With Due Respect: Are children born atheist?

 

Children attending a Japanese church, 2023

In the 2006 book God Delusion, famous atheist biologist Richard Dawkins asserted that "There is no such thing as a Christian child: only a child of Christian parents".

He also tweeted that "Babies have no religion".

In such statements, Dawkins assumes that infants are born with no inclination to religion, and religious ideas are taught to them, rather than learnt naturally. However, he fails to account for a few things.

Babies are naturally religious
In most studies, infants are seem to accept teleological answers over purposeless ones. For instance, children are more likely accept that "Rivers exist so that we can go fishing on them, and birds are here to look pretty". They see the natural world as purposeful and designed by a higher being. 

Even if their parents are atheists, they tend to understand that their parents (and therefore humans) are imperfect and therefore prescribe supernatural abilities to a creator of the natural world. 

Based on such research, British philosopher Charles Foster (in his 2010 book Wired for God) concluded that atheism was not a default or natural belief for humans, but it was something that had to be taught.

Singaporean children, or children with Singaporean parents? 

Genetic fallacy
Another classic fallacy that Dawkins is committing is the genetic fallacy. He attempts to disapprove the validity of a belief by stating where it came from (i.e. the parents). This line of argument is false as the origin of the argument has little to do whether a claim is true.

Just because the abusive Imperial Japanese used aircraft carriers to sink allied ships does not mean that this strategy is bad or false.

Conclusion
Whether a baby's default state is religious or irreligious does not prove or disprove the existence of God. Truth is beyond genetics and culture.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Theology 1.0: What is religious capital?

 

St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, 2010

One trend that continues to interest sociologists is the persistence of religion, even in heavily secularised communities. One popular way to explain such a trend is the idea of "religious capital".

Religious capital is investment of time, effort and resources one puts in a faith. Popularised by sociologist Rodney Stark (in his 2007 book The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success), this idea is used to explain that people tend to behave in a way to reduce losses in religious capital.

For instance if a classical Protestant stops believing in his current system, he would tend to move towards Roman Catholicism, rather than atheism, Buddhism or Islam. This is because there are more shared practices and beliefs between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Origin
In the early 1960s, there was a persistent idea that as societies become more modern and educated, the number of religious people would drop. The reasons were manifold - many states became secular or explicitly atheistic (like communist regimes), rise of multicultural societies (leading to less unity of values) or that education who rid of old ideas of religion. In his 1999 book, Choice and Religion: A Critique of Rational Choice, Steve Bruce actually predicted that religion would disappear based on his observations in Western Europe.

However, there were many countries in that bucked the trend. South Korea went from 20.7% Christians in 1985 to 27.6% in 2015. The proportion of non-believers remained roughly steady from 57.3% to 56.9% during that same period. In the Eastern European country of Latvia, the percentage of non-religious people stayed relatively steady from 28% in 2000 to 29% in 2018. The number of Christians decreased slightly from 69% to 64% during the same time period.

Christian display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2017

Thus the idea of "religious capital" was proposed to explain why religious people do not simply give up their belief and practices to embrace atheism or irreligiosity, but would rather embrace another religion.

What is usually suggested is that the actual decline is in the nominally religious (such as the "cultural Christian"), i.e. people who profess a faith superficially. In other words, people who put in little religious capital either become even more religious or less religious as society progresses.

In this aspect, religious capital makes sense. Looking at the United States from 1990 to 2008, Christian denominations which focused more on articles of faith (such as profession of belief etc, and thus more investment in religious capital) experience increases or little change in numbers, (Catholics +24.3%, Presbyterians -5.3% and Evangelical +294.5%). On the flip side, Christian denominations which require less investments in religious capital experience more drops (eg: Methodism -19.8%, Episcopal -21.0%).

Alternative Culture: Christianity and the Legend of Zelda

Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild (2017)

 The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular gaming series in the world. The first game in the series, the Legend of Zelda, was released in Japan in 1985 and in North America in 1986. As the next game in the series, Tears of the Kingdom will be released within this month, I want to post about Christian influence in the series.

To clarify, I will only be covering the major aspects of the overall plot. There are obviously many aspects which are not inspired by Christianity. After all, the game is not intended to be an allegory for Christianity.  For instance, it is implied in Skyward Sword (2011) that the role of Link, Zelda and the Ganon are inherited via reincarnation. Christianity does not promote the idea of reincarnation. In addition, the world of Legend of Zelda is polytheistic with gods including Hylia, Din and Nayru.

