2008.12.18
Via Survey of Character and Faith
I like what the authors of this survey are trying to do: create a survey that, instead of measuring the negative aspects of one's character, shows the positive aspects. I know a lot of people who think that psychologists essentially diagnose what's wrong with people and then try to fix them. The DSM-IV surely doesn't help tear down the illusion either, since it's the criteria we use to identify disorders in patients. So creating a survey that shows people their strengths is commendable.
However, I have a tiny disagreement with one attribute on this strength survey: faith.
I don't disagree that people may find strength in religion. I do disagree that not having faith implies a lack of strength. I know many atheists (myself included) who find strength in their lack of belief in a God(s). Some of the faith based questions are ambiguous, and simply ask about spirituality. One of the statements adds an element of meditation alongside prayer. I do meditate; it's something I picked up from Buddhism, and I consider myself a secular Buddhist, or a Buddhist without a God or some other divine power. This one was a little less of a problem, since meditation doesn't necessarily imply faith. However, there was one question which directly asked belief in God or some divine power. Answering negatively on this one pretty much ensured that faith would not be one of my strengths.
The questions on the survey ask about behaviors that most people find desirable. But I think it's inaccurate to view someone without faith as weak in some way, as lacking in strength in some way. Just because atheists do not believe in religion, or go to church, or pray, does not mean that they suffer from some weakness. Some people of faith may disagree, but they would be wrong to disagree. A lot of the atheists I know place that faith elsewhere, though "faith" is probably the wrong word: science, reason, humanity, love, goodness as derived from ourselves and not some higher power.
So while I agree with the intentions of the survey, I do not agree with the choice to view lack of religion as something that is not considered strong.
Naturally, faith was at the bottom of my list. My top five character strengths were:
- Curiosity and interest in the world
- Creativity, ingenuity, and originality
- Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
- Perspective (wisdom)
- Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
I like my list as is stands.
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