| Part 1 The Theory of Faith | Hirohumi Hoshika |
Not just in Christianity but in general, religious teachings can be said to be "superfluous interpretations" of specific phenomena. The Christian doctrine of atonement is also an superfluous interpretation of Jesus' crucifixion in the first century.
Jesus' execution is adequately explained by the conflict between his teachings and Judaism, as well as the political situation in which Jews found themselves at the time. The Christian doctrine that Jesus "died for the atonement of the sins of men" is merely an superfluous explanation, at least for non-believers.
Modern Logic provides a good explanation for why religious doctrines are "superfluous" or "unnecessary". I plan to set up an “Easy Study” section on the "Theory of Faith and Reason" website to provide more details on this logic, but the fact that all religious teachings take the form of "affirming the consequent inference" is the structure of "superfluity".
A affirming the consequent inference asserts that "if A then B is true, and consequent B is true, then the antecedent A is true." However, this inference is logically fallacy, and this form of inference does not guarantee that A is true. This does not mean that the antecedent A is necessarily wrong, but rather that the truth value of A is uncertain.
For example, the Christian doctrine of original sin teaches that "all humans are born as sinners because they fell from the state in which they were created by God." When we first hear these teachings, we might simply think, "So that's the kind of religion Christianity is," but if we actually reflect on ourselves and those close to us, we realize that indeed, no one can deny sin, and we come to the conclusion that "the Bible is indeed teaching the truth."
This is a understanding based on a affirming the consequent, where the statement "If all humans bear original sin, then all humans are sinful" is expressed as "If A, then B," and the consequent B is affirmed through observation as "In reality, everyone is sinful."
However, this reasoning is usually difficult for anyone other than the person who is convinced by it to accept. This is because, when it comes to the cause of human sin, we can find various explanations based on similar logic not only in the Christian concept of “original sin” but also in other religions. Beside, from evolutionary standpoint, it's also possible to explain that in the competitive process of biological evolution, being evil worked to one's advantage, leading to the survival of more evil beings. That is to say, the "superfluous" of religious doctrine here means that it is merely one of several theories explaining the cause of the situation.
In fact, even for the person who was convinced, their understanding of the teaching stemmed from the fact that the consequent part of the doctrine that "everyone is sinful" which matched the surrounding circumstances they had re-examined, did not stem from their understanding of the antecedent part of the doctrine, "Adam's original sin". However, religious doctrines often function as a deceptive logic that by convincing one part convince them of the whole.
Moreover, from a psychological perspective, the following can be pointed out regarding the "superfluous" of religious doctrines.
According to A.H. Maslow's well-known "Hierarchy of Needs," religious needs are the last needs to be met, after physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs have been fulfilled. It is the most luxurious desire, and as our reality clearly shows, most people are busy fulfilling the fourth or fifth stage of needs that precede religious desires, and go through life without any religious desires at all.
Religious figures often say that "the yearning for God is humanity's most fundamental desire," but this is largely sophistry; the religious desire that we perceive as our own is actually quite small in its original form. While this may not be the case for those who have made religion their profession, religious desire is something that can be managed even if it is not fulfilled, compared to other desires.
So then, these are the fundamental reasons why people, not limited to Christiaity, generally do not feel the need for religion. Namely, for many people, religion is an "superfluous" part of their lives, and they don't feel the need to seriously commit to it.
As a result of these factors, aside from situations of rites of passage, there are only two opportunities for people to personally engage with religion. One is when people are in distress, and another is when people look at religion with surprise.
In these circumstances, religion is at least no longer "superfluous". In the former case, it is considered not "superfluous" but "necessary," and in the latter case, it becomes an object of curiosity or interest. We could call the faith of people who came to believe in religion due to the former trigger "faith that asks for specific help", and the faith that arises from the latter trigger "spontaneous faith".
These two types of people also appear in the Gospels. People with disabilities affecting their limbs, eyes, ears, or mouths, as well as those confined to necropolises (Mark 5:1) or isolated villages (Luke 17:12), needed Jesus' healing work. Besides, those under the Roman Empire who longed for the return of David expected Jesus to be the "King of the Jews". Jesus' disciples, too, were trying to see him in that way.
