Do you believe in the existence of Thought?
Most would answer, of course! Everybody believes in thought. They don’t even have to doubt it because evidence is everywhere!
OK, prove it. Find hard evidence that thought exists.
What about seeing electrical synapses in the brain under a microscope? That proves it, right? Well, no, that just shows that there’s electrical activity in the dendritic tissue. It is a long leap from seeing a spark to determining that it was a thought.
Well, look around you. Everything that people have created began with a thought. Again, prove it. Having someone tell you, “I was thinking….” is not proof. It is a claim. They’d have to provide evidence in order to “prove” their claim.
Then look throughout human existence. There are dreams, concepts, strategies, ideas, all of these are thought. That proves it! Sorry, those are just words, claims, not real proof. Without proof how could any reasonable person believe in Thought?
By the way, I personally believe in the existence of Thought. No doubt so do you. But let’s be clear, thought cannot be proven. We can only see symptoms of its existence and through those we claim that thought exists. The gap between our claim and our evidence is filled with Faith, the Belief that it exists.
Do you believe in Love? Does it really exist?
Again, we can go through the motions mentioned above, but we end up at the same place. Love is accepted as a truth that needs no tangible proof because we can see behaviors that we attribute to Love, therefore, if you see the behaviors…Love exists. Right? But can Love be faked? Sure. So, the behaviors are symptoms and we use them to calculate whether there is enough behavioral evidence to conclude that Love is present. Be we have to fill the gap between the claim and the evidence with Faith.
Need I go on? Next time someone says “I don’t believe in God” or for that matter, anything intangible, just ask them to truly prove it. Every worldview requires Faith to fill the gap at some point.
It all began with the Big Bang!
Really? You sure you want to go there? Let’s just examine a few points on this.
Where did the bang occur? When did it occur? What caused it? How was the process of explosion established? How could matter have evolved from non-matter? As soon as you have a good answer for those, we can have a robust discussion. But don’t tell me that you have Faith in things you cannot prove. That would destroy your argument against the existence of a Creator.
No matter what your worldview is, you need Faith to fill the gaps in your theory. All people have a “religion”. A religion being a belief system that helps them feel that they understand their world. Some use science, some use physical reality (the earth, stars, seasons). Some believe in mystical forces that can’t be seen.
But ALL of them rely on Faith to fill the voids. Be clear about the fact that your personal “religion”, your belief system, is filled with assumptions based in Faith.
I suggest that you do three things:
- Determine what you actually believe. Don’t just repeat what you’ve been told. Think it through. What do you truly believe? If you don’t know, then sample some of the existing belief systems to see if they make sense and feel right to you.
- Test what you believe. If it won’t stand up to challenges or criticism, then chances are good that you don’t “believe” it, but you’re merely using it as a temporary shield from having to do your own thinking. Welcome challenges and explore the books and research on your accepted views.
- Live what you believe. If it’s not affecting your actions, then it’s doubtful that you actually believe it. If you’re a Christian for example, does your behavior show it? Would I know you were one by observing you over time? If you’re something else, does it show in your lifestyle? Be a person of integrity no matter what your faith is. Live your beliefs.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some Thinking to do.