No True Scotsman
As human beings we seek to understand our world through the perception of our senses and the exercise of our faculties of reason. We like to imagine ourselves as neutral, objective arbiters of what we perceive and in how we reason. And yet we are all finite, limited, and biased to some degree or another; furthermore, as Christians, we must confess how we have all been subjected to sin and death and the corruption present in the creation (Romans 5:12-21, 8:18-22). Thus, not everything we think we perceive is accurate; not all of our thoughts, feelings, and actions are based on well-reasoned principles. Humans prove liable to fallacies: mistaken beliefs which often themselves derive from application of deficient forms of reasoning.
One such fallacy which takes place all too frequently in argumentation and ideological thinking and practice is an appeal to purity, these days best known as the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. It received the moniker of “No True Scotsman” from the example given by Antony Flew in his 1966 book God & Philosophy:
In this ungracious move a brash generalization, such as No Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge, when faced with falsifying facts, is transformed while you wait into an impotent tautology: if ostensible Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge, then this is by itself sufficient to prove them not true Scotsmen (italics original).
Thus the concern has nothing to do with Scottish people per se but exposes the undercurrent of the deep desire to establish the purity of a given category or group. The No True Scotsman fallacy arises out of the desire to uphold a given group of people as superior, either intrinsically or on account of upholding some standard of belief and/or practice. Invariably some example will arise of someone who identifies with that group who thinks or acts in ways which would cast aspersions on the superiority of that group. Such an example should lead to a reconsideration of the original premise: is that particular group of people really superior, or is there an expression of an inappropriate bias or presumption? Yet, in human weakness, the result is often the No True Scotsman fallacy: the attempt is made to find a reason to exclude the contrary example in order to continue to uphold the exalted view of the group. Therefore, the person who committed the infraction is not really a part of and does not really represent the group; after all, no person truly in that group would believe or do such a thing.
The No True Scotsman fallacy also exists at the ideological level. This time it is not upholding a group of people, but a given set of ideas, which some desire to uphold as superior. Invariably some attempt will be made at realizing these ideas, and the result will often prove less than expected or perhaps even desired. Such should lead to a reconsideration of the set of ideas; yet, in human weakness, the attempt will be made to demonstrate how the set of ideas was not actually well put into place. The No True Scotsman fallacy, in the world of ideas, is when people fail the ideology, but the ideology is never seen as failing.
As with all fallacies in logic and reasoning, we find it quite easy to identify situations in which others have fallen prey to the No True Scotsman fallacy, and we imagine we will somehow prove immune to it; or, as Jesus put it, we well perceive the speck in our brother’s eye while remaining ignorant of the beam in our own (Matthew 7:3-4). We do better to try to understand why we are tempted to commit the No True Scotsman fallacy if we will have any hope in resisting it.
Much of what animates the impulse toward the No True Scotsman fallacy comes from the dark place of chauvinism: in our anxieties and fears we are strongly tempted to project an air of strength and superiority which remain completely unjustified on merit. In order to justify “us” against “them,” and particularly why “we” might enjoy privilege or standing which is denied to “them,” “we” must demonstrate why “we” deserve it and “they” do not. The easiest way to make such a justification is to believe “we” are better or superior to “them,” either just by identification in a given ethnicity or geographic location or on account of maintaining a given set of beliefs and/or practices. “We” then invest much in being part of “our” group, and thus become quite invested in the presumption of “our” superiority. Anything which might cast aspersions on “our” superiority would call the entire framework into question; thus it proves easier for “us” to want to find reasons to reject the cause of offense than to reconsider whether “we” are really and truly as awesome and superior as “we” would like to believe.
But not all impulses toward the No True Scotsman fallacy come from such dark places. Humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27); an impetus to uphold holiness and righteousness therefore exists within mankind. It is not a bad thing for human beings to aspire to a high standard of belief and conduct in righteousness and holiness. It is not a bad thing for humans to maintain noble ideals about human thinking and behavior. But human beings, in their finite and corrupt nature, fail at realizing ideals in belief and practice.
The No True Scotsman fallacy thus proves quite tempting in the cognitive dissonance created when the real falls short of the ideal: it allows us to continue to hold onto the ideals without any compunction or reservation. The Idea is always right; it cannot fail, only be failed. The Elect remain unmoved; people just prove they are not part of said Elect.
