Belief Systems: What and Why
What are beliefs? What is a belief system? Why is it important to have a strong belief system?
Let’s introduce this topic with a very recent and very practical story that happened to me.
I had become involved with helping an acquaintance of mine with a rental dispute involving a landlord who had a reputation for overcharging for repairs and not returning security deposits. After trying to mediate and to get lawyers to take over the case, it ended up in small claims court. A judge granted a request from a mental health care professional to let me speak for the renter and help her stay focused on the question at hand. We went into the courtroom with a belief, based on evidence, of her entitlement to a refund.
However, once we get settled it was explained that we would proceed as if we were lawyers and I would have to question witnesses, file exhibits, and so forth. My stomach tensed up. My mouth went dry. My head began to pound. This is exactly what I had been trying to avoid and for what we were almost totally unprepared! The judge was supposed to ask the questions, not us!
I spun and stumbled my way through the process. I was rebuked (correctly) by the judge a few times for wording things in the wrong way, but more frustrating was that I could not think of the proper way to present the evidence. As a result, I inadvertantly dropped an entire line and pattern of reasoning to support our additional claim to extra payment.
We presented evidence and rebutted counterclaims, but we failed to present an organized sequence of events, evidence, and reasoning to build a strong, clear case in the judge’s mind. This half-baked presentation got the charges reduced by half, but we failed to achieve the clear win for which we had hoped. Good beliefs based on good evidence got us part of the way, but only a well-documented, clearly communicated belief system could get us all the way to the finish line.
The next time you watch one of those lawyer TV shows, realize that there is much more to the case than that final GOTCHA! piece of evidence. What makes that piece so powerful is all the earlier pattern of reasoning that has been brought forth. The final argument works to lock up the criminal because the lock is holding together the chains of evidence. A lock is useless without chains.
Each link in the chain is a belief. The chain itself is a system. The stronger the chain the stronger the system. And if you have a strong belief system, then you are a strong person able to hold your own, plot your course, and know your purpose.
What is a belief?
According to the dictionary, a belief is a vague idea in which some confidence is placed, or any cognitive content held as true. In other words, it is all in your head. It is how you view the world.
For example, you see what you believe to be a mango on a plate. Then you touch it and discover it is a realistically painted wooden sculpture. Your belief changed because your information changed. However, you could choose to ignore touching it and choose to believe it is real, or that it was real but now is dry and hard. You could rationalize that you didn’t touch it firmly enough so that it is still probable that it is real. There are all sorts of reasons and motivations why you might believe the mango is real or not. It’s your choice.
You choose to hold to your belief about any particular subject because of your information, lack of information, background, opinions, rumors, experts, desires, research, and any number of other possibilities. In the end, a belief is your chosen perspective about something.
Obviously—to live long, healthy, and happy in this world—I want my beliefs to accurately match reality so that I do not find myself jumping off a cliff believing that I can fly, or believing that I can drive 90mph down city streets without hurting someone.
In addition to beliefs about the physical world, I also have beliefs about the spiritual world. For example, I see a label on the mango with someone else’s name on it. Do I believe it is right to eat someone else’s mango? Do I care enough about the person to ask them permission to eat their mango? Do I believe I can get away with stealing the mango? Beliefs about the physical, material world work hand in hand with beliefs about the spiritual, moral world.
Not only are beliefs chosen, but they influence our choices. If I sincerely believe the mango is real and safe for me to eat, then I will attempt to eat it. By eating it, I demonstrate my belief to myself and to others. That act confirms my belief and reinforces my confidence to test my other beliefs by acting on them as well.
Therefore, beliefs are not only the knowledge in my head, but also the choices I make about that knowledge which prompt to action. Beliefs and choices go hand in hand, and one inspires the other.
What is a belief system?
Just as every choice is related to previous choices I have made, so every belief is related to other beliefs that I hold. For example, I believe the fruit on the plate is a mango because I observe the object is oval and reddish-orange. I believe oval, reddish-orange objects are mangos because I believe what my teachers teach me.
I also believe mangos come from trees and trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. I believe that cycle is linked to many other cycles that keep life going on Earth. I also believe it is wrong to eat the labeled mango because of my culture and religion, which is another set of beliefs. And all those beliefs are connected to many others. In other words, I have a belief system in my head that is a mini-model of reality helping me to make wise decisions.
