Guest Opinion: Pure faith isn’t a virtue in politics
By Dr. Gilbert D. Shapiro
Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Arizona January 8, 2008
The public should find no virtue in candidates' faith claims.
As reported in the Arizona Daily Star on Dec.29, Mike Huckabee said, "The most important thing people need to know is that you have the judgment to deal with the issues that confront you. I understand something about the way the world works."
On NBC's Meet the Press Dec. 30, he said, "My faith drives my views… " If we unpack the meaning of religious faith, perhaps the public will better understand why non-believers regard candidates who are driven by such faith as potentially questionable leaders.
The Center for Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona is comprised of secularists who regard faith as an invalid pathway to knowledge, unreliable at best and false at worst. Having faith implies that the bearer has some unique pathway that requires no further investigation.
The only other means available is via the supernatural. There is no convincing evidence that the supernatural exists, and in any case there is considerable disagreement about how one might gain reliable information about it. We reject the claim that views driven by faith would be an asset in secular government. We prefer that all views emanate from reason, science and inquiry.
Indeed, if we plug a standard definition of faith into Mr. Huckabee's last quote, his statement reads: "My belief in supernatural authority; belief in the absence of evidence or in spite of evidence to the contrary, drives my views." Why should such an irrational statement resonate so positively with a significant percentage of our population?
Faith, based on our experience, appears to be a non-negotiable position. Consider asking those who profess faith the following two questions:
● Have you ever considered that your faith claim might be wrong?
● What evidence could I show you that would negate your faith claim?
The answers will most often be "No" and "None" respectively.
Why does the public consider close-mindedness a virtue? Do we really need to be reminded that knowledge responsible for advances in agriculture, architecture, aviation (just to name a few) are all gained by rational thought processes?
Faith plays no part in improving crops, building skyscrapers or making airplanes fly. When scientific research points to homosexuality as being genetic and not choice; confirms that abstinence-only programs have failed ; and assures us that there is no "controversy" about evolution that needs be addressed in public schools, why does the public still support politicians who deny these findings?
Secularists are amazed that people are able to divide their thinking into rational and irrational compartments. How can, for example, engineers or physicians, whose professional worlds revolve around rational thought, also live and function in very real second worlds where they are convinced that they are under 24-hour supervision by a deity?
The Center for Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona, a group working to promote reason, science and free inquiry in all areas of human endeavor, encourages the public to reflect on the definition, meaning, and experience of faith and to dialogue with us on this issue.
Dr. Gilbert D. Shapiro, a podiatrist and foot surgeon, is spokesman for the Center for Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona.
