Many of us float through life accepting what comes along without taking a questioning attitude towards the reasonableness or truthfulness of what we believe. This method of progressing, obviously, is acceptable to the great majority of the world’s population. If you grow up in the western developed countries, chances are that you will be some kind of Christian. If you grow up in the Middle East, your beliefs will probably center on Islam or Judaism. In the orient the vast majority of believers accept some form of Buddhism combined with elements of Confucianism or Shintoism. In India and neighboring countries Hinduism and Islam are the popular beliefs. Sprinkled into all of these areas are those with deist, agnostic, pantheistic and atheistic beliefs or combinations of all of the above. It is probable that members of every church, synagogue, mosque or temple have a great variety of beliefs that vary from the strict interpretation of the scriptures to the loose combinations of beliefs that question various aspects of their group’s dogma. It is normal and useful for families, cities and countries to have the continuity of a common belief system that helps to support governmental policies and societal restraints. The danger to this common system of governmental and societal progress is the possibility of conflict with groups outside of their belief system or with freethinking individuals within the system. We have several thousand years of history to witness the troubles caused by conflicting belief systems or the oppression of individuals within the group.
This writing is not an attempt to subvert religious belief but rather to provide ideas, concepts and information that may be useful in the conduct of our daily lives. Without doubt the great religions of mankind have had a humanizing influence on people throughout history. That is the good part. Fanatical religious adherents throughout history have also caused grief, oppression and death to those who disagree with their beliefs. This unfortunate circumstance continues to the present day. The development of an independent, unique belief system is a long term, complicated process that is sometimes filled with pain and alienation. To set yourself free from the concepts of your parents and your early training and the common beliefs of the society in which you live can be a daunting experience. Not everyone is going to want to do this. Most people are satisfied to go along with whatever has been handed down to them over the years. However, hopefully within any given group there are those individuals who look at things differently and this may have the effect of moderating extreme beliefs and actions of the group as a whole.
The construction of a belief system is like the cook who has a dozen or so dishes stewing on his stove at the same time. He doesn’t have recipes for his dishes so he is constantly seasoning this dish or that dish to see if he can make it better. Occasionally he goes overboard and has to throw some dish out. From time to time he serves up his dishes only to find them lacking or imperfect in one way or another. He is never finished with this process because the seasonings keep changing and the tastes of his clients are so varied. So he keeps on cooking. So it is with developing a belief system. With science, sociology, psychology, parapsychology, medicine and history all becoming more developed, it is not safe or reasonable to say “this is the unchanging truth”. You set yourself up for pain and disillusionment or you must stick your head in the sand until your time is up. Better to grab on to those concepts that have stood up to scientific inquiry and reasonable logic as the basic groundwork of your belief, realizing of course, that strong evidence may come along that questions that groundwork.
There are many factors that come into consideration in the construction of a belief system. Four factors are of prime importance; they are as follows:
1. A broad, continuing knowledge and interest in history.
2. Familiarity with science as it relates to human development.
3. An ongoing striving to seek logical, consistent and reasonable conclusions.
4. Desire and nerve to think independently.
The historical factor is probably the most critical in examining belief.
While these essays do not aspire to a philosophical treatise, Neither are they just common opinion. The intention is to examine some of the latest scientific developments and to explore ways of including these developments within a reasoned framework of belief without totally abandoning traditional religious institutions. It is folly for religious believers to reject the progress of science and history. It is an equal folly to ignore the values and accomplishments of organized religions. It is of critical importance for communities and countries to maintain an open inquiring approach to problem solving. It is in this way that we can continue to make progress for a better world.
I have written these essays to give confidence and encouragement to those who might choose to develop a belief that runs counter, in at least some respects, to the great religions that have developed in societies around the world. This writing is not meant to disprove anyone’s religious belief but rather to examine beliefs in general and attempt to give substance and reason to whatever a person believes. It is true that whenever a belief is closely examined for reasonableness, historical accuracy, and personal motivation, that specific belief may be put in a questioning category. That questioning attitude is a worthy goal.
There is the opinion of some that the truth of our reality is unknowable and the most sensible approach is to assume as truth those beliefs that were handed down through the generations. This procedure gives stability and continuity to society but it also locks out information and truth from outside that specific group. It is at this point that converging truths clash with often disastrous results. Herein lies the rationale for the examination of belief. If one group thinks its concept is the ultimate truth and are willing to fight for it and another group thinks they have the ultimate truth and is willing to die for it, they both need to step back and examine what they believe. One or the other is wrong or they both are wrong. If everyone in the world knew the ultimate truth of reality, one of the most dangerous reasons for bloodshed would be eliminated. However, there are other reasons for fighting. We are all part of nature and our survival has resulted from some pretty harsh experiences through the centuries.
