Of Faith and Choice...
About a year ago, I started to question my sense of faith. I read some books and I spoke to some people to try and get a sense for what they believed in and what they defined as ‘Faith’. There was a surprising common thread between believers and non-believers: neither side could provide incontrovertible proof of their position. They could provide compelling arguments, but when you get deep into them, there’s still no concrete proof to seal the deal. I’m sorry, but the existence of dinosaurs doesn’t prove there is no God, just that there were dinosaurs once on this planet. The existence of an apparent grand order in Nature doesn’t prove there IS a God, it merely proves that things have evolved with increasing levels of complexity.
So, in my opinion, I don’t think either side can give you that deal-maker piece of evidence that seals the deal in their favor. Thus, without that proof, ultimately, what you have is choice. We have the choice to believe in something that resonates with us. WE can pick something that allows us to effectively cope with the events that happen to us.
I guess that’s the part that bugs me. If my proverbial ‘free will’ is the right to choose whatever I want to believe in, then the problem is: what if I believe in the ‘wrong’ thing? If my chosen beliefs prohibit the use of modern medicine in favor of prayer, and even though I prayed my son died, then maybe my beliefs are not going to be very satisfying in the long run. “Free Will” is the big ticket item of existence and yet, oddly enough, then, the freedom to choose is not enough. The thing I pick to believe in must somehow make sense to me. It must somehow be big enough to encompass a wide range of events and phenomena. It must help me cope NO MATTER WHAT. It is this quality of all-inclusiveness that I think we are ultimately seeking. I can choose to believe in celestial unicorns but if that doesn’t help me cope with loneliness or disease or change, then I am likely to abandon that belief for something that can.
This all boils down to where I am right now with regards to faith… What if you feel that even though your chosen belief system claims a causal link between your spiritual practices and the effects you see in the world, you just don’t believe this is true?
So, in my opinion, I don’t think either side can give you that deal-maker piece of evidence that seals the deal in their favor. Thus, without that proof, ultimately, what you have is choice. We have the choice to believe in something that resonates with us. WE can pick something that allows us to effectively cope with the events that happen to us.
I guess that’s the part that bugs me. If my proverbial ‘free will’ is the right to choose whatever I want to believe in, then the problem is: what if I believe in the ‘wrong’ thing? If my chosen beliefs prohibit the use of modern medicine in favor of prayer, and even though I prayed my son died, then maybe my beliefs are not going to be very satisfying in the long run. “Free Will” is the big ticket item of existence and yet, oddly enough, then, the freedom to choose is not enough. The thing I pick to believe in must somehow make sense to me. It must somehow be big enough to encompass a wide range of events and phenomena. It must help me cope NO MATTER WHAT. It is this quality of all-inclusiveness that I think we are ultimately seeking. I can choose to believe in celestial unicorns but if that doesn’t help me cope with loneliness or disease or change, then I am likely to abandon that belief for something that can.
This all boils down to where I am right now with regards to faith… What if you feel that even though your chosen belief system claims a causal link between your spiritual practices and the effects you see in the world, you just don’t believe this is true?