Another aspect is the nature of the Triforce, the trinity of the Zelda series. One aspect of the Tri-force is evil (Ganon). In Christianity, all members of the Trinity are good exists as three distinct personhood of God.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)

The Chosen One
The first off is the idea of the "Chosen One". Despite the vast differences in settings in the multitude of games, the chosen one is always prophesized to be a boy named Link. This is most explicit in Breathe of the Wild (2017), as it implies that such events are cyclical. 

This evil has been turned back time and time again by a warrior wielding the soul of a hero, and a princess who carries the blood of the Goddess. With the passage of time, each conflict with Ganon faded into legend. -- Breathe of the Wild (2017)

To make things more obvious, any attempt to defeat Ganon without the chosen one would fail or at best, a partial victory. For instance in the Twilight Princess (2006), the attempt to defeat Ganon in the absence of Link resulted in high casualties and the temporal banishment of Ganon. He eventually returns to encase the Kingdom of Hyrule in Twilight.

This parallels the idea of Jesus as the predicted Messiah and Savior. In fact, any attempt to defeat sin and reconcile ourselves to God without trusting in Jesus is considered futile.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
 the iniquity of us all. -- Isaiah 53:6

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” -- Matthew 19: 25-26

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

Inherited conflict between good and evil

The other idea presented in Skyward Sword (2011) is that the battle between the good (Link and Zelda) and evil (Demise) will be inherited and continued till the generations.

My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again. Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time! -- Skyward Sword (2011)

This echoes the prolonged conflict between humanity and sin in Genesis:

And I will put enmity

    between you and the woman,

    and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

    and you will strike his heel. -- Genesis 3:15

Conclusion
It is interesting to see slight Christian themes in this Japanese game series. Of course, while the Legend of Zelda will keep up the battle between good and evil for the purpose of continuing the game series, in Christianity, the war is already won via Jesus Christ.

You might even say the demented Christian belief that not only is the salvation of the human species possible, but contrary to all we read in the newspapers, or see on Fox Television, it has in some sense already taken place. Not even the wildest utopian secularist will assert something as outrageous as that. -- Terry Eagleton

Theology 1.0: The meetings of the Lutherans and the Orthodox Church

The Armenian Church (Eastern Orthodox) in Singapore.

 After the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, there were attempts for the leading Protestants to find common ground with the Orthodox Church (which had split from the Roman Catholics Church in 1054). 

This made sense in a way. After all the Protestant movement was in its early stages, and to get endorsement from the historic Eastern Churches would increase its legitimacy. The Orthodox Church was also seen as more authentic by early Protestants, as they seemed to be unburdened by the issues facing the Roman Catholics. For instance, Martin Luther, in his 1519 debate with Roman Catholic Johann Ecks, praised the Orthodox Church in its denial of papal supremacy and purgatory.

The first official correspondence between the Luthereans (the largest Protestant group at that time) and the Eastern Orthodox churches was in 1570 (30 years after Martin Luther's death). Jacob Andreae, one of the leading theologians sent over the Augsburg Confession (the primary document explaining Lutheranism) to the Patriarch of Constantinople (Patriarch Jeremias II).

Martin Luther, one of the leading Protestant Reformers

What was the outcome?
There were three official exchanges between the Lutherans and the Orthodox Churches during this period. Common agreement was found the inheritance of original sin, the allowance of married clergy (priests) and the abuses of the Pope and Roman Catholic Church.

Yet two major disagreements with distinctly present. The Eastern Orthodox retained some Roman Catholic practices (that the Lutherans were opposed to), such as the intercessions to the saints and the elevation of icons and relics. The Lutherans also retained some Roman Catholic practices (that the Eastern Orthodox opposed), like the use of unleavened bread (Eastern Churches use bread with yeast for Communion) and the use of filioque (the Lutherans used the Roman Catholic version).

Ultimately, it came down to this: The Eastern Orthodox Church rejected the idea of Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone is the sole authority of Christian beliefs and practices). Tradition was equally important. Furthermore, the ideas of free will and justification were regarded as too strictly defined for the comfort of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was not something the Eastern Orthodox took issue with the Roman Catholics.

Despite the cordial exchanges, little was made to further explore there theological disagreements. Patriarch Jeremias II saw little benefit in supporting the Lutherans, but continued to be polite and open to discussions.

Conclusion
While the attempt for endorsement failed, it was interesting to see that the early Protestants did not see themselves as starting a progressive movement, but a regressive one. They wanted to move closer to a primitive understanding of the Bible, and thus sought to find common ground with the Eastern Orthodox.

