Admitting When You Are Wrong


There are few things more humbling than admitting that you have made a mistake; that you were wrong. No one wants to be wrong, but being corrected is actually a good thing. Admitting you are wrong and having the courage to change your ways is admirable. As I have stated in the past, especially with regards to religion, if someone can show me (with evidence of course) that I am wrong, I will concede. Not all things have evidence to back up the claims, however. And some do.

And so, it is with great humility that I make this admission: I was wrong. I thought I was doing something right. Not only that, I taught my children to follow my path…even though I was misguided. I hereby vow to change my ways and move forward with this new knowledge that I have obtained. I will be very careful in the future not to make the same mistake again. I will thoroughly do my research and I will accept the truth when it is presented to me. So what was I wrong about?

I didn’t know how to eat a watermelon properly. Phew! There, I said it. I have lived over 40 years and I have been eating my watermelons incorrectly all this time. The worst part? I didn’t even know I was wrong. It felt so right and tasted so good. It gave me pleasure. I was blissfully ignorant. I never entertained the idea that I was wrong during all the times I ate that sugary-sweet treat. I did it my way and didn’t care what anyone else thought about it. I was close-minded and for that I am sorry. And now, with this revelation fresh in my mind, I will share the good news with all of you. It’s the least I can do. So, my brothers and sisters, I now proudly give you:

HOW TO EAT A WATERMELON by Mr. Tom Willett. Enjoy 🙂

19 thoughts on “Admitting When You Are Wrong”

  4. I read an MSN article today, whose clickbait title was You’re Taking Your Eggs From The Carton The Wrong Way.
    After much back and forth of husbands blaming wives, and vice versa, it was decided to ask an expert – a chef. Turns out there is no wrong way. Whatever works for you is right. 😀

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  5. We never knew. LOL

    On a more serious note, I think part of the reason it’s difficult for people to admit they are wrong is that as humans we’re just complex. Most people do not come to their views based on a dispassionate review of evidence. But, there are also emotional factors, cultural factors.. past experiences, etc. either way, that is going to impact how any evidence is filtered.

    On top of that, people find an identity in how they label themselves, and a community to go along with that. It gives them purpose in a way. Pride can be a factor as well, or not wanting to disappoint others.

    The task is to sort all this out, and love truth, let the chips fall where they may.

    But, we’re human. Who is completely objective and unbiased?

    I certainly confess that I’m not. Don’t get me wrong. I really am persuaded that there is a creator. Knowing what I know, concerning things like the fine-tuning of the cosmos, and the whole complexity of that, it seems to me extremely improbable that we’re all here as the result of some blind process that came from nothing. It actually seems close to impossible to me.

    And, since, I don’t have a naturalistic worldview to start with, it seems reasonable to me that the genesis and spread of the Christian church against great odds are most likely explained by the church’s witness of the reality of the resurrection. But, that’s me. I don’t think they made it all up as they went along.

    Others disagree, and alternate explanations can always be found. Heck, some of these alternate theories such as delusion or mass hallucination have been around for literally centuries. Ditto to the idea that Jesus is mythical.

    But, I have to admit, I’m not one whit drawn to atheism either. I would have to work at it, somehow. In my opinion, just connecting with our spirituality in general, never mind specifically the Christian faith, greatly adds another dimension and richness to our lives. I don’t experience my faith as constricting in any way, really. It doesn’t mean ditching reason and science for me.

    On the other hand, if I came from a Christian background that was very abusive, judgemental, legalistic, or if I felt in any way bitter or disillusioned by the church,, by God. I can see how this would provide very fertile ground to even on an unconscious level wanting to move in another direction entirely.

    And, there’s plenty of information out there in books or the internet to support people along this path as well.

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    1. Becky: “On the other hand, if I came from a Christian background that was very abusive, judgemental, legalistic, or if I felt in any way bitter or disillusioned by the church,, by God. I can see how this would provide very fertile ground to even on an unconscious level wanting to move in another direction entirely.”

      Zoe: After all these years, you still don’t get it Becky.

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      1. Zoe, I really think this is true, but not in equal measure for everyone. After all, there are people who do come from these backgrounds who are still committed followers of Christ.

        Also, there are many, many Christian believers who do not accept something like the inerrancy of the Bible, and who may even agree with many of the opinions of someone like Bart Ehrman in terms of textual criticism, and who still are committed, Christian believers. Actually, there was one such scholar sharing on Bart’s blog recently.

        I have to stand by my statement, that I think this all runs much deeper than simply an objective, dispassionate purvey of evidence, either way. There are other factors involved, Zoe.

