If you think about it you’ll see that’s true. You think you are right about everything. I think I’m right about everything. If you asked me, “Why do you hold this view?” and I said, “I hold this view because I think it’s wrong,” you’re going to say, “What an idiot.” No, I hold all the views I hold because I think they are right. I’ve found out sometimes in the past that I’ve been wrong about something, but now I’ve changed my mind about it and I’m right on everything again. I also realize that I may find out some place down the road that one of the views I hold is wrong, but I don’t know what that is because if I did, I would have changed already and again I would be completely right. Everybody thinks they are right about everything. The question is whether we are open and humble enough to say, “It is possible I might have it wrong.”
—Randy Harris, God Work: Confessions of a Standup Theologian (Abilene: Leafwood, 2009)
I agree with this quotation, but I might be wrong.
I don’t think this describes me. I have a great many tentative opinions, attaching a a degree of probability to them, and revising them tentatively and continually both consciously and unconsciously. After all, am on my third world view at this stage in my life. But I know what Randy is talking about. We come from northern Arkansas, a few counties and few years apart. Being right on certain specific religious things was not just important but a major part of our personal identity.
“Everybody thinGs…”??? Was this title some sort of joke, or is it possible I might have it wrong?
I don’t gnow what you’re talkink about, K.M.
As an agnostic how could I possibly know?
But steph, are you sure of that?
[...] Heard has posted a nice illustration of the preface paradox. It fails to account, however, for the epilogue [...]
:-)