There are many ways we can slice and dice our belief systems. We can look at it from many angles. For many good reasons, I have chosen to use a model based on Christ’s parable of the wise and foolish builders.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Each man built a house in the WORLD. Clearly, they had different views of their world and what they expected in the future. This led them to choose different foundations—AUTHORITY.
The house is a symbol of character, and our individual ways of thinking and feeling cause us to interact individually with OTHERS and with GOD.
The above picture is a diagram that could work for any person.
Every person, from child to adult, has a view of the world. The child’s world will be smaller, less detailed, and cover a shorter span of time than an adult’s. Yet, everyone will have their list of important events from birthdays to weddings to current world events to historical events.
Every person will also have an authority in their life who is the ultimate judge of right and wrong, true and false. This could be parents, teachers, political figures, scientific experts, religious leaders, and even ourselves. It could also be a mix of any of these.
From that foundation (strong or weak) we go forth into daily life to interact with people and God. (Even though the atheist does not believe in God, that in itself is a belief that causes other beliefs and interactions.) Our confidence or lack of confidence, our ability to communicate, our education, our self-awareness, our empathy for others, our spiritual awareness are just a few of the many capabilities we bring to society, which then reacts back upon us.
As we build our own belief systems, the belief systems of others are also trying to build us, for better or for worse. Peer pressure, peer dependency, popular opinion, training and culture, all are influencing us and bombarding our view of life—worldview, belief system. We choose to agree or disagree based on our belief that their belief is helpful or harmful.
Questions
What happens when reality and beliefs clash?
What do you think happened to the pigs and their homes?
Which house would you rather have and why?
What do the 28 logs represent?
Why did David decorate his bomb-proof home?
Why do we need a system of beliefs instead of a mere collection?
Quotes and Notes
All quotes are merely to prompt thought and discussion. You or I may or may not agree with them.
Beliefs define our vision of the world; they dictate our behavior; they determine our emotional response to other human beings. — Sam Harris
Each of your brains creates its own myth about the universe. — Abhijit Naskar
A myth is a story, a narrative, about something. That myth can be true, partly true, or completely false. However, it is probably impossible to build a lasting myth on total lies because you will soon self-destruct.
I couldn’t understand how belief systems could be so important to people that they were willing to risk the destruction of the world to protect them. I came to realize that shared belief systems made people intelligible to one another—and that the systems weren’t just about belief. — Jordan B. Peterson
There is no alternative to action, and that requires faith. The issue is how we are to mold for ourselves a belief system that is worthy of life. — Naguib Mahfouz
Your Belief in a particular ideology does not cause it’s truth, and your disbelief cannot cause it’s falsehood. — Leland Lewis
Why does the mind crave superstition? It’s because superstition is a psychological apparatus for self-preservation. And it appears to us as truth because the only truth our brain is concerned with is the one that takes away our anxiety and aids in our survival, even if that truth happens to be just another lie our brain cooks up to maintain internal order. — Abhijit Naskar
Do all minds always crave superstition? On the other hand, do we never make up beliefs just to make ourselves feel good?
No two persons can learn something and experience it in the same way. — Shannon L. Alder
Sometimes your belief system is really your fears attached to rules. — Shannon L. Alder
I like the tension between these two quotes. We are individuals with individual belief systems. Yet, do we not often surrender our individuality to others?
Rethink your mindset because how you view, filter, interpret and automatically give meaning to your experiences is what you’ll believe them to be. — Tony Dovale
This next one is long, but comprehensive. It speaks to a worldview, which is a belief system about everything. Technically, belief systems can be narrowly focused to historical events, physical processes (usually called a theory or model), or crime scenes, for example.
First, there are three tests that a worldview must pass. It must be:
1. logically consistent – Its teachings cannot be self-contradictory.
2. empirically adequate – Its teachings must match what we see in reality.
3. existentially relevant – Its teachings must speak directly to how we actually live our lives.
Second, each worldview must address the following four ultimate questions:
1. origin – Where do the universe and human beings come from?
2. meaning – What is the meaning or purpose of life? Why are we here?
3. morality – How do we know what is right and what is wrong?
4. destiny – What happens to us after we die? — attributed to Ravi Zacharias