Why Do People Believe

In anything?

Because their parents did? Or their friends do? Or their culture does? This happens quite often, and understandably so, but its not really a good reason to believe something. Parents, friends, and every person in a culture can be dead wrong about something.

Because the belief gives them comfort? Or peace of mind? Or hope? Or purpose? Or a sense of identity? This also happens quite often, but its also not really a good reason to believe something. Just because I have a good feeling or positive outlook doesn't prove anything.

Because scripture says so? Or a religious leader says so? This also happens quite often, but its also not really a good reason to believe something. What scripture? The Torah? The Bible? The Book Of Mormon? The Qu'Ran? The Vedas? What leader? A pastor? The Pope? An Imam? A Rabbi? These writings and people will invariably teach completely contradictory things.

What's left here? We want to search for truth, but none of these things lead use objectively to truth.

How about because of logic? And science? And evidence? These are valid reasons to believe something. That logic, science, and evidence may very well lead us to the correct book, the correct leader(s), give us comfort and purpose, and bring friends and family to the same conclusions.

We of course do start a search for truth *somewhere*. Some views have such a clear lack of logic and evidence that they are ruled out almost immediately. What is left is a menagerie of different views that cannot all be true. So we look for evidence for or against their truth claims and see how things stack up, adjust our views, and search again.

On a final note for us Christians, let us not forget (as I do too often) that we can't take credit for the results of our search, by remembering the following words of Jesus: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

Any teaching is worth trusting only if it points to the truth