        I’m open to correction and a change of view if I’m wrong, but right now I can’t see it.

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      2. “I’m open to correction and a change of view if I’m wrong, but right now I can’t see it.”

        I’m not convinced that you actually mean this. I believe that, over the course of many conversations with a lot of different people here on WordPress, you have been shown instances where your thinking wasn’t logical; it was simply belief. You have been shown where you insert your faith in place of evidence. You then filter everything through your presuppositions of that faith. When one looks at the world through the lens of Christianity, things become distorted, not clearer. I don’t think you are ready for a change and so you dismiss what’s been shared with you. I think that you can’t see it because you don’t want to see it, not because it isn’t there.

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    2. “On top of that, people find an identity in how they label themselves, and a community to go along with that. It gives them purpose in a way.”

      And this, Becky, is religion in a nutshell. These are the reasons why people find it hard to leave, even when they admit (maybe not publicly) that they have no good reason to stay. I had a hard time, at first, giving up my identity and my community. But after a while, living a lie was no longer feasible.

      “But, I have to admit, I’m not one whit drawn to atheism either. I would have to work at it, somehow. ”

      This is a complete misunderstanding of what atheism is. It is not a goal, a club to join, a group of people to talk to that are likeminded. It is a state of being unconvinced of the god-claims out there. It is looking at the available evidence (or lack thereof) and not finding any of it to be compelling. There is nothing to “work at”. The only thing to work at is finding truth and discarding things that are not true. If something is not supported by evidence, it should not be kept in the same file as something that is. Being honest with one’s self is what leads to atheism or agnosticism. It is a result of the efforts to find truth, not as a result of an effort to “give up God”.

      The atheists I know that were once believers did not give up their faith easily. I know I didn’t. I fought with all I had to keep it. The problem is that in order to keep the faith I was losing, I did research. I tried as hard as I could to find something, anything, to strengthen my failing belief. All I found was mounting evidence that I was wrong. I followed a religion that I had no business following. I believed based on how I was raised and what I was taught, not by what I could observe. None of the stories and promises were true and yet I kept on believing. At some point, Becky, we have to ask ourselves, “Can I witness any of these promises in my own life? Are any of the stories backed by solid evidence? Would I be able to believe in any of it without resorting to ‘faith’? Why is it that I am told to believe without seeing?”

      When I ignored these questions or when I made excuses for them, I remained one of the faithful. However, after I asked myself all of these questions when I was finally ready to be honest with myself, my answers led me away from religion. Away from faith. It was only when I stopped making excuses for my beliefs, that I lost them.

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      1. We’re just very different, Ben.

        You have a difficult time seeing how someone could examine what they consider to be evidence and come to Christ. I can have a difficult time imagining how someone could be a convinced atheist, agnostic maybe, atheist, no. But, hey, I’ve appreciated the discussion, and as always wish you the very best. I’m already ready for Spring. 🙂 The snow is too icy for cross-country skiing, so that ruins it for me. It’s like the cold without Christmas.

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      2. We may be very different people now, but a few years ago, I shared your beliefs. A few years ago, we’d have been praising Jesus together. So no, I don’t have a difficult time “seeing how someone could examine what they consider to be evidence and come to Christ.” I don’t have a hard time seeing that at all. I did it myself. It’s not the coming to Christ part that I find difficult to accept, it’s the remaining there. And not just for you. I have a hard time understanding how I stayed in it for so long when I had my doubts from the beginning. I remained faithful because I was convinced there was some truth to the story, but there was always the feeling of “hey, this really doesn’t add up.” Digging into my doubts is what eventually made me leave.

        I don’t know of any atheist who refers to themselves as a convinced atheist. Atheists are unconvinced of the god-claims that are out there. That’s different than saying that they are convinced that there is no god at all. It’s like saying you are unconvinced that ghosts are real. You may not be convinced by the available “evidence” of ghosts, as it is lacking and insufficient to warrant belief. However you may also feel that, if evidence was presented that was irrefutable, you might become convinced. Until good, reliable evidence is presented though, you remain unconvinced of the ghost claims out there.

        Atheism is not a position where people typically say, “I know that God isn’t real.” That’s not an honest statement, as no one has such universal knowledge. It’s a position of “I am not convinced that there’s a god because I haven’t seen sufficient evidence yet. Show me some and I’ll consider it. Until then, why should I believe?” That’s the more honest view.

        I wish you well also. I hope you look for truth and follow it wherever it may lead.

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