"With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another."
- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German physicist and satirist (1742–1799)
Any belief is, almost by definition, based on something that is not provable. Anything factual has evidence to prove it, so belief is not necessary.
A commitment to one belief that is not provable makes it difficult for a person to switch easily to another belief. Or, apparently, even a conclusion based on a set of facts, as we can see by those who believe in the creation of the universe in six days when abundant evidence points to an extensive period of time.
Any belief forms part of who we are as individuals. It's part of the foundation of our life.
When any person or argument seeks to knock part of the foundation of our life out from under us, we will greet it with reluctance. Some, in fear, face it with vehemence, even violence.
Today we see fear on the parts of the world's two largest religions, Islam and Christianity. Few who write about these two religions stress the similarities of their common histories and belief set, preferring instead to focus on their differences. This results in war or what we now call terrorism.
Each side fears that the other will take over the ground it has won over many centuries. Despite the fact that each believes in religious tolerance and peace, some members of each have turned to violence and hatred as the only ways they believe the other can be stopped.
Neither religion wants to find the common ground for the two religions because it fears the other may take advantage of that as a weakness and trample it into oblivion.
The strongest belief for many people of each religion is that the other is wrong. That belief is hard to change, especially hard because it is based on fear.
Fear is our strongest emotion. Anyone who lives in fear is susceptible to any kind of evidence that appears to support or justify that fear. As Lichtenberg said, it may be blind belief that ignores the facts or the efforts of others to bring the two factions together, to bring peace.
Bill Allin
Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems, striving to make the connection between blind belief and fear.
Learn more at http://billallin.com
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Comments: 14
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Good article Bill!
How very true Dan. Bill here, for example, has an unfortunate tendency to respond to any kind of criticism of his highly questionable preachings by vindictively attacking those who question him, labling them "mentally deranged", "insane", and the like. It appears that his fear of being exposed as a charletan is so overwhelming that he loses all control of his rational sensibilities. Sort of sad, really.
I believe in God. I just don't believe in organized religion. It has caused more strife in the world in the long run than anything else. Even the various sects can't agree with each other. Muslims sects war against each other, Christian sects (oooohhh, wait, denominations, a couple of real right wing religious nut jobs got on my case for daring to describe them as sects so if you're one of them pretend it says denomination, okay?) fighting against each other....it's just not pretty.
Religion is also the main cause of holding us back as a species if you ask me. Old beliefs that should no longer exist still do because people insist on clinging to their outdated notions that really started off as societal control and a need to explain things without science. Hello, 21st century calling. You'd think people could wake up and use their brains once in a while instead of having things spoon fed to them without question.
At it again I see. Will you never learn to stick with what you know when making absolutist statements. Do you not realize that sweeping generalizations are judgmental and bigoted? All those "little people" in your head are really just versions of yourself. Real people have minds of their own, and most likely have good reasons for what they believe is true. Just like you.
So, then, you're predicting the demise of religion now Bill? Interesting. I wouldn't hold my breath, if I were you.
(On second thought, maybe I would.)