For more reading:
Ancient Faith

With Due Respect: Should we use gender-neutral pronouns for God?

 

To summarise, no. Let me elaborate:

God is revealed in Jesus Christ
He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross - Colossians 1: 15-20

For Christians, the best evidence for God is the personhood and Godhood of Jesus Christ. And Jesus was a man.

In ancient Hebrew, God is referred as male in the Bible
The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father's God, and I will exalt him.
 The Lord is a man of war;
    the Lord is his name. - Exodus 15: 2-3

In the Bible, God chose to communicate using male pronouns, and is also exclusively described with male pronouns. In the instances where God uses female imagery, He uses them as an analogy rather than a description.

For a long time I have held my peace;
    I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
    I will gasp and pant. - Isaiah 42:14

Jesus was OK with God's pronouns
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” -- Luke 4:16-21

Jesus could have taken opportunities to correct the Scriptures, but he did not.

Conclusion
Despite our modern politics and cultural influences, we must be wary of conflating who God is, and what we desire Him to be. For instance, there could be a genuine intellectual desire to describe God as beyond gender (and thus want to use gender-neutral pronouns) but that is not how God has chosen to reveal Himself in ancient Hebrew.

If God is really the most important being in our lives, then we should seek to conform to what has been revealed about Him, rather than relying on our fickle thoughts, feelings and culture.

For more information:

Torah

Interpreting Scripture

Theology 1.0: Who is Saint Andrew Kim Taegon?

 

St Andrew Kim Taegon, depicted in the 2022 Korean film, A Birth

Ask about South Korea, and certain things may come to mind. My wargaming friends may talk about the Korean War which divided the country into two. My parents might talk about food, while my students may chat about the latest K-pop or K-drama trend.

Little people know that South Korea actually has the highest Christian population by percentage (28% as of 2022) in East Asia, and dispatches the 2nd most Christian missionaries across the world (United States is the first).

Christianity was introduced to Korea in the 18th century, when Korean scholars (returning from China) translated western books. At that time, Korea was heavily Confucious and banned Christianity.

Yet it was during this time, that a young Andrew Kim decided to become a priest.

The first Korean-born priest
Born to a ruling-class family in 1821, Kim's parents were Roman Catholic. Despite his father being martyred for his faith, Kim decided to go to seminary after his baptism at age 15.

After spending time in seminary in Portuguese-controlled Macau and the Philippines, Andrew Kim was finally ordained as a priest in Shanghai in 1844 the French bishop Jean-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste Ferreol. He then returned to Korea to evangelise.

After being arrested by the authorities, he was executed by beheading near Seoul in 1846. His last words were,

"This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: if I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death, because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him."

Bishop Ferreol lamented his death, and made a request to be buried next to Kim when he died.

In 1984, Andrew Kim was canonised (along with other Korean martyrs) as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Birth, a film about his life was released in 2022.

Alternative Culture: John Wesley The World, My Parish Theological Review

[Author's note: I received a free copy of this comic as the writer (Favian) is a personal friend. This no way influences the review.]

An illustrated history of John Wesley

Commissioned by the Methodist Church of Singapore, local artist Favian wrote and illustrated a graphic novel on John Wesley's life. To the uninformed, John Wesley is the founder of the Methodist Church, which is one of the largest Protestant denomination in the world.

So is this book worth reading?

What was good about the book?

Off the bat, I would like to say that the art style is superb. Several of my friends noted that the art reminded them of The Adventures of Tin Tin (with the small eyes and points noses), and the font was a breeze to read.

I would also like to commend Favian for getting little historical details right, such as the design of muskets used during the American Revolution and the historic maps of the United States, even though these were not the main point of the John Wesley's biography.

Favian also should be credited by not shying away from the more controversial aspects of John Wesley's life, such as John's refusal to give communion in the United States, the conflict with his brother Charles Wesley and John's marriage issues. Favian also cleverly hints towards the relationship between Calvinism and early Methodism.

Being a Singaporean publication, the book eventually concludes with the legacy of Methodism in Singapore in the form of churches, shops and schools.

What could have been
Generally, I am impressed by the research and the ease of reading. Jargons like "enthusiasts" and "Moravians" were aptly explained in the footnotes, and the famed Aldersgate experience was passionately described.

If I were to nitpick, I had hoped Favian would add the Methodist campaign against alcohol as the denomination is famed for. Even though John Wesley himself did not directly addressed alcoholism, it would have been informative to elaborate why his successors took such a stance.

Where can I get a copy?

I recommend the book, and you can purchase a copy at this link.