Orthodoxy means not thinking – not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.

George Orwell, 1984

This statement from Syme, a Newspeak expert in George Orwell's dystopian socialist country, Ocenia, stands out to me, and I feel I understand it with ease. It reminds me of my days as a committed and fully bought in believer in the orthodoxy of Christianity.

I remember this one time I had a conversation with the this random person who came to my church, GFC. This individual had doubts about the bible, his main concern being the process in how the canon formed. It's from this individual I first encountered the history of the canonization of the books of the bible. Finding out that some books that used to be in the bible, were taken out by a council some centuries ago made me curious about the ones that didn't make it and the legitimacy of the ones that did, and shaped my worldview.

Shortly after that encounter, I brought this up to one of the church leaders. His response was dismissive along this line, "Whatever God wanted you to know, He has revealed in the books that are in the canonized bible." I took this and ran with it. I didn't bother to ask anymore questions. I was satisfied with that. I knew asking further questions meant falling out of line, falling out of the orthodoxy.

Now, after few years of living outside of this orthodox commitment to the bible and Christianity, I can see the flaws in the church leaders response and my complete negation of my curiosity. It was a sin to question the legitimacy of the bible and it's authorship. I was discouraged from bringing to consciousness questions that had potentials to dismantle my commitment to the orthodoxy.

Although, I shouldn't be surprised, as consciousness is the original sin in the bible.