As we are preparing for Trinity Sunday one thing has been striking me, that is just how much western culture is permeated by dichotomous thinking. This is when we think in terms of either/or. Dichotomies are polar opposites such as rich/poor, on/off, right/left, right/wrong or good/evil, and provide a whole framework for looking at the world. There seems to be an increasing popularity in the media and politics for this way of looking at the world, mainly because it is reductionist, simple and easy, particularly the use of the dichotomous phrase good/evil. For example, there is more talk of ‘evil criminals’ or ‘evil terrorists’ or (worse) ‘evil religion’ in the media than ever before, and no longer just the popular media.
The shared assumption is that those who distribute these phrases and those who receive them can identify in something other than themselves something or someone that is evil. The other consequence of this way of thinking is that when we use these phrases and assume an ‘other’ is evil, then we are automatically ‘good’.
Philosophically, Dichotomous thinking arises out of an intellectual and linguistic framework which is only appropriate for mathematical or scientific formula. There is a place for either/or propositions, but only within an artificial framework, such as if I was a cricket captain and (hopefully) won the toss I can choose either to bat or bowl, there is no third choice. Dichotomous thinking is wholly appropriate in this context as it is a scientific choice. Where dichotomous thinking is not appropriate is in moral or religious contexts, for they are too complex to reduce to either/or propositions.
Nevertheless, these propositions have become more popular because scientific language has been misappropriated in moral or religious contexts. it is simply too easy and tempting to do so, rather than looking carefully at the full contexts of moral and religious issues we as a culture have found it easier to pigeon hole others into an either/or box.
Theologically, however, as we approach Trinity Sunday we must look hard at how we use dichotomies because the doctrine of the Trinity itself challenges polar opposites. Trinity is not based on an either/or presupposition, instead it is built on a perfect relationship of equality between the three persons, and this is the Christian model for the world. If the church had wanted to encourage dichotomous thinking in its theology there would only have been two divine persons, probably in a hierarchical relationship with each other.
Instead, the Trinity encourages a community of relationality, love and perfect equality between the persons; the Orthodox church always resisted a hierarchy in the Godhead, because the Trinity is the supreme example for how we behave on this earth. If we follow this trinitarian model for our religion or morality we will soon drop dichotomies for they cannot the basis of truly faithful Christian discipleship of the Trinity, and part of that discipleship is to find new categories that go beyond either/or alternatives in moral or religious discourse.