why do you believe?
April 22, 2010
Yesterday I had my day off after two grueling (yeah right) days of working out. This go ’round I am going to take it easy as I don’t want a repeat of being injured. I took the time to do some more studying for my computer certifications, and to do some more reading of my Why We Believe What We Believe book.
I am in the section of the book where it talks about how experiences can solidify a belief in something, even if there is proof contrary to that believe. The author told of a story of how his mother swore she saw a wolf in her back yard (she lived in Philadelphia), while the police officer that came swore that it was just an alley cat. However, whenever his mother told the story she would always say she saw a wolf. The fact that she lived in Philly (where I am sure stray wolves aren’t common) and that another person saw something different didn’t matter. The fact that she felt it was a wolf caused her to remember the story that way, and believe it really was a wolf.
The book really makes me want to reevaluate the things I believe, and the things that I chose to believe from others. We tend to automatically believe something someone close to us says. Heck, we even believe stuff people we don’t know say, if it goes along with our perception of reality. Take a look at all the “experts” we have guiding this country. Someone with a long string of letters after their name can say something and it suddenly becomes the truth. What I want to do is have more of an open mind in terms of what I believe.
I also want to pose a question: why do you believe what you believe? I really find the topic of religion interesting because it involves faith, which is “the evidence of things not seen.” I find it fascinating. So what experience caused you to believe in God the way you believe in Him? Have you even had a moving experience, or do you just practice your religion because your parents told you it was the right thing to do?
