths to many gods.
So? Be teachable. Be open to correction. But also understand that you are not trying to find your truth. You are seeking to know the One who is the Truth, the Life and the Way.
2 comments:
You're right, today's politically motivated "scientists" would have been right at home burning people at the stake for suggesting that the earth was round and circled the sun.
It is always good to know at least one person is as crazy as I am on at least one point.
Grace and peace.
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