Why True Beliefs Matter
Wouldn't you love to write the world's next bestseller? Do you
wonder what the "secret recipe" is? Stumble on it and you could be
showered with fame and notoriety while your favorite movie star
plays your main character.
Many authors and publishers have been working hard on trying to
find that secret recipe so they can be the next in line to tap the
American psyche. Given the success of books such as The Da Vinci Code,
right now many believe the formula to be a mixture of God and
history, with two parts puzzle and two cups of conspiracy theory
generously mixed together and brought to a boil over heated
cliffhangers.
Why would such a mixture seem so appetizing to the consumer? I
believe that, given our recent turn to a postmodern culture, we're
starting to see the inevitable consequences of the surrender of
truth. People want to believe that old concepts of God are passé -
that they are too restrictive. We need new paradigms, new ways of
thinking about who God is and what he (or she or they or it, for
that matter) really wants from us. The best way to do that is to
make up fables about how the old stories aren't really true, and
then start to believe your own fictions.
How Beliefs Matter
Now, there are people who believe a lot of strange things about
the world. Some of these beliefs are less concerning than others.
For example, I may have a belief that my shortcut to work in the
morning saves me five minutes off my drive. That belief may or may
not be true, but as long as I'm at work on time it has little impact
on my life or the lives of others. If I'm wrong, it's not really a
big deal, it merely means that I'm taking a little bit longer than I
could have taken. Saving five minutes off my drive to work is not a
crucial issue, so my belief about my shortcut is not a crucial
belief.
However, if I'm an ambulance driver then my belief about where
the hospital is located and what is the fastest way to get there has
a much bigger impact. If I believe the hospital is to the north when
it is really to the south and I'm transporting a critical patient,
then whether my beliefs are true or not become crucial. The issue of
getting a critically ill patient to the emergency room is a very
important issue, so it follows that truth becomes more important in
this instance.
This illustrates a point that I want to make regarding beliefs -
the more critical the issue, the more important it is to have true
beliefs. When we look at truth claims, it makes sense to ask "How
important is this belief? What kind of effect will it have if my
beliefs are wrong?"
The Importance of a True Belief About God
This brings me to my main point, which is simply that the issue
of who God really is and what we believe about Him is incredibly
important. I hold that this is one of the most important beliefs one
can have. Think about it for a moment. The belief in who God is and
how He feels about individuals shapes the actions of a Mother
Theresa or a William Wilberforce. It also shapes the actions of an
Al-Qaida terrorist or a Heaven's Gate member.
Beliefs about God are the starting point for all of morality, for
how we view and treat other people, and how we should personally
act. Therefore, having a false belief about God - who He is and what
He really does expect from us - is a very serious problem. If you
hold a false belief about God, it is a big deal, perhaps the biggest
in your life. Because the stakes are so high, we need to examine our
beliefs about God and not simply hold to those we "like" while
discarding al those we don't. We need to make sure that our beliefs
about God match what we can know about Him. It is simply foolish to
think that you can pick and choose your God -narrative based on
whether you liked the story that someone told or whether you like or
dislike certain requirements for serving Him.
I have used the illustration that as a child there were many
rules my mother set down for me that I didn't like. She made me eat
those nasty vegetables. I had to go to bed at a certain time, and so
on. However, as I grew and had children of my own, I see the wisdom
in my mother's rules. Just because I didn't like them, didn't mean
they weren't right or applicable to make me a better person.
Similarly, to deny aspects about God simply because you don't
like them in no way proves that those aspects are not how God really
is. God may actually be the type of being who seeks to communicate
with mankind through the Scriptures. God may actually be the type of
being who holds justice in high regard and because of that, He will
judge the sinner. And God may actually be the type of being who also
felt compassion for humanity and therefore became man to provide a
way of escape from the judgment of sin.
It seems to me people want God both ways. They want to know that
there's a real God out there - someone who loves them and is in
control of everything. This gives many people comfort and assurance.
However, they also want to pick and choose what kind of God they
believe in, and usually it's a God that looks a lot like themselves.
However, holding a true belief about God is more important than
that. I hope that as people continue to think about the claims of
pop culture, they will also realize that a true belief may not be a
popular one, but it must be recognized as true just the same.
What do you think? Have we lost the ability to discern
truth in our culture? Write and tell me at
newsletters@comereason.org. Until next time, God bless.
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