Can Cognitive Biases Help Think About an Old Theological Debate?
In a
discussion group about the ministry of the Apostle Paul, I noticed that
divisive phrase in Acts 13:48.
And when
the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the
Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (ESV)
When it
comes to the concept of people “appointed to eternal life,” Christians are A
House Divided. If you read this far, you are likely familiar with the
theological discussion. I’ll offer a psychological take on the issue after an
introduction.
The
Unresolved Debate
Christians
have debated the meaning of the text for centuries. Those committed to the
theology of John Calvin (aka Calvinists) find this verse and related texts
clearly indicative of people who were predetermined to be saved according to
the evangelical understanding of personal salvation that involves life after death.
Other Christians emphasize texts that invite people to come to God as if they
have free will and that God will not refuse anyone.
In arguing
about the Bible, it is common for scholars to draw upon their knowledge of
Greek and consider alternative meanings for the words in the text. I don’t have
a problem with this—up to a limit. Here’s what I mean. Most of the people fiddling
with Greek in discussion groups probably have less knowledge than the people
who translated the text from carefully selected Greek manuscripts into English.
So, in my view, it’s best to examine a few translations and the opinions of
Bible scholars. In the case of Acts 13.48, there is a surfeit of educated
opinions. Those of us who are not theological scholars are at a loss. (See
below for a few translations.)
It's A
Mystery – NOT
In
discussions like this, it is inevitable that someone will declare seemingly
contradictory biblical texts to be a mystery. Sometimes, but not always, such
mystery buffs add that we’ll find out when we all get to heaven.
Declaring
something to be a mystery is a conversation stopper. It’s fine if people don’t
want to enter into a discussion about a topic, but the “mystery” claim is
tiresome. It seems like a dishonest attempt to avoid facing the facts or at
least engaging the mind, or worse an arrogant response to the questioner. The relevant
facts can be apparent contradictions between different statements by different biblical
authors or the same biblical author at different times.
There are
some Christians who cannot imagine that different biblical authors could have
different opinions therefore, there must be a mystery. It’s no mystery that the
views of such people may become catalysts for bright young students to exit the
church or perhaps Christianity altogether.
Psychological
Perspectives
I rarely
hear someone offer a psychological perspective on various texts. Even when I
have been around Christian psychologists, they seem to adhere to familiar
doctrines or interpretations rather than bring their understanding of human nature
to the table. I’m used to evangelicals dissing psychology so, no worries if you
head off to another page.
Here are a
few thoughts. And I do not insist my thinking is correct so, take it or leave
it.
1. Contingency
symmetry bias
You
probably do not need a course in cognitive psychology to know that most people
do not think logically. Sadly, too many students avoid coursework in logic. Many
of us can follow arguments that follow the familiar form (aka Modus Ponens):
“If
A is true, then B is true.”
A
is True
Therefore,
B is true.
Unfortunately,
it is all too human to discover “B is true” and then to assume that “A is True.”
The error is usually called affirming the consequent fallacy and it is an
example of contingency symmetry bias.
What has
this bias to do with Acts 13.48? Well. If you see a group of people believing
the salvation message (“B”) then it might seem that “A” is true—the believers
were “appointed to eternal life.”
There’s
another biblical example too. I was reading Amy Kenny’s book, “My Body is Not A Prayer Request.” She
wrote about the man who was blind. Jesus’ disciples ask, “who sinned, this man
or his parents, that he was born blind (John 9.2 NIV).” Thus the logical
fallacy again. B = a condition of blindness exists. The assumption is A = the
man or his parents sinned. And Jesus of course points out there are other
reasons that can explain condition B.
[As an
aside, I know philosophers usually use p and q instead of A and B but, without
preplanning, B works well for the blind illustration.]
The consequences of affirming the consequent can lead to measurable harm when people are labeled as sinners, lacking faith, or in need of repentance when they have an illness or experience bad things in their life. Shaming and victim-blaming can occur when false causes are accepted as true.
2.
Confirmation bias
The
confirmation bias in this context is the human tendency to interpret the Bible
in ways that support our beliefs. Thus, Christians holding a Calvinist’s view
can easily see the text indicating a predestined group of people obtaining
eternal life. Unbelievers (that is non-Calvinists) will point to other texts supporting
their contradictory view.
An example of harm may be ignoring scriptures that support the equality of roles for women in the church and society thus depriving them of respect, honor, and opportunities to use their gifts or earn equal pay.
When people fail to consider the facts that do not confirm their beliefs or hypotheses, they may create doctrines or policies that cause unnecessary divisions or produce harmful teachings.
3. The
illusion of personal objectivity
Lee Ross
of Stanford has studied errors of attribution (2018). One research lesson has
to do with the problems we have in disagreeing with others. Recall that Peter
and Paul and others had disagreements about being Christian in the first
century. No wonder Christians disagree today! And, sadly, so many refuse to
take a humble stance.
So, not to
leave you hanging, the illusion of personal objectivity is a threefold finding
as follows:
1.
My own ideas and beliefs are objective and therefore reasonable.
2. When
I explain the facts, others will agree with me.
3.
Those who disagree with me are being unreasonable.
This well-researched
phenomenon helps explain why people find it so hard to convince someone else to
share their way of thinking about a matter. Leaders of all kinds promote their
understanding of an event or a text. Dominant leaders have their followers and
confirm their leaders’ “objective” views when reading texts or viewing events.
And to make matters worse, when an event occurs, they interpret it as being
caused by previous events that fit their doctrinal model. It’s like saying a
hurricane destroyed a city because there were sinners in the city.
People are quick to assume their understanding of facts is objective and reluctant to consider other points of view. This can lead to bitter disagreements in religion and politics and may lead to disasters when sharp disagreements lead to bad decisions in healthcare and public policy.
Comments
Perhaps
the modern theologians are right to suggest that what Paul said here and there
must be taken in a local context—the people identified in a letter. Other
scholars are quite willing to accept that biblical authors had different
understandings—no mystery in that—it’s human nature.
On the
other hand, maybe Paul actually believed that God had appointed some Gentiles
to be the new chosen ones like the Jews understood themselves as a chosen
people.
I don’t
claim that my comments on human cognition resolve the matter. I only suggest
that we psychologists know somethings about how minds work. And we know that a
lack of appreciation about how minds work, or perhaps more importantly, how
they do not work, can cause people to rigidly hold to views that are strictly
unnecessary to live a meaningful Christian life.
Ps. I
enjoy a good mystery as long as the writer solves it in the end.
FYI Acts 13.48
If you want
to see some other expert translators for Acts 13.48, here are a few.
When the
Gentiles heard this, they were delighted, and they praised the word of the
Lord. All those who were destined for eternal life became believers. NCB
When the Gentiles heard
this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word
of the Lord; and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.
NASB
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and
honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life
believed. NIV
Reference
Ross, L. (2018). From the fundamental attribution
error to the truly fundamental attribution error and beyond: My research
journey. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(6),
750–769. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618769855
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