It is an interesting observation that a person cannot believe that which he thinks is false. It is impossible. For instance. Try to make yourself believe fire isn't hot. It's impossible. Now, try with all your might to believe that Mohammed was a great prophet and that every male admitted to paradise will be given eternal erections and wed 72 wives, all with libidinous sex organs (taken directly from their holy book). While I'm sure this is an intriguing possibility to many males reading this blog, it is highly doubtful that any Christian here, or anyone who is not a devout Muslim, to force their minds to believe this.
With this fact in mind, how should we react to others having different beliefs from ours? Misguided? Wrong? Stupid? Evil? If you stop to think about it, the other side of ANY argument is thinking the very same thing as you are. That is YOU that is misguided, wrong, stupid, or possibly evil. This is why we have such rancor and division among the populace. To a man, and a woman, each one of us believes that we possess the truth, and others are either mistaken, liars, frauds, deceitful, and in the extreme, evil. How can a human be faulted for this when I have just pointed out that no human can hold a belief that he thinks is false? Should you disagree, close your eyes for a minute, click your heals, and try to envision you in paradise with 72 wives. Only the seriously warped mind would open his eyes and say "OK, I believe the Qumran to be the truth since I'm gonna get 72 virgins if I believe!" While this may be a compelling reason to believe, one would do well to ask themselves is this little tidbit wasn't just inserted in their (ahem) holy book to win over the skeptics, as one might suggest with certain bible passages.
With this fact in mind, how should we react to others having different beliefs from ours? Misguided? Wrong? Stupid? Evil? If you stop to think about it, the other side of ANY argument is thinking the very same thing as you are. That is YOU that is misguided, wrong, stupid, or possibly evil. This is why we have such rancor and division among the populace. To a man, and a woman, each one of us believes that we possess the truth, and others are either mistaken, liars, frauds, deceitful, and in the extreme, evil. How can a human be faulted for this when I have just pointed out that no human can hold a belief that he thinks is false? Should you disagree, close your eyes for a minute, click your heals, and try to envision you in paradise with 72 wives. Only the seriously warped mind would open his eyes and say "OK, I believe the Qumran to be the truth since I'm gonna get 72 virgins if I believe!" While this may be a compelling reason to believe, one would do well to ask themselves is this little tidbit wasn't just inserted in their (ahem) holy book to win over the skeptics, as one might suggest with certain bible passages.
When I was very young in Catholic school, I was taught that atheists were bad and evil people. The nuns were very kind, understanding and loving people, and they taught me reading, writing and 'rithmatic, so I had no reason to question their authority. I went along with this "fact" just like it was the same as 2 plus 2. Not only did I, but just about all of America did at the time. "Oh, you're one of those ATHEISTS!!! You're bad and evil and going to hell!" I couldn't and didn't know any better. It was what I was taught. Society at large believed the same thing. As each decade marches on, the United States is becoming less combative to those who are atheists. But, to some, that word alone still makes them cringe. "How could you not believe in "God"? You could go to HELL!", they say.
If you openly said you were an atheist, you would not become a president in today's world. Check to see just how many senators and congressmen openly admit they are non believers. So ingrained into the fabric of humanity that non believers are bad, evil and loathsome is that no one dares admit that they are. This is what I call societal conditioning.
If you openly said you were an atheist, you would not become a president in today's world. Check to see just how many senators and congressmen openly admit they are non believers. So ingrained into the fabric of humanity that non believers are bad, evil and loathsome is that no one dares admit that they are. This is what I call societal conditioning.
Each of these two groups openly and silently question which side has the "truth". Is it the believers that the bible is the word of "God", or is it the atheists who say that there is just no evidence for the bible God that they consider compelling? The more important question, however, is does each side BELIEVE they are right? When you can answer this question with a "YES", you will start to understand that others who believe differently from you are not any of those things. They may be mistaken and wrong, but they are not evil, bad, or stupid.
