When it comes to matters of faith, there are three options: a person can believe in God, not believe in God, or be unsure. From this, a question naturally arises: why do some come to faith while others reject belief in God?
In this essay, I endeavor to examine the phenomenon of belief and why some come to faith while others do not.
What Does It Mean To Believe?
Belief is broadly defined as a state or disposition of the mind that assents to propositions not because of their intrinsic evidence but because of authority.
When it comes to matters of religion, this concept of belief is frequently attacked. Belief is seen as credulity, a willingness to accept something as true without any evidence to support the claim. Belief can also be criticized for accepting something on authority alone. At the extreme, faith is defined as believing something one knows is false.
There are various ways to address these objections to belief. First, a properly formed belief is based on having good reasons to accept a proposition. It is not simply believing something without evidence.
Second, it should be observed that we all accept things on authority all the time. We accept what our parents tell us, what our teachers teach, and what science says is true (very few will test whether E=mc2). Lastly, it is simply impossible to accept as true something one knows is false. That is not how our minds work.
Moreover, even scientific conclusions begin with belief. The scientist believes in his own mind and in the intelligibility of the universe he examines. One can not prove reason and intelligibility without presupposing the existence of reason and intelligibility.
Having sought to provide a brief synopsis of what belief means, I turn to why some believe and others do not.
Reasons
To be sure, there are several ways to approach the question of why some have faith and others do not. One way is to approach it from a secular and psychological perspective. This is to argue that some have faith so as to handle the vicissitudes and difficulties of life. Alternatively, one can come to faith because of one’s family or the culture that one lives in. Or, perhaps one is persuaded by the various religious or philosophical arguments for God’s existence.
The mystery that I want to examine, however, is how two people with similar backgrounds and intellects can reach very different conclusions about matters of faith. As a case study, I will briefly mention the Hitchens brothers.
The late Christopher Hitchens was a vocal and ardent atheist—so much so that he was considered one of the four horsemen of atheism. On the other hand, his brother Peter Hitchens is a member of the Anglican Church and an articulate supporter of religion. Here, we have the case of two brothers with similar upbringings and educational backgrounds, yet each takes a very different, even contradictory, view on religion and the existence of God.
How do we explain these radically different positions on belief?
The Secret Ingredient
Is it possible that God creates all things and makes human beings in His image, yet hides Himself from some and reveals Himself to others? Of even greater significance, does God, as Calvinism claims, predetermine who will be saved?
While it is true that Catholicism states that we can not save ourselves, Catholicism does not hold to the Calvinist view. Instead, Catholicism believes that God wills all to be saved (see 1 Timothy 2:3-4). It is the will, the human will specifically, that has a significant role in belief.
It seems reasonable to suggest that God’s will is manifested in grace. Indeed, grace is the divine working in and through a person. (See Philippians 2:13). Now, God has so constituted human nature that we have free will, and the human will has much to say about who comes to believe and who does not.
To begin with, the human will must be open and receptive to the numinous. I think it is likely that we begin life with this capacity to be open to God. Unfortunately, the noise and distractions of the secular world dim this willingness and, in some cases, destroy it.
Additionally, it is necessary to cooperate with grace. The Catholic tradition posits that simply acknowledging God is insufficient. We are to work with Him.
I do not intend to suggest that cooperating with grace is synonymous with works as it relates to salvation. Rather, I am arguing that cooperating with grace entails what is called pius credulitatis affectus (a devout readiness or willingness to believe). While the term pius credulitatis affectus can be used in several ways, within the context of this essay, it is intended to connote a disposition on the part of the individual to accept the supernatural grace which makes faith possible.
If I were to develop this idea schematically, it would begin with the premise that God offers grace to everyone. Like the gift that it is, grace can be accepted or rejected by the individual. If accepted, the person may now cooperate with that grace by subordinating his own will to the will of God. Salvation is now possible.
However, if the individual rejects the gift of grace, his soul remains in a fallen state. Fortunately, God is very determined that we accept the gift of grace, and He continues to offer it to us so long as the chord of life lengthens.
Conclusion
It is one of life’s mysteries. Why do some come to a religious faith and others do not? To be sure, there are many factors that contribute to what one believes. In this paper, I have examined one such factor: the willingness to be open to the grace of God.
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