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Woodstock Mountain Bike Fellowship

Why Should You Believe Anything at All?

August 12th, 2008

I've been thinking a lot about this subject lately, so I was glad to hear a podcast of a lecture given in 1998 by Dr. James Sire at the University of California (Santa Barbara) from whom I borrowed the title and some of the material.

Everyone can map themselves and their belief system onto this chart. Tonight as we discuss beliefs, ask yourself WHERE you fall on this chart. Are you specific in your beliefs, or is your thinking still somewhat undefined/abstract? Are your beliefs certain or do you harbor doubts regarding where you stand?

Most people, whether or not they care to admit it, are more dogmatic (specific certainty) about their religious beliefs, even if they are atheistically denying the existence of God. For example, listen to this clip from a “Veritas Forum" podcast of Alister McGrath. {Play the excerpt of Alister McGrath's story about a disillusioned follower of Richard Dawkins, pointing out the fact that changing beliefs requires some effort and pain}.

A synonym for "Doubt" on the axes above would seem to be the word "skepticism," defined by Webster as "an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object." But even skeptics can be certain about their particular belief system:

{Play an excerpt from the 11-Jun-08 "Skeptics Guide to the Universe" podcast and show how dogmatically opposed they are to Behe's comments regarding Dr. Richard Lenski's research which supposedly proves evolution.} In their "religious fervor," they completely miss the point of Behe's blog posting, that e-coli already has all of the complex machinery to metabolize citrate, it simply lacked the enzyme to enable transport citrate into its cell wall structure.

It's not unreasonable to expect that half a million generations (44k x 12) of a self-replicating bacterium subjected to an environment with 10/1 ratio of citrate to glucose might eventually adapt to generate this enzyme. But it is more than unreasonable to think that such a process can generate an arm, leg, or brain for a vertebrate. In fact, in a perfect, self-replicating system with no harmful mutations, it would take 173 trillion years more than the age of the earth to successfully evolve a human being. But the "skeptics guide" hosts have such a high degree of confidence in evolution that they fulfill their own claim that "no amount of evidence will convince these guys…"

23,300   Number of human, protein expressing genes (human genome project)
500,000   Number of generations for single gene modification (Lenski's research)
15   Time between generations (years)
174,750,000,000   Time required if all mutations are beneficial and sequential (years)
2,000,000,000   Alleged time that life has existed on the earth (years)
172,750,000,000   Shortfall of evolutionary time in a perfect, self-replicating system

All of this illustrates a key fact that our presuppositions have an overwhelming impact on what we accept to be true. That's why Proverbs 9:10 links true wisdom to the fear of the Lord, and Proverbs 1:29,30 shows that choosing otherwise leads people into foolishness.

Susan and I have been reading the book of Isaiah lately. Last week as I was considering this topic, we read Isaiah 26:10,11 which shows that people who reject God will still disbelieve, regardless of whether they are shown grace or judgment.

WHY do people believe in certain ways?

Many people hold to certain beliefs of parents or societal factors. Perhaps some of you were born into a religious family (like me), and if you respect/love your parents, you might have followed in their footsteps. For example, Timothy was trained by his grandmother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5).

I was interested on Sunday to see the map of global religions shown by Mark Mooring, especially with respect to Hinduism. Virtually all Hindus live in and around India. This is clearly a religion which people inherit from their parents. By virtue of their birthplace, this religion chooses people (not the reverse). Obviously, the parental / societal cause for religious belief carries a significant danger: it might be wrong. (Note that a "cause" for belief is different than a "reason" to believe.)

Closely related to this basis for belief is the element of belonging to a group. People often join a "cult" as they seek a "group identity", not because they have carefully researched the facts and arrived at conclusions regarding truth. They join (and stay) because they connect with the "family" environment of the group. If they left the group, they would lose a significant part of their identity and comfort. They blindly follow the group leader, finding comfort and stability within the bounds of conformity.

Ironically, many scientific communities also manifest similar tendencies to "group identity" belief structures. Members join societies and are very reluctant to disagree with the basic tenets of the leadership hierarchy.

There are also religious reasons for believing something - typically stated as "because it's in the book" or "because God told me so." But then, how do you know that the book is true? Or how do you know that it was really God who spoke to you?

According to a recent study, if you were to ask the person on the street WHY they believe a certain way, about HALF of them would relate it to psychological factors: comfort, peace of mind, meaning, purpose, direction, hope. While these seem to be good reasons, they may be of limited value if they vanish at the end of this life.

Ultimately, the best reason for believing a certain way is if that belief passes the test for truth. But while our society applauds people for "seeking truth," it is becoming increasingly intolerant of people who claim to "know the truth." People who are drifting toward the upper left quadrant above are often labeled as "bigots" and "narrow minded."

I would like to give you permission to seek the truth, ignoring the background chatter that is challenging you to do otherwise. Here is an interesting cascade of thoughts from Tim Keller: If, as Nietzsche says, "all truth claims are just power grabs," then so is his, so why listen to him? If, as Freud says, "all views of God are just psychological projections to deal with our guilt and insecurity," then so is his view of God, so why listen to him? If, as the evolutionary scientists say, "what my brain tells me about morality and God are just chemical reactions which pass on my genetic code," then so is what their brain tells them about the world, so why listen to them?

