By Jim Nichols

I am not making this up because I have seen it. In the Galilei Museum in Florence, Italy, is a glass jar containing the middle finger of the famous astronomer Galileo. He was convicted of heresy by the institutional church for using his telescopic observations to support proposals of Copernicus from a century earlier. Following Galileo’s death (for reasons unknown to me) and years later, his exhumed body was partially dismembered, leading to this finger on display.

Copernicus, himself, in his life was under serious suspicion of heresy for proposing that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. He proposed that the planets (including the earth) orbit the sun. 

As reasonable as the model seems today, it was shameful when it was proposed and supported by others. Galileo was accused of “. . . following a position which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture.” The premise to that time was that scripture clearly described the creation of the heavens and earth and that earth (and humans) were central.

This is an example of how an incorrect premise can lead to serious subsequent misunderstandings and actions. Unfortunately, building on an incorrect premise has been a human trap in every era.

In the middle of the twentieth century, one aspect of American foreign policy was based on a specific premise. If Communism were not stopped from expanding, countries would fall to it like dominoes. Consequences of this policy/premise included American involvement in the Vietnam war where 58,220 American casualties occurred. Today Vietnam is a socialist republic with a one-party system led by the Communist Party. Questions as to the value of those casualties seem reasonable.

Some today have adopted a premise that vaccines are unsafe and simply a way of government to coerce us and take away our freedoms. Individuals buying into that premise need to explain the fantastically positive results of vaccines in human history across the world. They also might want to try to estimate how many more people would have died (even in Florida) had COVID vaccines not been implemented by millions. 

Similar to the vaccine premise is that there is a dark conspiracy in the United States trying to take away our freedoms in general. Related that that premise is another that there is a conspiracy for people from other nations to “replace” White Americans.

If you start from an incorrect premise, you may make incorrect conclusions and actions.

If you start from the premise that full human life begins when a sperm and egg unite, there are consequences that are difficult to manage. We are seeing this now with the examples of the consequences of the unavailability of abortion.

When I was a young graduate student, I had a scientific book titled The Chemistry and Physiology of Fertilization. It was a complete analysis of information available at that time concerning the biology of an egg and sperm fusing. This initiates an amazing series of development events leading to an embryo. The book and the field of developmental biology captured my interest and I have never lost it. It is discouraging to me to see otherwise sensible people limiting the marvelous initiation and development of life to a single fertilization event. For me, there is a clear biological and spiritual difference between a fertilized egg and a two-year old child. 

I am familiar with a college in another state that includes the following premise in a faith statement: “The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are without error or misstatement in their moral and spiritual teaching and record of historical facts.” For me, this leaves little room for the Holy Spirit informing me through the scriptures. Author Geoffrey Smith notes, “Even a Bible thought to be without errors still has to be interpreted.”

It is impossible to avoid basing some beliefs and actions on premises. The caution needs to be to remember that our premises may, in retrospect, be questionable. Holding a premise like a retriever (ready to let it loose) is preferable to holding it like a bulldog (just gritting our teeth).

God has given us minds and communities of others with minds. Let us take advantage of checks and balances in our premises.

Jim Nichols is a retired Abilene Christian University biology professor and current hospital chaplain