Examples of the No True Scotsman fallacy can be found in droves in the worlds of culture and politics. The partisan tribe is always pure; anyone who deviates from its orthodoxy is not really a member of the tribe, and any misbehavior is always somehow the responsibility of the other tribe. The social or economic ideology is always correct; supposed evidence to the contrary only really proves how the ideology has not been entirely or fully realized. At times some groups fall prey to the No True Scotsman fallacy more frequently than not; but all groups do so to some degree or another at all times.
The presence of the No True Scotsman fallacy in the Christian faith proves quite pernicious, but is tempting for understandable reasons.
In Christ the people of God are set apart in holiness and to uphold the standard of holiness (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 1 Peter 1:13-19). Thoughts, feelings, and actions inconsistent with that standard of holiness are condemned as sinful and transgressive, and the Apostles warned how those who persist in them will be condemned (e.g. Galatians 5:19-21). Paul expected Christians in local congregations to disassociate from those who persisted in transgressive behaviors and to mark those who continually advanced distorted instruction (Romans 16:17-18, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). John spoke of the “antichrists” in the following way in 1 John 2:18-19:
Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.
According to the New Testament, therefore, one cannot be a faithful Christian and hold to false teachings and/or practice sinful behaviors. At least some of those who depart from the faith demonstrate in so doing how they never really believed and thus were never really counted among the people of God.
We can therefore understand why it proves so easy to dismiss examples of misbehavior and wrongdoing among those professing Jesus in terms of “No True Christian,” and how Christianity can be perceived as never failing, but only people failing Jesus. In very real senses, it is true that Jesus has not failed and does not fail, but we do fail Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:9). It is true that any Christian who is caught up in distorted teachings and/or sinful behaviors is not honoring Jesus as Lord.
In practice, however, “No True Christian” remains the No True Scotsman fallacy because all have sinned and continue to sin, falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10). After all, if the standard is absolute faithfulness to the ideal, none of us can be truly Christian, because none of us prove entirely faithful.
Far too often Christians obsess over identifying who is and who is not a Christian based on certain standards; all such endeavors fall prey to the No True Scotsman fallacy. Neither Jesus nor the Apostles commend such an obsession; with one voice they proclaim Jesus as Lord and Judge, and such a prerogative is never given to any of His followers (Matthew 7:1-4, Romans 14:1-13, James 4:11-12). Likewise, Christians blithely dismiss certain historic and contemporary examples of wrongdoing by those professing Jesus by arguing how such thinking and behavior are contrary to the ways of Christ, and thus those who did them were not really Christians: another example of the No True Scotsman fallacy.
The history of the people of God, Israel according to the flesh and Israel centered in Jesus, exhibit plenty of episodes of distorted thinking and unholy behaviors. God never encouraged a No True Scotsman response; instead, He would have His people recognize the transgressions of the pass and lament them so as not to follow in the same patterns of warped thinking and disobedience (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13). Yes, there will be plenty of people who believe they belong to God but will find themselves cast out on the final day (e.g. Matthew 7:21-23); but that decision is made by the Lord Jesus Christ, not His followers. Upon the evidence of two or three witnesses, local congregations should disassociate from Christians who persist unrepentantly in sin (1 Corinthians 5:1-13); in so doing Christians demonstrate a severance of their “horizontal” relationship as fellow Christians while confessing Jesus will ultimately be the judge of such a person regarding their “vertical” relationship with Him.
We are inclined to idealize ourselves as individuals and groups, as well as our ideals and customs. Thus we are ever tempted to commit the No True Scotsman fallacy whenever reality rudely intrudes on our ideals. Ideals are important and can be good and healthy; but we must always recognize how reality is messy and corrupt. As Christians we do well to strive toward ever greater faithfulness to God in Christ through the Spirit, leaving judgment to Jesus and in humility not considering ourselves as greater, superior, or more intrinsically right than anyone else, thus disarming the impetus to the No True Scotsman fallacy. We will all fail Jesus in some way or another; thanks be to God for His grace and mercy lavishly displayed in Christ. May we not presume mercy for ourselves and condemnation for others, lest we find ourselves condemned and mercy given to others; may we instead entrust ourselves fully to God in Christ through the Spirit in humility, displaying love, grace, and mercy, and obtaining life in Christ!
Ethan R. Longhenry
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