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 one and all, then accept
it and live up to it.” —Kalama
Sutta
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"
is the catch all 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" [1]
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 fundamentalistic 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. We often think
this only applies to religious situations 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 conjecture. This standpoint
allows for mistakes and as humans, we have the capacity to
learn from our mistakes. The following
scenario 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 and nothing you are
going to say will change my mind because I am right.
The
rational believer— "I
believe the earth is flat." I presume this is so, because
when I walk I appear to go in a straight line.
Note: With
the rational outlook, the presumption can be tested and tried
until it has mutated into fact or knowledge with evidence
to support it.
— and the
answer today?
The standard
response is: “the earth is round”, but to be more
precise, it is really an oblate spheroid.
For more information: an excellent detailed
explanation of the implicit and explicit usage of belief can
be found at the following link: The
Internet of Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
How we believe
Humans are pattern seeking creatures. This skill,
of being able to establish patterns and causal relationships,
seems to be inherent in our nature and is attributed our survival
instinct. Patterns are ascertained through experience. The
problem is knowing which pattern is 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.
Natures' patterns can be observed
and learned but what of the abstract concepts like magic,
religion and god. —How did we begin to (religiously)
believe in what we couldn't see? Below are a few
possible theories of the origins of spiritual belief:
- Humans are born with the inherent
capacity to believe in mystical concepts
- Early man manifested the "abstract"
for those situations where there were no patterns to establish
reason; a kind of Proto-science if you will.
- Mysticism is a false paradigm
that our ancestors accepted as truth and is now slowly de-evolving
through the expansion of scientific knowledge.
- Earth was visited by an advanced
culture in ancient times and early man developed the divine
concept. —Not my most favored
theory, I must admit.
Why we believe
Each person will have their 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:
- Believing in god answers
the need to believe in something.
- An individual believes in god
because they were taught to believe.
- God must exist because there
exists a living universe.
- God gives life meaning and purpose;
by helping define our sense of self.
- God provides control and guidance
in life through fear of retribution. Depending on the belief
this can be in the present, in the afterlife, reincarnation
or karma.
- There has to be more to life
than 'life and death'.
What we believe
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.
Something to
think about
Given the assumptions:
(a) There appears to be a hierarchical order within nature.
(b) Awareness may or may not exist between levels.
Questions:
Is there hierarchical level above man?
Would you call "it" god?
[If yes]
Is it something we, as humans, can define?
Does it care about the lower levels within the hierarchy?
Should it be revered?
[If no]
Will science meet all the needs of humans beyond the realm
of logic?
|
