{"id":1047,"date":"2025-05-28T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/?p=1047"},"modified":"2025-05-28T11:44:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T17:44:30","slug":"would-the-real-jordan-peterson-please-stand-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/05\/28\/would-the-real-jordan-peterson-please-stand-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Would the Real Jordan Peterson Please Stand Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have read the newest critiques of Jordan Peterson and his ill-advised appearance on 1 Christian vs. 20 Atheists<\/em> on YouTube. Peterson was so vague in most of his responses that they had to change the name of the show to Jordan Peterson vs. 20 Atheists<\/em>. Many came away with more questions than answers. Most who watched and commented on it were bemused by Peterson\u2019s refusal to place a stake in the ground. One thing is certain, whoever had the idea to put Peterson on a show entitled 1 Christian vs 20 Atheists<\/em> did not think that through. It was a terrible idea. Those on Peterson\u2019s team who did nothing to stop it also need to be held accountable. So, to be fair, the criticisms of Peterson in these exchanges are warranted, albeit some felt invigorated to \u201ctake him down\u201d as if their worth increased if they were able to successfully dismantle such a brilliant thinker. I have \u201ctaken down\u201d a few people in discussions and felt no such invigoration. I felt sadness. And if you feel anything less than sorrow after ruining someone\u2019s day, you should get that checked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jordan Peterson on 1 Christian vs 20 Atheists<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So what does Peterson really believe? It\u2019s not as complicated as one might think. First, to know the answer to this, you must know his temperament and personality type. (I laid out a more broad interpretation of who Jordan Peterson is <\/span>HERE<\/a>. This post will hone in on spirituality)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s Agreeable<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Peterson is an agreeable person who greatly dislikes conflict. I know what you thought, \u201cHe runs<\/em><\/strong> to conflict!\u201d No, he doesn\u2019t. He avoids it like the plague until he has weighed out the consequences of not<\/em> saying something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started his intellectual journey studying the vilest characters of modern history. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, (The Deadly Trio). In this endeavor, he discovered that there were a couple of patterns to their success:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Lies<\/span><\/strong>. People were willing to tell lies incessantly and people were willing to blindly believe the lies. What the trio had in common was they were consistently selling lies that people were buying. As a result, Peterson always swore he would tell the truth at all costs.<\/li>
  2. Silence<\/span><\/strong>. For those who knew there were major problems with what was going on in their society, they were silent. Few spoke up. For obvious reasons. They feared being killed for speaking up.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Because of this, Peterson always maintained a position of saying what needs to be said to avoid catastrophic outcomes in the future by telling the truth. It\u2019s even one of the points in both of his 12 Rules books: The first book, 12 Rules for Life, \u201cTell the Truth, or at least don\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/a> The second book, Beyond Order, 12 More Rules for Life, \u201cDo not hide unwanted things in the fog.\u201d<\/a> This explains his need to speak out in spite of his propensity to avoid confrontation. It also explains his willingness to find ways to agree on positions that many think shouldn\u2019t fluctuate. And maybe they\u2019re right. It may not excuse it, but it explains it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He’s searching<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As with most people who reach that place in life where the end<\/em> looks closer than is used to, we hit this existential crisis of sorts and begin thinking of what it all means in the end. Peterson is there. He began learning more about the Christianity he was exposed to as a child. And in typical Peterson fashion, he made psychological connections that allowed him to process what he was reading. Everything had to have a psychological parallel for him to make sense of it. His seminar on Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels all had psychological underpinnings which enabled him to competently ascertain the benefits of such a religion. He took it a step further and began to determine that it made more sense<\/em> that Jesus was who he said he was, and that the resurrection happened than it did to deny it. Logically. Philosophically. Psychologically. He is in search. For the deepest possible meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He’s Humble<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It is noted by most everyone that he consistently avoids the direct question of his claiming to be a Christian. And I think I know why. Sure, he has fits of anger and has problems with certain confrontations. He only desires thoughtful debate, and in good faith. Chances are, he went into this YouTube special with a preconceived notion they were not doing this in good faith. Remember, these were probably some of the same people, or the same type of people that thrust him into the spotlight by attacking his positions on free speech back when he was at the University of Toronto. He was incredibly uncomfortable during that period of his life and very possibly harbors some resentment from that experience. So he may have underestimated the level of his PTSD going into this show. But at the end of the day, he is a humble human being. He does not think himself to be better than anyone simply because of his education or status. He desires for everyone to seek to be better versions of themselves each day. That\u2019s all he really wants out of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    His humility comes as a slight detriment to his current effectiveness in the public sphere. One would have needed to follow him for some time to see what is happening here. He is so humble, that he cannot wrap his head around the idea that God in all of his perfection can love and embrace someone like him<\/em><\/strong>. Peterson can\u2019t fathom the idea that all of his failures, slips, thoughts, can be forgiven and wiped away by such an ineffable God. This is his struggle. He will not place the stake in the ground for fear that he can\u2019t live up to it<\/em>. He, like many academics have opened the door to Christianity by way of reason, intellectual exploration, and cognitive education. What they have all yet to do is walk through the door that was opened. They have stepped into the doorway through reason, but they still need to walk through<\/em> the door with faith<\/em>. And that\u2019s where it gets murky. You can\u2019t measure faith. And often, faith looks ridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Peterson was not the right guy to be doing that show on YouTube. Wesley Huff <\/a>would have been much better. Peterson is still exploring. Spiritual exploration is messy. It\u2019s murky. It\u2019s plagued with confusion and even cognitive dissonance at times. But at the end of the day, Jordan Peterson wants what we all want. A thriving society of people acting in good faith and learning to become better versions of ourselves. He is peaking through the door of Christianity but still can\u2019t fathom God being accepting of Jordan Peterson in all of his humanity<\/em><\/strong>. Therefore, he refuses to claim the tag \u201cChristian.\u201d It doesn\u2019t excuse his inability to have civil discourse with people who disagree with him, but it does explain where he\u2019s coming from. That’s the real Jordan Peterson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stay Classy, GP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I have read the newest critiques of Jordan Peterson and his ill-advised appearance on 1 Christian vs. 20 Atheists on YouTube. Peterson was so vague in most of his responses that they had to change the name of the show to Jordan Peterson vs. 20 Atheists. Many came away with more questions than answers. Most … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “Would the Real Jordan Peterson Please Stand Up”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0},"categories":[72,12,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1047"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1052,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047\/revisions\/1052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}