To Believe or Not to Believe that is the question
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men.
Believe only after careful observation and analysis.
When you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of everyone, then accept it and live up to it. —Kalama Sutta[1]
Believe is one of many words used in our language that can easily mislead and misrepresent the user’s intent. This can be attributed to its denotative and subjective subtleties. It seems “believe” has become the catchall verb of choice.
- believe (verb) 1. to accept as true or as speaking truth. [synonyms: -be certain of -put one’s faith in] 2. think; suppose. [synonyms: assume, maintain, presume] to believe in 1. have faith in the existence of. [synonyms: swear by; trust in; have faith in] 2. feel sure of the worth of.
- belief (noun) 1. firm opinion; acceptance “that is my belief” 2. religious conviction “he has no belief” 3. belief in: trust or confidence “belief in the justice system” [2]
How we use the word
There are two circumstances in which to use the word “believe”, the religious and the rational. By religious, I mean a fundamentalist zealous attitude towards the belief. In the religious viewpoint, the act of believing is to accept as true or real without need of additional confirmation or proof, i.e. faith. We often think this only applies to religion but it can apply to any domain. There is a problem with this attitude; it does not allow for change or growth. The person who uses this standpoint already accepts the belief as fact.
The rational version of the verb “to believe” allows for change because its acceptance of truth is based on assumption and reasoning. This standpoint allows for mistakes and as humans, we have the capacity to learn from our mistakes. The following argument is over simplified but it goes something like this:
What is the Earth’s shape?
- The religious believer: “I believe the earth is flat.” I know this to be true (because the Church says so) and nothing you say will change my mind because I am right.
- The rational believer: “I believe the earth is flat.” I presume this is so, because through my experience wherever I walk I always remain vertical.
- Note: With the rational outlook, the presumption can be tested and tried until it mutates into fact or knowledge with evidence to support it.
... and the answer today?
- The standard response is: “the earth is round”, but to be precise, it is really an oblate spheroid.
How we believe
Humans are pattern-seeking creatures. This ability, of being able to find patterns and causal relationships, is inherent in our nature and credited to our survival skills. Patterns are ascertained through experience. The problem is knowing which patterns are beneficial, harmful or useless. We learn what works and doesn’t work through repetitive experiences. For example: Early humans learned the pattern of the seasons and eventually developed agriculture.
While natures’ patterns can be observed and learned, what about abstract ideas like magic, religion and god? How did we begin to (religiously) believe in what we couldn’t see? There are many theories but here are a few possibilities on the origins of spiritual belief.
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Humans are born with the inherent capacity to believe in mystical ideas.
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Early humans manifested the “abstract” for those situations where there were no patterns to establish reason, in another word a protoscience.
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Mysticism is a false paradigm that our ancestors accepted as truth and is now slowly de-evolving through scientific knowledge.
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Earth was visited by an advanced culture in ancient times and early man developed the divine concept. -Not my most favored theory and I think it is unlikely but you never know.
Why we believe
Each person will have his or her own reason for believing or not believing in something, be it from the religious or rational viewpoint When it comes to religious spiritual beliefs it could be for any number of reasons. In the following list, god is used generically to reflect all possibilities and is not gender or denomination specific:
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Believing in god answers the need to believe in something.
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An individual believes in god because they were taught to believe.
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God must exist because there exists a living universe.
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God gives life meaning and purpose; by helping define our sense of self.
God provides control and guidance in life through fear of retribution and promised rewards. Depending on the belief these can take place in the present (karma), in the afterlife (heaven and hell), or in a next-life (reincarnation).
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There has to be more to life than ‘life-and-death’.
What we believe
The permutations are endless.
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Something to think about... Given the assumptions: Questions: [If yes] [If no] |
Notes
[1] (Anguttara Nikaya Vol. 1, 188-193 P.T.S. Ed.)
[2] The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English 8th Edition.
How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science –Michael Shermer
A Brief Guide to Beliefs, Ideas, Theologies, Mysteries and Movements –Linda Edwards
Religion and The Brain Newsweek International, US Edition, May 7, 2001 –Sharon Begley
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Why Bad Beliefs Don’t Die
I cannot answer for anyone else. For myself, I find patterns and rituals comforting and meaningful. I know that I need more than just rationalization to explain my world. For some it is science, for others it’s religion but for me, —the answer lies somewhere in between.