2010/03/03 Dublin
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Agency

Faith

I was intrigued by this sentence in an article about climate change in today’s Herald Tribune.
Unfortunately I could not find the article on the website of the New York Times.
John M. Broder writes: “Two universities are investigating the work of top climate scientists to determine whether they have violated academic standards or undermined faith in science.”

It’s all about the last four words.

Do priests who abuse children or imams who order the stoning of adulterers undermine faith in God?

Do bad novelists undermine faith in literature?

Who can we blame for our undermined faith?

I would love to start an agency where people can renew their faith for a couple of thousand dollars.
Why not give them placebos and tell them: “This will renew your faith, but you have to take the medicine till the bitter end.”


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16 comments Last_comment
Do priests who abuse children ... : surely not a good publicity for their church; it questions the feasibility of the priests celibacy but do probably not undermine other believers' faith
Do bad novelists undermine faith in literature? no, why? you just not read them. And what is faith in literature anyway? do we have to trust literature now ?

Who can we blame for our undermined faith?
Ourself of course, partly because of our self misformed interpretation of what we happen to know about our own spiritual heritage, if we have one and/or for not sufficiently deepen our search and knowledge of it.

Really sorry for my english !
said Francette Pontonnier 03/03/2010 08:55 • x
faith in science?
'Faith in science' is an oxymoron.
said Ruben Bergink 03/03/2010 08:56 (Updated 10:33) • x
Around world exposition Brussels 1958, I remember scientists proclaiming a near heaven on earth for the year 2000: a one hour work week, sickness eliminated, and maybe eternal life in peace and luxury.
No wonder the hippy movement arose a few years later.
Who will start a new movement now? (Arnon?)
said Bernard f 03/03/2010 09:14 • x
Faith no more
I suppose "faith in science" means that when one scientist claims one thing, you believe him, when another scientist claims the complete opposite, you believe him too.

Faith is all about ignoring inconvenient truths. Slavoj Zizek would probably call it "fetishist denial". We know very well that the German army in WWII never issued rifles without bullets in them. But the current pope (formerly the "Panzer-Cardinal") makes this very claim. That, yes, he was in Hitler's army, but, not to worry, his gun didn't have any bullets. If one has faith in the Catholic Church, one has literally no option but to have faith in his story.

Of course, the nature of faith implies that the object of our faith must be something we desire.
said Carlos Dee 03/03/2010 09:25 • x
Faith in science ?
This seems a huge oximoron, but even the word trust will be misplaced, because science is all about doubting and testing hypothesis, but since Huxley the "Darwin's bulldog", scientism has become more and more "religious" and has wanted to influence public conscience and has even troden the field of theology to evacuate God from the world. In this occurence though, I suspect an ideological offensive of the industry to protect their own interests against an ecologic trend which is gaining momentum.
said Mike L 03/03/2010 10:28 (Updated 10:30) • x
And the winner is
Placebos still seem to be undervalued. It's time for a Nobel prize for placebo literature, a golden pretend owl, a Boy Booker prize, etc.
said Joost S 03/03/2010 14:01 • x
Ruben
You can only say that because you (still) have 'faith in science'.
said Frida . 03/03/2010 22:58 • x
Weakness
Responding to rhetorical questions is a bad practice. But where would we be without bad practices?

Most believers believe despite child abusing priests. The abuse undermines their church, but not their believe. Believers who see adultery as a dispisable weakness, see their believe strenghtened when an imam calls for the stoning of adulturers. What is believing, if not a rejection of weakness?
said Philip .. 04/03/2010 10:42 • x
...and I'd say bad novelists increase our faith, as they remind us what a good novelist is.
said Philip .. 04/03/2010 10:45 • x
'Who can we blame for our undermined faith?'

I would love to open a law firm next to your agency:
if there's somebody to blame, there's money to be made.
said jeanette p. 04/03/2010 13:09 • x
Philip
Are you qualifying child abuse and adultery as a weakness?
said Frida . 04/03/2010 22:10 • x
Frieda
No, most certainly not. I do not qualify anything here but believe itself. Read carefully please.
said Philip .. 04/03/2010 23:59 • x
Philip
Thank you for answering.

Do you mean to say: 'I do not qualify anything here but belief itself.' ?

Write carefully please.
said Frida . 05/03/2010 00:31 • x
Frida
Thank you for pointing out my typo. And apologies for misspelling your name. Did you notice?
said Philip .. 05/03/2010 08:36 (Updated 08:40) • x
Philip
No problem.

I am a careful reader and therefore did notice.
said Frida . 05/03/2010 11:53 • x
Science is more than an accumulation of knowledge, it's a methodology that can be applied to study history, biology, literature. I think there is also room for speculation and "faith" in science - in the sense of believing something without knowing (possibly because the technology to measure a process isn't available yet).
Dodgy studies wouldn't let me lose my faith in science, I would question the group that produced them.
said Teresa I 05/03/2010 13:15 • x
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