The prophets, philosophers, and religious figures from the past grappled with the meaning of life and death, immortality and creation and developed what they considered to be the truth of these concepts. Present day philosophers, religious thinkers and scientists of all types are still grappling with these same issues. Present day thinkers, however, have the huge advantage over the past due to those scientific discoveries or development by such scientists as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein and others. Also the development of the Gutenberg press in the fifteenth century started the process of easy communication which has expanded to present day computers which interconnect the world in instant communication. Ideas and theories can now make the world’s rounds at the speed of light. Also, present day psychology examines the broad range of behaviors and beliefs of people and animals and makes its contribution to an ever increasing body of knowledge and research concerning what life is all about. A would-be philosopher or prophet now days would have to have a pretty good plan or he/she would get shot to pieces (not literally) from all sides. A person can become bewildered with all the possible theories and religions currently available for consideration. Actually it is a big plus to be able to examine the various beliefs and theories and not be subjected to some potentially harmful superstition. History has shown us that religion, of whatever variety, cannot be the only basis for the governing of a society or the development of individuals within that society. Religions have much to offer a society in terms of morality, ethics and the conduct of ordinary living. Trouble starts when a religion gains control of the power of the governing body. The problems in the Middle East, Ireland, India and elsewhere all have a religious component complicating the situation. When a group of people begin to believe that they have the God-given version of the truth, look out, this will be the beginning of oppression.
The development of a durable, flexible alternative belief system can be achieved that doesn’t subscribe to the questionable doctrines of various religions or the seemingly baseless superstitions that have always plagued mankind. We Homo sapiens have entirely too much imagination which when combined with fear and gullibility can produce some really dangerous results.
Back in the colonial days in our country the Salem Witch Trials are the perfect example of fear, gullibility and religion running amok. The Trials proceedings were held in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony and led to the hanging of 19 suspected witches and the imprisonment of many others. It all started in May with the accusations by a few young girls against women in the community. A special court was convened and the trials quickly grew into mass hysteria implicating even the governor’s wife. By October, community leaders cast doubt on the evidence and the special court was dissolved and the imprisoned were pardoned. Eventually indemnities were paid to the families of those killed. Of the three presiding judges, only Samuel Sewall admitted error in a public statement.
Hopefully, institutions in the developed world of today would not allow such a process as the Salem Witch Trials to occur. Small fanatic groups will always pose a threat to those around them or to themselves. We as individuals may assume that we are immune to the fanatic swing of emotion laden movements but I rather think that it is our institutions that keep us from getting caught up in some groundless, far out venture. Few of us have the confidence, independence and resolve to stand firm in a highly charged situation when those around us are all going in a different direction. We moderns may think that we have developed to such an extent that we are beyond being sucked into some radical situation but too many examples to the contrary have occurred to justify this confidence. It is our institutions that keep us from going off the deep end. Of course, there are always those individuals who have the strength of their convictions and are not easily led down some false path.
Religions throughout the centuries have provided mankind with different views of reality and guidelines for thinking and conducting our lives. With the growth of the sciences and communication these past five or six hundred years new and competing views of reality have emerged. While we might think that scientific advances that have undergone extensive verification would immediately have an effect on the views of reality of the general populace, such is not the case. Certainly, members of the scientific community and that segment of the population that is tuned into the advances in science are likely to alter their views in a relatively short time, but the general populace probably will require a generation or two. What we are taught as a child becomes almost indelibly imprinted on our minds, especially if that imprinting was done in an organized manner which included ceremonies and quasi mystical procedures. We become like a fish hooked on a line, no matter how furiously we wiggle, that line seldom breaks.
During our developing years as an individual the usual procedure is for parents to inculcate or at least introduce their children to one religion or another. Some families go heavy into this training while many skim across the surface. A small percentage enter into the humanist movement which subscribes to a variety of concepts from philosophy, science and religion. The Unitarian Universalist Church as described elsewhere in these essays is the institution designed for people who have not found a regular religion to their liking. The Unitarian Church has written general outlines describing their approach to the serious issues concerning belief, family concerns and the needs of society but they don’t have required beliefs or dogma. People with beliefs that don’t fall into the pattern of organized religion can find a home in this church. There also are those families which neither attend a religious service or concern themselves with an organized approach to this subject.
An unfortunate result for those people who do not subscribe to an organized religion is the assumption by much of society that the person without a religious affiliation does not have serious, well founded beliefs. One of my purposes in writing this book is to organize the already developing body of beliefs and concepts that are increasingly finding acceptance among our educated populace and to present these beliefs in a flexible package that can easily be subscribed to and identified. This package will feature a framework with three defined criterion for considering any pertinent information, historical or current. The package will include a first category to be called “Verifiable Beliefs”. Within this belief category will be the laws of physics and evolutionary biology.. Other information may be added when it meets the test of verifiability.
The second category “Unverifiable but valuable information”. This category will be the catchall for religious views, social documents and movements, unproven scientific research, unexplained phenomena and etc. In this category a person can have access for consideration of all knowledge without limitation. Category three is to be termed “Inconsequential” and will include information that lacks verifiability, consistency and reasonableness.
A critical aspect of these categories is that they are open to alteration This package will also contain those aspects associated with belief and life in general that will add strength and breadth to the belief system. When a person sets himself outside the usual beliefs of those of the society around him, he will need the support and concurrence of thoughtful documents, appropriate art and music, biographies and an ongoing connection with like minded people on a personal basis and on the Internet. Many religious people do not consider alternate beliefs as within the realm of acceptable thinking but when a person with alternate beliefs has a definite system that includes those aspects of morality and ethics that make for a valuable member of society, I think the opinions of those around him will change.