How Our Beliefs are Shaped
// February 22nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Glenn
Do we believe some things simply because the belief is comforting?
For instance, we’ve heard that scientific studies have shown that some alcohol consumption is healthy for you. Some say a glass of wine a day etc. The people that love their alcohol grab hold of these studies and use them because they are comforting to their existing habits. Whereas everyone knows that alcohol abuse (whether purposeful or accidental) is common and the cause of many terrible actions. In fact, it’s difficult for anyone to give a good reason for drinking alcohol at all.
Another example is the belief in a God who cares for you. If you believe that you are a meaningless collection of molecules drifting aimlessly in the universe, that does not create many positive feelings. It is much more comforting to believe that you are important in the view of the universe and eternity so a belief in a caring God is great.
Another idea is the belief in a glorious afterlife. It is very depressing and gives an empty feeling to think that once you die, your conciousness completely ceases to exist. It is wonderful to think that you will live again – especially to think you will live again in a better life than this. But what proof do we have of this belief?
The problem I see here is when people use this “comforting feeling” as a proof for their belief. I don’t think there is a convincing argument here. Just wanting and desiring something to be true does not make it so.
I realize that in some cases, people get a “feeling” that something should behave in a certain way, and then after studying it closely, find out that they are absolutely correct. The problem is that sometimes the opposite occurs. For example, the speed of light is constant and most people would have said (and did say) that can’t be right – but it is. (Picture a man on a train with a flashlight in his hand. As he passes a station at 100mph, he turns on the flashlight facing forward, at the same moment, another man standing on the platform also turns on his flashlight pointing in the same direction. Is the light beam coming from the flashlight on the train travelling faster than the other light beam? No. In fact, if you could see the leading edge of the light beams, you would see them to be in a race which will end in a tie.)
I have held onto certain beliefs because they are comforting, but then at a some point begin to find discomfort in realizing the belief clashes with another belief.
For example, if I believe that God will listen to my prayer for a sunny day during my picnic, and believe that He will act according to my wishes most (or all) of the time. Then later I realize that other devout Christians might have just as much or more need for rain on this day, I begin to feel discomfort in my belief. In this case, I find I am only able to accept that God will not control the weather according to my wishes.
So the big question is: How many of our beliefs are we holding onto just because they make us feel comforted, and then ignore contrary evidence?
