The biblical writers took dreams seriously. In the Pentateuch Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams. Daniel does the same kind of thing in the apocalyptic book of his name. When we come to the New Testament, we find that St Paul, who could rigorously follow through an argument, as in Romans 9-11, had mind-changing visions by night as he pursued his evangelistic programme in the eastern (and possibly western) Mediterranean.
These pointers should keep us aware that there are many aspects to the activities of the human mind. Our brain is more than a highly efficient organic computer; it also processes material that is beyond the reach of a man-made computer. There is more going on in our minds than we may be aware of. Freudian slips are one give-away. Becoming heated over issues that demand a cool head is another. Powerful forces lurk in the nooks and crannies of our mental make-up. This is as true of distinguished scientists as it is of the rest of us with our ambitions and obsessions, benign or otherwise.
When we recognise these deep elements in ourselves, we are well on the way to taking our dreams as seriously as they deserve. We are also well on the way to understanding the less obvious aspects of faith, Christian or otherwise. If we take our Christian faith seriously, we understand that we are not born with minds that are the blank creations that Rousseau imagined. We are contaminated by what theologians call original sin. Neither do we fail to accumulate experiences that alter our minds as we go on. If we choose to turn to the Christian Gospel, we turn as the people we are. Our strengths and our imperfections are part of us. If it is true to say that we are not born with a blank sheet, it is also true to say that the benefits of the Gospel are never imposed on a blank sheet, whether the person is young or old. We also bring undetected aspects of our personality with us.
Kipling said something about not making dreams our master. But we must beware of too readily making science our master too. There are different ways to truth and Bill Bryson has reminded us tellingly (in ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’) that science (aka knowledge) advances by leaps of imagination and chance openings taken advantage of.
Not all dreams are significant. Some are merely graphic representations, as it were, of what has preoccupied or worried us in our waking moments. ‘They fly forgotten’ once we awake. And we should beware of thinking that our dreams are messages to us that spare us the effort of making decisions. But we shall be none the worse for dreaming of new possibilities.
It’s hardly surprising that our Creator knows all about these things. Paul mentions it as a mere aside in Romans 8.27.
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