A Quest for an Antidote
A Startling Twist of History
At its most basic level, the “joy” of cynicism speaks of the age-old tendency where it’s so much easier to view such things as God or truth or justice as the stuff that only fools or con artists profess to believe in. The reasons for such cynicism are varied and complex. To better understand them, this work traces the history of humanity’s attitude toward God and the world, marred as it is by the presence of evil, particularly in terms of what is communicated in The Bible.
That’s because cynicism as a by-product of hope disappointed is by no means a modern condition. In fact, it’s as old as the most ancient dramas depicted in Scripture. As a result, what begins as a straightforward discussion of the causes of cynicism in a modern world soon takes an unexpected turn as we journey forward through time, age after age, in a quest for an antidote to the most corrosive force in God’s creation.
In the process of that search, we find ourselves surveying familiar territory, although it’s territory that takes on new meaning in this ages-long quest. More importantly, our investigation will reveal a startling twist, because in examining the history of humanity’s relationship to God’s creation, we confront many facts that no typical science lesson ever imparts.
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If you’re a member of the human race, then you’re no stranger to one of the most destructive forces in the Universe: cynicism. Instead of seeing the beauty in life, the cynical mind sees only ugliness and in doing so changes that beauty into something ugly. To better understand how to resist such a mindset is the subject of this work, The Joy of Cynicism and the Death of Beauty: How Your Worldview Shapes the World You Live In.
From the Front Cover
Embark on a journey that takes an unexpected turn in search of an antidote to the most corrosive force in God’s creation.
A Preview
Many years ago, I heard a story about what was described as the “joy of agnosticism,” in which it was said that agnosticism was a far easier philosophy of life to embrace than that of theism. While theism is defined as the belief in God as the creator of the Universe, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relation to His creatures, agnosticism states that nothing can be known of God’s existence or of anything beyond material phenomena.
In contrast to the atheist, who flat out denies the existence of God, the agnostic claims neither belief nor disbelief in God. In either case, whether one embraces agnosticism or atheism, both are said to question any and all evidence offered by the theist as proof of God’s existence. In short, both agnosticism and atheism embrace doubt in contrast to theism which embraces faith.
At this juncture, one needs to understand something very important. When I talk about such things as faith and doubt, it’s easy to get lost in the traditional meanings of these words. And if this continues unchecked, then there’s really no point in examining this question of why some people have faith and others don’t. That’s because when most people talk about faith, it’s generally assumed that we’re talking about “blind faith” as opposed to a faith that involves an experience-based analysis. It’s assumptions like this that had Bierce railing against the traditional view of faith, when he described it as “belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.” And because of this, most in turn can’t help but buy into the misconception that people who do believe in the evidence of Scripture or Nature are naïve, gullible, or foolish for doing so.
This is the origin of the idea, then, of the “joy of cynicism,” because when I talk about faith in biblical terms, I’m never talking about “blind faith.” In fact, when I talk about the contrast between doubt and faith, what I’m describing here in this work is the difference between doubt and certainty. When considering this difference, I’m always reminded of two views expressed by two famous thinkers. On one hand, there is Voltaire who said, “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” And on the other hand, there is John Stuart Mill who said, “There is no such thing as absolute certainty, but there is assurance sufficient for the purposes of human life.”
And herein lies the crucial difference between agnosticism and theism, because doubt comes so easily to the human race, while certainty comes so very hard. That’s why when I talk about such things as agnosticism, skepticism, and cynicism, I can talk about them in terms of the “joy” they bring. While the agnostic sits in his or her ivory tower and belittles anyone they deem foolish enough to embrace the message of The Bible, the theist wrestles daily with the same evidence that confronts the agnostic. But instead of casually, joyfully, dismissing it like the agnostic, the theist anxiously, painstakingly, attempts to reconcile said evidence.
As such, these two worldviews spawn two very different personality types. The ever-seeking believer sees himself or herself as a creature subject to the divine will and though plagued with an inevitable sense of guilt and uncertainty never loses sight of their ultimate destiny beyond one’s mortal self. Compare that to the happy-go-lucky agnostic who thinks himself or herself above all the nonsense, all the hypocrisy, all the self-deception of their less sophisticated counterparts who they see as wallowing in so much self-pity and self-recrimination.
As the Scriptures describe it, there are the troubled ones who constantly struggle to make sense of the incongruities of life, and who groan: “Woe is me, I’m undone. Please God, be merciful to me—a sinner.” Then there are the others who live contentedly, high above all the head games played by those whom they view as religious zealots, and who exclaim: “Joy is me, I’m immune. Please folks, be sensible with me—a realist.”
Story Continues Below
To watch author and biblical historian W. Kent Smith discuss the contents of his book On Earth as It is On Heaven, at the Sacred Word Revealed Conference ’23, hosted by Zen Garcia, CLICK BELOW.
Story Continues From Above
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More Previews of The Joy of Cynicism and the Death of Beauty
To Read Further, Go To:
THE QUEST FOR AN ANTIDOTE—to embark on a journey that takes an unexpected turn in search of an antidote to the most corrosive force in God’s creation.
THE SEEDS OF CYNICISM—to see that if you’re human, then your life is full of disappointments; and wherever there are disappointments, cynicism follows.
THE JOY OF CYNICISM—to learn how we are to understand how a perfect God can co-exist with imperfect humans inhabiting an imperfect world.
THE PARADOX OF CYNICISM—to learn of the man who said: I am Diogenes the Dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy, and bite scoundrels.
BETWEEN CERTAINTY AND DOUBT—to find out the way in which our unique perspective of a Supreme Being shapes the world we live in.
A TALE OF TWO WORLDS—to discover how, without being “cast out” of the womb of Eden, we’d never be able to realize our full potential.
A LACK OF PERSPECTIVE—to see that we’re never on shakier ground when we presume to examine the past through the lens of our own perspective.
A RECIPE FOR CYNICISM—to learn that the presumed evils of scientific progress aren’t by-products of the Industrial Revolution but of hope disappointed.
THE SILENCE OF GOD—to see that, in response to humanity’s apathy and disregard for Him, God never entirely removes His revelation.
