A Dissonant Life
by Ted Slater on 03/10/2009 at 11:45 AM
Cognitive dissonance is something I deal with, from time to time strongly. I can see how it could build to the point where I'd have to make a radical decision: change my mind or change my faith. Boundless author Suzanne Hadley keys in on this tension in today's featured articleover on Boundless Webzine:
Whether the result of intellectual struggles, disillusionment with fellow believers or tension created from a less-than-Christian lifestyle, spiritual dissonance is uncomfortable.
She goes on:
Eventually a person may alter his beliefs to match his lifestyle in order to relieve the pressure. Such an action may deliver an initial sense of relief because the person's beliefs and actions finally match. But giving up faith and choosing one's own way always leads to destruction.
The thing is, I don't think this internal conflict is necessarily a bad thing. Just as our sense of pain motivates us to address some malady, dissonance can drive us toward deeper relationship with our Savior Redeemer:
Dissonance exists to be resolved and turned to beauty. And God's purpose is to resolve it in such a way that the music created is a testimony to His power and grace.
Suzanne concludes:
Dissonance does not have to signal the end of faith in Christ. Harmony is one of the things God offers us through Christ. In the hands of an almighty, skilled Conductor, sour notes can be the beginning of a heavenly opus.
May the Lord be honored by this muddling Slater Opus. And may you find encouragement, at least occasionally, from its tones.
1. Tami said the following at 12:05 PM on Mar 10:
One form of dissonance the Lord has been asking me to walk through lately is: "act AND wait." Another one is praying "Thy will be done" AND "All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them." In both cases, instead of crying "WHICH ONE?!?!" in frustration, I'm learning (learning!) to hold on to both with open hands.
I've botched some opening chords. And as a result, I have to go back to scales to re-learn some foundational stuff. But I thank God for the encouragement that He's using the mistakes to train me for another, better performance.
And all this reminds me of a quote from A.W. Tozer: "Life is a short and fevered rehearsal for a concert we cannot stay to give."
2. Susann said the following at 12:34 PM on Mar 10:
As a music major, the concept of dissonance holds special meaning for me. I can definitely appreciate both the beauty of discordant tones and the release of a consonant resolution.
Although I've never considered it in musical terms before, I have most certainly felt this in my life. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with what I previously labeled as "tension."
I have come to associate tension with growth. Although tension is due to areas of weakness in my life, my awareness of these shortcomings spurs me on to greater things.
As contradictory as it may sound, I find that I'm more concerned about backsliding in the times I'm not feeling the dissonance. The dissonance provides the forward motion needed to propel the music onward.
3. Rachael said the following at 1:08 PM on Mar 10:
I loved Suzanne's last line of her article. And Tami, thanks for that Tozer quote - very nice!!
4. Mrs. Spit said the following at 1:26 PM on Mar 10:
It's easy to blame backsliding Christians for not turning back to God, and it’s reasonable. Ultimately, we each make our own choices, but I wonder, if we are to present all of us blameless, before Christ, should we not bear some responsibility to other believers in our midst?
I wonder, in the light of this dissonance, what role does the church play? Are we falling down on the job, not adequately schooling new believers in scripture, not giving them a biblical base to underpin their knowledge, and not teaching them that in times of trial and trouble, we turn closer to God and closer to his word?
5. Texas Craig said the following at 4:28 PM on Mar 10:
Dissonance is good if it means that someone recognizes the sin in their own life, even as they continue to do it. Ultimately, the recognition of that sin will hopefully bring about repentance and a cessation of the sin.
What concerns me more are the people who genuinely try to rationalize their lifestyle to avoid the hard words of scripture and, thus, avoid any dissonance. The people who use God as the excuse for their selfish choices ("God provided me this great vacation," "God gave me this great house," "God gave me this great raise so I can buy my new TV. Whippee, isn't God so good to me!!!" "Yes, God wants me to have all this great new stuff! "No, God doesn't want me to even think about maybe giving a lot of my money or stuff to care for orphans or widows, he just wants ME to be so blessed")(ok, enough sarcasm)
So, I sort of like dissonance, because it can be the first step to true change. Moreover, even if it causes people to ultimately reject God so they can pursue their sin, I would say it simply reveals what their decision already is - namely what matters most to them. And, if someone desires their sin more than God, then I would rather have them not claim to be a Christian, because it just reflects poorly on the body of Christ.
6. Sara said the following at 4:41 PM on Mar 10:
This article seems to be about two different things:
First, there's the dissonance of guilt: when you do something that goes against your beliefs, and feel bad about it. If you're sure of our beliefs, then the answer is to stop acting that way if you can.
Second, there's the dissonance between beliefs. This is a much different and deeper dissonance. Here, the answer is to re-examine what you believe and try to legitimately re-establish a coherent belief system. I can't imagine saying that the answer is necessarily to turn more towards (or away from) God, if the dissonance is with your very belief in God. Ever heard of the 'confirmation bias'?
Ideally, turning towards God, or turning away from God, should result from our searching; it shouldn't be our search method.
7. BDB said the following at 6:15 PM on Mar 10:
I do think that this works both ways. I know a number of Christians who partied a lot when younger, but as God got a deeper hold on them, they found it necessary to move on from those friendships that were not supporting their character. It wasn't intervention by outside parties so much as it was the way the dissonance was affecting them, and they realized they needed to make a change.