Some argue that the sight of these people, who need healing and look upon the founder who provides it with both astonishment and expectation, represents the true nature of the relationship between religion and people. Jesus' religion embodies this very idea, and it answers John Hick's words, "their deepest desires", we saw in Chapter 1 - Essay 3.
On the other hand, the Gospels record that Jesus did not approve of this situation (John 4:48). This makes his religion difficult to understand, but it must be noted that the faith Jesus sought from people was neither a faith based on personal gain nor a faith that arose spontaneously.
The Gospel of Mark contains numerous accounts of healing miracles, including those performed on the sick, those possessed by demons, the physically disabled, and the dead. Naturally, given the circumstances, it appears that a certain kind of faith was immediately formed in these healed individuals as a result of their impression of the power of Jesus they experienced. It is recorded that some of them tried to join Jesus' group (Mark 5:18, 10:52).
However, it is noteworthy that Jesus does not necessarily fully endorse the simple faith in Him held by those healed through miracles.
The "command of silence (command people to keep quiet)" given after healing miracles, known as the "Messianic secret" (Mark 1:43, 5:42, 7:36, etc.) referred in Chapter 2 - Easy Study 2, is indeed the same as the "command of silence" that Jesus commanded to demons (Mark 1:34, 3:12, etc.). That is to say, it's as if healed people's faith in Jesus was inappropriate.
In the Gospel of Luke, it is stated that the demons were commanded to be silent "for they knew that He was the Christ" (4:41). The statement "Jesus is the Christ" is the very content of the missionary work that the apostles proclaimed at Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection, and is therefore religiously sound.
Was this forbidden to the evil spirits because Jesus judged that allowing untrustworthy individuals to spread the mysteries of faith, which people should acquire, would do more harm than good? Similarly, when Jesus repeatedly instructed those who had been healed not to speak of it, was it to prevent people from misunderstanding him?
The true meaning of the "command of silence" remains a mystery, but from these facts, it is not difficult to imagine that it was easy for Jesus to surround himself with people who had benefited from his special powers and to build a religious group that worshipped him as its leader. However, Jesus did not bring the poor with him, nor did he include them among his disciples.
This trend can also be seen in how he gathered his first twelve disciples. Jesus chose his apostles not to be those in dire circumstances who would directly experience such blessings themselves, but rather to be ordinary people who were leading normal lives as professionals. Among them were even those who appeared to belong to the wealthy class, such as the brothers James and John.
Namely, the disciples chosen by Jesus were neither in dire poverty nor suffering from illness, and in that sense, they were people who were less likely to have faith in Jesus. This can be understood as Jesus asking his disciples to acquire faith in him not simply because of his special powers, but through some other process.
The disciples witnessed Jesus' miracles many times, and gradually came to understand that his supernatural powers were real. That knowledge was necessary for their faith to take hold, and Jesus not only performed natural miracles and healing miracles, but also, sometimes accompanied by only a small number of disciples, resurrected the dead three times.
However, no matter how astonishing that feat may have been, Jesus thought that the understanding derived from that act alone did not mean that people had truly understood him. The "isolation" of Jesus — which persisted even as his disciples stood before him — refers to his rejection of this faith that arose spontaneously.
On the other hand, the disciples believed they had sufficient faith in Jesus, and they had declared that they would stand with him if he were ever arrested. This is true of Thomas when Jesus tried to return to Jerusalem, where danger was anticipated (John 11:16), and of Peter on the eve of Jesus' arrest (John 13:37).
However, Jesus lamented their inadequacy in faith (Luke 8:25, Mark 8:21), became angry at times (Mark 8:33, John 11:38), and ultimately foretold their betrayal (Luke 22:33). Having been told this, the disciples — as they had already confessed that Jesus was the Christ (Mark 8:29) — did not know how they could possibly "truly believe" in him any further. For the disciples, Jesus' "isolation" was precisely this confusion they felt.