“People often seem to be more gullible in spiritual matters than elsewhere” (Vern Poythress, Inerrancy and Worldview, 221).
I am prone to say that few things shock me, but that’s not really true. Despite all my life experiences, and the various conversations I have with a wide variety of people in a wide variety of circumstances, I am continually surprised at what people say. The things people believe frequently boggle my mind. Spirituality in particular draws out some of the wildest claims, and it is for this reason that many claim all religious belief is evidence of psychological weakness. We should not dismiss the charge of religious gullibility too quickly. While I hold tightly to the Christian faith and to the claim of the inerrancy of Scripture, I don’t want to dismiss a legitimate criticism. Since religious gullibility is a real thing we should consider it carefully. Three features of the fallen human condition can help to explain the reality of religious gullibility.
Man’s separation from God has created deep longings in his soul. We long for meaning, we long for safety, we long for love. The longings themselves are strong. After all, man was created by God to have fellowship with Him and to find the fulfillment for all these longings in Him. As Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Since the Fall, however, man has been seeking to fulfill these longings in substitutes. Sin has corrupted our longings such that we do not want to pursue God to meet our deepest needs. This corruption, however, has only increased our desperation. We desperately want to have our longings fulfilled and that desperation cultivates religious gullibility. So Vern Poythress writes:
Anything that promises to fill their longing – whether an idea, another person, or an idol – may be received gullibly. A person believes and receives because he desperately wants to believe and receive…when we are dealing with religion and spirituality, we are desperate. The desperation makes us gullible. (222)
The desperate need to have our longings filled, and the unwillingness to find fulfillment in God, creates desperation which sets us up to believe and accept whatever promises to fill our needs, no matter how unfounded the promise is. Desperation devoid of God leads to gullibility.
Our circumstances too can lead us to believe irrational things. Those deep longings that we have led us to try a vast array of religious activities that might produce a desired result. Living this side of the Fall means that we encounter evil, suffering, and disappointment. Poythress notes that “God does supply food (Acts 14:17), but on occasion he may also bring famine (Gen. 14:30-32; Deut. 28:18)” (222). God may bring healing (Gen. 20:17; Matt. 4:24), but sometimes he withholds healing (Ezek. 34:4; 2 Cor. 12:7-9). In light of this uncertainty many people seek for more sure ways to reap the desired benefits. They may consult with fortune-tellers, or mediums, they might look to magic or religious manipulation to provide what they need. The gullibility arises as favorable results arise. That is to say, sometimes people may experience a good outcome from some false religious practice. That one time the fortune-teller proves true now becomes a validation of the whole practice. Poythress adds:
The incentive here is to practice religion because it brings tangible benefits. Sure, the practitioner admits, it may not always work, but sometimes it works. And the “sometimes” offers enough incentive to keep up the practice. In fact, when a practice appears not to work, it may become an incentive to redouble one’s efforts. The practitioner thinks, “I need more devotion, bigger sacrifices, more impressive ceremony.” The redoubling efforts may also include the suppression of doubts. Maybe a particular god can see into one’s mind, and he is not pleased with doubts. And he certainly will not be pleased if the doubts cause someone to slacken in his routine of religious ceremonies. The needs of the situation therefore put pressure on people to be more gullible than usual. (222-223)
The circumstances of our lives can heighten the potential for religious gullibility.
Finally, we might look to the area of ultimate commitments to discern the nature of gullibility. All people want assurance. We want a solid foundation to stand upon to build our life. That solid ground becomes our ultimate commitment. This commitment becomes the criteria by which we judge all other things, the foundation upon which we build our life and from which we make decisions. Ultimately, God designed us that He would be this rock. When we reject God, however, we seek for some other stable foundation, finding, however, that apart from God there is no other stable foundation. In the end people are forced to make ultimate commitments on irrational faith. Such irrational faith cannot hear any reasons for doubt, or accept any criticisms of their ultimate commitment. This blind irrational faith leads people to accept as “truth” things which conform to their ultimate standard, regardless of how valid. Their irrational ultimate commitments have made them gullible.
Religious gullibility arises as we depart from the source and foundation of truth, God himself. Next week we will explore the nature of ultimate commitments and see how they can lead us to or from gullibility. We should, however, acknowledge that religious gullibility is a real thing and only in being in relationship with God are we able to escape it.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 