Practically everyone who plots their point in the upper left hand quadrant above will claim that their faith is right and true. So how can we tell which truth is really true?

Truth tests: Coherence, Consistency, and Completeness.

Coherence: the logical outcome of a belief must be considered

If an atheist truly believes that he is simply a blip on the radar screen of time (a "clothed ape"), he must accept that everything that he ever does will lie wasted in a universe of ruin. It is therefore inconsistent to live as though life has meaning, and the incoherence should spark questions about reality of this belief (Dean's question from last week).

Hinduism teaches that people pass from one body to the next (be it a gnat or an elephant), ultimately merging into God himself when they get their karma worked out, losing all sense of individuality. So it is logically inconsistent to live in this life with a value for individuality.

Consistency: internal contradictions are a danger sign

Islam has a very strict code of sexual purity for its adherents, and yet it describes heaven as a place where a man is free to have sex with a large harem of virgins.

When our family was visiting China a few years ago, it was interesting to see the Buddhist monks at a very large temple driving around in new Lexus automobiles, funded by the contributions of their adherents (not doing a good job of "extinguishing desires"). I found it interesting that the tour guide pointed out this inconsistency, but said most people do their best to ignore it.

Completeness: which system has the highest probability of truth?

When it comes to matters of faith, absolute accuracy is impossible. But beware of anything that goes completely against the grain of logic, recognizing that there are some belief systems that answer all of the questions better than other things.

How does Christianity fare on the truth tests?

As we said last week, the Bible teaches that God has "placed eternity in our hearts" and given us a conscience. Regardless of societal forces to the contrary, people can't deny their internal witness that speaks to right, wrong, accountability, and justice. There is a beautiful coherence in the Christian faith, built on the premise that God created a people for Himself in His image, granted them freedom to choose life or death, and then provided a Redeemer to blaze the path for their return. Christianity clearly shows a God of justice and a standard that is beyond our ability to fulfill. As such, the Bible teaches a message of grace and redemption.

The 66 books of the Bible were written over 1500 years by over 40 very different authors; some were kings, fishermen, and herdsmen/farmers. The list also includes a prime minister, a medical doctor, a slave, a tax collector, and a Jewish Rabbi—to name a few. It was written on three continents and in three different languages. But in spite of the large time span over which it was written and the huge cultural, economic, and geographical differences of its authors, there is a consistent message. Think about that: Even a small group of similar people struggle to agree on simple decisions. The fact that a group this diverse could agree on the most controversial of all topics is unheard of. There is no other book like it!

It is interesting to consider the complete uniqueness of the Christian faith. While the leaders of every other major world religion claim to be a prophet who can lead us to God, Christianity is radically different in that its leader claims to be God who came to bring us to Himself. Consider these verses:

  • Matthew 1:23 - Immanuel, God with us
  • John 8:56-58 - Before Abraham was, I am
  • Luke 10:18 - I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning
  • John 10:30 - I and the Father are One
  • Matthew 7:28,29 - Teaching with authority
  • Matthew 8:26,27 - Power over the weather
  • John 9:32 - Healed many, including blind from birth
  • John 2:18-22 - Jesus prophesied His death and resurrection
  • John 14:6 - Claims to be the only way to God

Jesus was either a liar, or crazy, or He was the Lord of the universe (C.S. Lewis). We must pick only one.

Some considerations that flow from this rather long and rambling study:

Ask yourself which of these best characterizes your beliefs:

  • "I do believe this (e.g. a cause of my upbringing)"
  • "I should believe this (e.g. I have a reason to believe)"

Examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5). Failure to do this can have terrible results (Matthew 7:20,21). While it often feels comfortable to remain in your parent's belief system, it is essential that we all are willing to take the step to examine its trustworthiness. Remember that genetics are not a good reason for belief or disbelief (2 Timothy 3:14,15), so don't blindly adopt a belief.

Regardless of intensity of belief, wishing something to be true does not have a bearing on reality, whether it is for a God that gives everyone eternal life, or whether it is the absence of a God who might otherwise judge our sin.

The search for truth is difficult, because you must often challenge and question deeply held beliefs.

While our position on the coordinate axes is somewhat personality dependent, as we grow and examine truth claims (especially the Bible), we can move from doubtful to certain and abstract to specific (2 Peter 3:17,18).

We will regularly encounter cult members that aren't very interested in hearing the truth if it might cause them to leave their comfortable family. Even the strongest argument for truth may not penetrate their loyalty, so it might be helpful to expose why they continue to adhere to a particular "family."

As Christians, we need to be wise and sensitive when we share the gospel with people who are firmly entrenched in a different belief system. If we continue to press points and argue for truth, we can find ourselves causing a person to dig their heels into errant soil even deeper, perhaps doing irreparable damage. Remember, we are called to answer the questions of skeptics with gentleness, not to beat them up with aggressive arguments (1 Peter 3:15,16).

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