Do We Really Believe What We Think?

“Don’t believe everything you think.” Do we have good reasons for our beliefs? Sometimes, people make pretty strong statements without having objective evidence or subjective experience.  I wrote about distinguishing between beliefs and facts here. We can avoid a lot of arguments by asking clarifying questions.

Our brains have evolved to make quick decisions with little basis in fact. Our ancestors made instinctive “fight or flight” decisions that allowed them to continue to propagate in the gene pool. Then, the difference between good decisions and bad decisions meant the difference between life and death. So, it was safer to react too quickly than to react too slowly.

Religion: How Does That Work? Why Do You Say That?

Sometimes, we accept religious beliefs without the benefit of any objective evidence or subjective experience. Most scholars agree that the Gospels were NOT written by eyewitnesses. Instead,  many of the events described had NO eyewitnesses or only a handful of eyewitnesses. Then, differing accounts were written decades after the events were said to have taken place.

If we think that God intervenes in our affairs, then we can believe all manner of supernatural events. However, if we think that there is no objective evidence that God intervenes in our affairs, then these events will sound preposterous. If we are to believe in talking snakes, virgin births and physical resurrections, then we need to accept some heroic assumptions about God’s nature.

Ancient people argued about things that modern people would never argue about. It is orthodoxy to believe that Jesus is one substance (both fully divine and fully human.) But, it is heresy to believe that Jesus is two substances (one fully divine and one fully human). Arguably, this is an artificial and awkward distinction that has no practical impact or theological value.

Does it matter? Does anyone live their life any differently if Jesus is one substance or two? A fundamentalist might say, “We must have faith,” as if it is helpful to believe unbelievable things. Julien Musolino, a psychologist who wrote The Soul Fallacy, explains the evidence for the existence of a soul, which applies to other questionable religious beliefs (like talking snakes):

“Notice that the conclusion, if we want to be intellectually honest, should not be that there is no soul, but rather, that there are no good reasons to believe that we have souls, and that there are very good reasons to believe that we do not have souls…. In the end, the soul, like the emperor’s new clothes, has exactly the properties that it should have if it did not exist.”

So, do we examine why we believe something or why it would matter to believe it? Can others explain why they believe something or why it would matter to believe it?

Politics: How Does That Work? Why Do You Say That?

This happens in politics, too. Sometimes, people make pretty definitive statements without having objective evidence or subjective experience. Once, a good friend declared emphatically that “Barack Obama was the worst president in our country’s history.” So, that’s a pretty bold statement. Why do you say that? “He sent all of that money to Iran.”

Honestly, I don’t know too much about the Iran deal. I recall that we were returning Iran’s money to Iran, rather than sending our money to Iran. I suspect that it was a complicated situation. For the sake of discussion, I’ll agree that the Iran deal was a mistake. Why else do you say that Barack Obama was the worst president in our country’s history?

“I really can’t think of any other reasons,” he admitted. OK, but you made a pretty bold statement, without much support, about a man who spent eight years in office, in recent memory.

A few years ago, we used to hear about anti-fascists or Antifa, who were supposed to be the left-leaning counterparts to the right-leaning fascist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist groups. Maybe, but what is Antifa, what is their platform, who are their leaders, where are they headquartered, where do they meet, how are they funded, and how would we join Antifa?

I was only able to find two Antifa groups, one in Austin and one in Portland, and (for all I know) one or both could have been FBI sting operations. Sadly, I was able to find lots of information about fascist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist groups. So, until I know that there really is an Antifa, like there really are neo-Nazi groups, I do NOT think that the two groups are comparable.

Before I spend time talking about politics or religion, I want to be sure that I have reason to believe what I believe. Also, I want to be sure that I have thought through the practical implications. Similarly, I want to ask some questions to ensure that the other guy has reasons for his beliefs and that he has thought them through.

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The Way is a Silver winner in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards in the Religion/Spirituality of Other Traditions category.

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