Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Stereo Vision

Sometimes people, Atheists in particular, point to cognitive dissonances between what most scientists believe to be true and the truth I find in the Bible.  There are some questions which I have long held in abeyance, and to which I do not expect to have answers until after my death.

Just now, an analogy came to me which explains why am somewhat comfortable with this tension and lack of resolution.  Picture your left eye as General Revelation (what can be learned about the world and God from nature alone).  Imagine your right eye as Special Revelation (what is learned about God from what He has said in Scripture).

The picture I see with both "eyes" open is blurred in many places.  I cannot focus both the left and right eyes to resolve things at a particular point.  To get a clear and unambiguous image, you merely have to close either eye.  You can ignore everything the Bible says about the world, and then you have nothing to contradict what usually goes by the name of Science.  Or, you can close the eye of General Revelation, and believe only what you find in Scripture, neglecting all other data.  Both of these approaches simplify things, but at a cost.  Both bring clarity, but at the expense of seeing (in however blurry a manner) in stereo.  The pattern seems clear, but all depth and dimensionality is gone.

And this is why, even though it gives me a headache at times, I plan to keep both "eyes" open.