Come, let us reason together

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18 (KJV)

I love this passage from the prophet Isaiah. It specifically details Yahweh calling the nation of Isreal to repentance. I find the opening line in the old King James version captivating. “Come now, let us reason together”.

The dictionary defines reason this way:

The power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways.

Merriam-Webster Dictonary

The ability to comprehend and think in rational and orderly ways is a skill that is losing popularity and being replaced by out of control feelings. It is incredibly vouge to allow our emotions to overrule reason. I think of an incident that happened on the Bill Maher Show (As discussed in Don’t Burn This Book) between actor Ben Affleck and writer, thinker and atheist Sam Harris. One segment of the show was a conversation on some of the radical ideas of Islam. Sam Harris was attempting to criticize dangerous ideologies found amongst radical jihadists. Instead of having thoughtful dialog Affleck throws an emotionally filled temper tantrum derailing the whole “conversation” and calling Harris names (you can watch it here).

Emotions are important but they are not always reliable. Just because I feel a certain way, that feeling does not negate truth. I think of some of the more uncomfortable teachings of the Bible, such as let’s say, hell. I often hear ” I feel a loving God would never send anyone to hell”. While the doctrine of hell is challenging and often misunderstood, just because I “feel” a certain way does not give me the authority to ignore or remove portions of the scriptures I don’t like (Thomas Jefferson already tried it!). Every system of belief has a source. The Holy Scriptures serve as that source for Christianity.

In the year 2016, the Oxford word of the year was “Post-Truth”

Post-truth is an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.

Emotion has become the primary litmus for truth. Not objective facts, not the scientific method, not reason but emotion. What I feel becomes my truth. When this is taken further division and polarization run rampant. If you don’t feel the same way I feel then you are wrong and I have the right to call you all kinds of names, which feels more like the behavior of nine-year-olds rather than thinking adults.

So what do we do about this? How can we reason together? Let me offer 3 suggestions.

Listen with the intent to understand not formulate a response.

Often, in conversation most people are not really listening we are formulation our response or rebuttal. Reasoning asks us to listen so we can understand a perspective, even if we don’t agree with it.

Be open to the possibility you might be wrong.

Oh the horror of admitting we might be wrong! I never want to admit that I am wrong but the truth is I am wrong all the time. Say these three words with me: “I…was…wrong”. Doesn’t that feel better? Coming to the place in which I can say those three words has freed me the need to be something I am not…perfict.

Allow other views to help you grow as a person rather than staying stubbornly stuck.

I love to read books by authors I disagree with. It makes me a better person and a better thinker. Discovering views on issues that are different from yours can help you grow intellectually and allow you to have a learned understanding of why you believe what you believe.

So…”Come let us reason together”.