Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
The Way Things Are Isn’t The Way They’re Meant To Be

The Way Things Are Isn’t The Way They’re Meant To Be

Last updated on: November 18, 2021 at 3:00 am by John Beckett

The Way Things Are Isn’t The Way They’re Meant To Be 2021-11-16T14:29:42-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I read a lot of religious commentary. Mainly, I’m a religion geek and I want to know what different groups and traditions are thinking and doing. Occasionally I come across something that inspires me in my own practice. Sometimes I come across something troubling that needs to be brought to light.

And then there are the times when I read something that reminds me that some people have very different foundational assumptions about the world and the way it works.

On Tuesday, Rev. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Theological Seminary (a Southern Baptist institution – fundamentalist and Calvinist) was discussing the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter movies on his daily podcast. He mainly used it to criticize liberals for criticizing J.K. Rowling for her attacks on trans women. Apparently the enemy of his enemy is his friend.

(In case my position isn’t clear, trans women are women and I’m beyond disappointed in J.K. Rowling, as are most of the actors who portrayed the characters she created.)

None of that surprised me. What grabbed my attention was this quote:

The reality is that human beings … were made to read. God gave us the equipment to read, He gave us the ability to read. And once human beings developed that linguistic gift God gave us in the way that was translated into a written word, written language, written text, human beings got to writing and got to reading.

And, of course, this becomes so crucial to the biblical worldview because has revealed himself to us in an inscripturated, a written textual verbal revelation.

No, Rev. Mohler. Humans were not “made to read.”

Humans are far older than writing

Our species is perhaps 200,000 years old, the result of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Writing is less than 6,000 years old.

We don’t know when we developed the capacity for language. Some believe that’s the critical adaptation that separated homo sapiens sapiens from earlier human species. Others believe it’s an older adaptation. All we know for sure is that we have it and our closest relatives (chimpanzees and bonobos) do not. Language leaves no fossils.

Meanwhile, writing persists – particularly writing in stone. Is it any wonder fundamentalist mythology says the Earth is only as old as the existence of writing?

Assuming design when it’s really evolution

This is the fallacy of intelligent design. Someone looks at the way things are and jumps to the conclusion that it was designed to be that way. Perhaps earlier generations could be forgiven for making that assumption. But scientific discoveries over the past 200 years or so have clearly shown that the Earth, the Universe, and life itself is far older, far more complicated, and far more random that our ancestors assumed.

That a Christian fundamentalist assumes a recent human invention is part of a divine plan is not surprising. It isn’t just that fundamentalists believe their mythology is history. It’s that if their mythology isn’t history – if there’s no historical Adam and Eve – their whole worldview, their whole “metanarrative” of sin and redemption, comes crashing down.

But so much of their identity is tied up their mythology. So rather than accept the obvious truth and change their beliefs, they cling to an outdated narrative that’s factually incorrect.

This isn’t the only place we see this phenomena.

Advising caution vs. clinging to power and comfort

There’s something to be said for conservatism. Not the right wing radicals that call themselves “conservatives” but rather, the idea that if something works – however imperfectly – we shouldn’t be quick to discard it for something untried and untested.

But there’s a clear difference between “we should be thoughtful and proceed with caution” on one hand and “it’s our God’s commandment that we do things exactly like we’ve always done” on the other.

Opposition to every social change has been justified by claiming “our God designed things this way so we should never change.” That argument was used to justify slavery, and then segregation. It was used to justify denying women the right to vote and to conduct their affairs without permission of fathers or husbands. It was used to deny gay people the right to marry.

It’s currently being used to try to deny trans people the right to exist.

Mistaking “things I like” for “the way things are meant to be”

As our society has progressed, we’ve learned that all people are born with, as Unitarian Universalists say, “inherent dignity and worth.” As people have demanded equal rights, we’ve come to understand that “things have always been this way” is no excuse to deny them.

At each point, well-meaning conservatives have said “let’s proceed with caution.” Some, like those Martin Luther King Jr. criticized in his Letter From Birmingham Jail, selfishly encouraged the oppressed “to wait until a more convenient season.” And others, with no pretense of good will, have screamed “this is the way things are meant to be and we must never change.”

And now we see some screaming “you’ve gone too far – put it back the way it was.” Attacks on reproductive rights are worse than they’ve been in almost 50 years. We’ve never been as welcoming to immigrants as we like to think, but we still have no workable immigration policy, and most of what Trump started is still in place. Radicals are taking over school boards to prevent real history from being taught. A substantial minority of the country would forcibly return everyone to the 1950s.

They’ve mistaken “things I like” for “the way things are meant to be.”

The right – and the obligation – to be more accepting and inclusive

So, how are things meant to be?

They’re not.

There is no divinely ordained order of things. There are the way things have always been done. There are cultural norms – that vary from culture to culture. There is competition between individuals and groups for advantages and control. There are demands for equality and justice, and there are fights to retain power and privilege.

Humans weren’t “made to read.” We invented reading and writing because we could, and because it was helpful. It has been and remains a very good thing.

We weren’t made to be straight, or monogamous, or patriarchal. No race or nationality or culture was made to rule over others. That’s how we evolved, or that’s what we invented because it was helpful to those in power, even though it was harmful to others.

We can change it if we like, if we have the courage to say “people have the right to be who and what they are, and to fully participate in society, even if we would prefer something else.”

And when we see that “the way things have always been” is harmful and oppressive to some, we don’t just have the right to change it, we have the obligation to change it.

Previous Post

November 16, 2021

What To Do When You Think You’ve Been Hexed

Next Post

November 21, 2021 5 Things I’m Thankful For This Year

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which king's name appears as an author in Proverbs, apart from Solomon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hezekiah Saul Lemuel David