part0027

Why do we believe what we believe, and most importantly, do we really have a choice in the matter? The latter is a question of extreme importance since Christian faith hinges on belief – the belief that Jesus is your savior, that Jesus physically (bodily) was raised from the dead, and that Jesus is God. There is a major difference between just saying you believe and truly believing , and don’t try to fake it because any omniscient God would certainly know the difference. But should an omnibenevolent and perfectly just God sentence you to eternal suffering and torment as a result of deterministic forces outside of your control? Of course not.

As children, we believe just about anything our parents tell us. They tell us that a change-dispensing fairy sneaks into our rooms at night and leaves money under our pillows in exchange for our fallen teeth. They tell us that a super-sized rabbit with a sugar addiction breaks into our house once a year and leaves baskets of candy, which, ironically, leads to more tooth fairy encounters. They tell us of an old man in the sky with a white beard who always watches over us and an underground-dwelling red demon with a pitchfork who tries to tempt us to do bad things. We believe these things right away because we lack sufficient contrary evidence and/or information as well as the ability for more advanced reasoning that develops with age. Whether you were raised Christian or as an atheist, you need to question what you were taught as a child and see if it still makes sense to the adult you.

In the simplest terms, we can say that our beliefs are formed by the information we receive . Depending on that information, our beliefs can be very different. Take for example two twin boys separated at birth. One boy lives with his Christian mother and the other with his Jewish father. The boy raised Christian believes in Santa Claus with all of his heart yet the boy raised Jewish sees Santa as an obviously fictional character. The little boys did not choose their beliefs, they did not even choose the information to which they were exposed, they simply were products of their environment. Furthermore, based on the information to which they were exposed, it would be unreasonable to expect them to believe anything different.

However, we are not children. We are big boys and girls who are capable of making our own choices and decisions. But can we really choose to believe or disbelieve something at will? We can choose the information to which we are exposed and consume. While this information does play an important role in forming our belief system, it’s not always enough to form a belief. True belief turns out to be much more deterministic than the simple choices we make. It is very much like choosing our profession. What we do for a living is highly influenced by our upbringing, education, financial background, natural abilities, talents, society, chance, and dare I say, luck. While it’s possible for a 5-foot-3-inch guy to become a professional basketball player (Muggsy Bogues) or a tone-deaf Chinese guy to become an international musical sensation (William Hung), it’s extremely unlikely. And while it’s possible for a Jewish Rabbi to believe in Nazism or any adult of average intelligence to believe in Leprechauns, it’s extremely unlikely.

You can experiment with this idea yourself by trying to make yourself believe something you currently do not believe. Start by seeking information that supports your desired new belief. For example, if you currently think climate change is a serious problem, then you might start with the book, Climate Confusion , by Roy W. Spencer to help you understand the other side of the argument. If you believe that man really walked on the moon, you might want to Google, “moon landing hoax” and watch Buzz Aldrin punch a skeptic in the face. Or if you consider yourself an atheist, you might try reading a Christian book or two on the evidence of the resurrection. With this new understanding, you will almost certainly find yourself more open to the idea that your former beliefs may not be 100% correct. You might even find that your beliefs have changed. But sometimes, no matter how much exploration you do, or how badly you want to change your belief, you just can’t.

There is a difference between acceptance and justified belief , which can best be explained through a personal example. I accept climate change as a real problem that needs to be addressed. I accept this because the evidence I have been exposed to leads me in that direction. I wouldn’t say I believe that climate change is a real problem because I cannot honestly say that I have evaluated the evidence for and against the issue to form a justified belief . In a way, one can say that I accept climate change out of ignorance, and I would agree. There are far too many issues in this world to form a justified belief in all of them. This is where acceptance and opinions come in. But if there is any issue that is deserving of our attention, it’s religion.

So back to the question, is it just to be judged based on what we believe? Does God want us to keep far away from any information that would put doubt in our minds? And if we, as adults, cannot believe in all the claims of Christianity after evaluating the arguments and information, are we to blame? After all, was it not God who gave us our reason, our intellect, and our quest for truth? This poses a major problem for any faith where the promise of salvation and eternal paradise is based on factors outside of our control — at least when a perfectly good and just God is the judge. If belief in the supernatural is the way to eternal paradise, then knowledge, logic, and reason are not gifts; they are curses.