Epistemology: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially concerning its limits and validity.
When we talk about the weather; “It rained yesterday,” “That hurricane was a category 3,” “Today it is sunny,” no one gets upset because it is what it is. The same is true in a dendrochronology discussion (the study of data from tree ring growth), it never gets too heated**. Unlike the weather, and dendrochronology; politics and religion are normally off the table for discussion. Why?
Intrinsic in physics, chemistry, geology, evolution, etc., is the attitude "no one cares what you believe," it is what it is, i.e., the epistemology is tight and intact. Religion, on the other hand is fundamentally based on belief, religion flourishes in a venue where truth is relative (in spite of history we are taught to respect is). Religion can only exist when epistemology is underdeveloped, broken down, or void.
Politics in the US were once, when the Bill of Rights was written, more in line with dendrochronology. Meaning the logic of the language was based on the mistakes of past generations, epistemology was intact. Over a 240 year period, the epistemology of government in the US has lowered to levels equal to many moderate religions. Our current president, Donald Trump, is not the reason for this, he is merely the contemporary product of it. His presidency is the proof that what I am writing is true.
Why does religion represent the breakdown of epistemology? Humanity has created some 4200 religions and gods; all of which are based on faith. Faith is what humans used to dismiss information that contradicts our opinions. Faith stops facts from changing our minds.
The writing that arguably was the catalyst to US independence was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. In Common Sense, Paine warned future citizens of the US not to introduce religion [faith] into government. Yet in 2018 we have a fervent god-fearing Christian as Vice President, and a President whose most common phrase is “believe me,” have faith in me. We have elected the government our founders warned us about.
These are not average times, this is why we are forced to discuss politics and religion. Evangelicalism’s push into politics is a serious problem. We must talk about it. We must address it before we repeat the mistakes of theocracies. We must get back to the secular government our nation was founded on. We must restore a robust epistemology.
** dendrochronology is only a heated topic in a discussion among Evangelical Christians claiming a 6,000-year-old Earth; because tree rings can date back almost 12,000 years (without having to introduce nuclear decay or radioactivity).