If we do this with all things in life, we will be in a position to gain a more complete understanding of those with a different view than you may have not only with regard to the ultimate question in life as to "God", but to all areas of life. This gives you the opportunity to hear and understand those who differ strongly with your point of view, and occasionally to have your mind changed from believing what you once believed as a "fact"....... to understanding that what you believed was just an opinion based on information inputted into your brain that was possibly wrong or incomplete. It has been said that an un-examined life is not worth living. I would add that an un-examined belief is not worth holding.
If we do this with all things in life, we will be in a position to gain a more complete understanding of those with a different view than you may have not only with regard to the ultimate question in life as to "God", but to all areas of life. This gives you the opportunity to hear and understand those who differ strongly with your point of view, and occasionally to have your mind changed from believing what you once believed as a "fact"....... to understanding that what you believed was just an opinion based on information inputted into your brain that was possibly wrong or incomplete. It has been said that an un-examined life is not worth living. I would add that an un-examined belief is not worth holding.
Allow me to give an example. Suppose you grew up in a family or society that was taught from birth that homosexuals chose to be that way because they were decadent and just liked to engage in debauchery, and they had a book where their God said it was a heinous activity deserving of killing them? (This is Islam, by the way) To YOU, this becomes the "truth". Hearing something over and over and over again from those whom you love and trust tricks your mind into believing that to be true. How could you know anything else? This is what you were taught. Anytime you as much as heard the word "homosexual" or "atheist", your blood pressure kicked up several notches, you became angry, and you wanted to KILL that person who violated your Gods' wishes. No matter how many studies you were shown that people were born that way, no matter how many times you were told by the actual homosexuals that they preferred the same sex since early childhood would convince you that those people were not decadent evil sinners. Your "truth" is diametrically opposed to the "truth" of those who ARE homosexuals, or who ARE atheists.
Let us now examine the "truth" of which political system is best for mankind as a whole. At the very far end of the scales, we have those who think that humans who don't take care of themselves should die as part of the evolutionary process, (there are VERY few people in this category) and those who think humans should be coddled and taken care of and not have to work, or work very hard, and a compassionate society should tend to their needs. (there are very few people in this category, too)
Which of these belief systems is the "truth"? Is either of them true? Is the person who firmly believes that the individual should be made to strive and suffer and struggle to succeed evil, misguided, wrong or stupid for holding those beliefs, or is the one who thinks humans should be taken care of by government? Is one side more compassionate than the other? If you would say that being taken care of is compassionate, what would you say to those who hold that compassion allows for laziness, slothfulness and underachievement to the detriment of the human soul? Is the real truth at the far end of the scale, or something in between?
Your truth is not my truth, and our "truths" as a race of (fill in the blanks) are not held by all other races. But, for their own comfort and peace, humans will gravitate towards those who are of like minds and thoughts because that provides them solace in "knowing" they are right because those they associate with agree with them. Residing with someone of like mind gives the individual peace from those who hold differing opinions as well as pats on the back that they both agree.
This has gone on since the beginning of time, but humans are getting to witness it in real time today on the internet, whereas in the past the beliefs of their fellow humans could only be known in personal encounters, at work, on the streets, or at other gatherings. Today, we have immediate knowledge of who believes what, and verbal fisticuffs back and forth between each side, both of whom are sure THEY have the "truth". There is a left side and there is a right side. The answer is often somewhere in the middle.
Something to think about when you are positive you have the REAL "truth".
This has gone on since the beginning of time, but humans are getting to witness it in real time today on the internet, whereas in the past the beliefs of their fellow humans could only be known in personal encounters, at work, on the streets, or at other gatherings. Today, we have immediate knowledge of who believes what, and verbal fisticuffs back and forth between each side, both of whom are sure THEY have the "truth". There is a left side and there is a right side. The answer is often somewhere in the middle.
Something to think about when you are positive you have the REAL "truth".
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