The Nature of Belief Critical Perception - Essay Example

The Nature of Belief A belief is a perception of being sure that something or someone exists. It is a psychological an individual holds something or someone to be true. A belief could be a thought or an idea (Murray, 2005). People who believe in beliefs do so with conviction and do not denounce them for anyone or anything. There are also delusional beliefs, which are defined as beliefs that do not exist. Delusions occur to individuals who suffer from mental health issues. Medical professionals, usually take these delusions to be true since they understand that these patients live in their own bizarre world. The essay shall explore the Christian beliefs that I believe in, where they came from and why I believe in them. It shall further try to prove that there exists a superior being and compare it to the atheism-approved theory of evolution. Most Christians believe that God exists. They believe there is a supreme being who watches over us and grants our wishes and prayers. It gave rise to the theory of creation, whereby they believe that God created the universe and everything in it including human beings (Lopez, 2010). This theory has caused many controversies since individuals such as Charles Darwin beg to differ. This belief is religious since majority of religious denominations stem from it. The Christian faith comes from the Bible, which supports the existence of this Supreme Being. It states God created the earth and everything in it in seven days. Religious beliefs are coined from ideas that are limited to religion. I as a Christian, I was told of this belief by my parents who said it was taught to them by their parents. My guardians took me to church and initiated me into the Christian faith. They told me that I was baptized in the church and given a Christian name. Majority of the names found within the scriptures of the Bible are referred to as Christian names. I did not understand anything about at the time so I just took it as the gospel truth and followed its teachings without question. As time passed, I started to understand it more and was able to ask question on its origin and what its teachings meant. I believe it because, us as human beings often need something to believe in and give us hope and it seems that a supernatural power is just what we need. Mostly I believe it because it answered some of the questions that I had concerning certain issues. For example, what is reality? , who created us? , and what happens after death? Cultural beliefs differ from religious beliefs in different ways. They include cultural beliefs are values, norms, expectations and standards that a culture has generated for its society. Cultural beliefs are setup over time with new ones being introduced more recently. Cultural beliefs are usually there to help govern a society and make sure they do not lose their tradition as time progresses (Roetz, 2006). Changes in cultural beliefs are motivated by either individual or historical events that form the basis known as cultural development. Metaphysics refers to the study of reality both the visible and invisible. It also tries to explain what exactly constitutes reality, the natural and the supernatural (Morganti, 2013). The topic of metaphysics is a contentious issue debated mostly by atheists, who question the existence of anything supernatural. Atheists believe there is no supernatural beings and try to answer questions using rational answers. Most people who study metaphysics want to understand the things that transcend the natural world. This means separating the natural and the supernatural realities that occur in our natural existence. Metaphysics tries to answer the questions about reality that science and experiments cannot answer. We all have a metaphysical perspective since each person has a question that is out of the ordinary. We all have questions about reality that we cannot simply answer, thus the various theories on metaphysics try to answer them. The study of metaphysics is controversial than other topics and metaphysicians cannot seem to agree on the perceived theories among themselves as to what they are doing and what exactly they are investigating. Meta physicians are usually misunderstood and their findings dismissed since they are seen to be questioning the very fabric of reality, which is uncomfortable for most people. There are three branches of metaphysics. They include theology, ontology and universal science. In this case, we shall explore theology since it is related to the topic being discussed. Theology is the study of gods. It tries to explain the origin and existence of gods. Theology also attempts to answer what a god is, wants and what where he is. Since different religions have different gods, the study of theology will vary from one religion to the next. Atheists do not believe in any god, they state that theology is the study of nothing real. Atheists always contradict everything that has to do with god-oriented religion (Begbie, 2009). Atheists claim that since no proof of a supernatural being exists, there is no point of wasting time worshipping something or someone who does not exist. They would much rather find solace unexplainable phenomenon. Atheists and individuals inclined towards gods cannot stay in the same room since the minute they start discussions, tempers flare and no conclusion if found. Theology goes hand in hand with Christianity since; Christianity recognizes the existence of a God. Theology answers all the questions Christians have concerning reality. Theology explains the origin of God, the Earth and reality. Their belief in a supreme being provides comfort with the knowledge that a God exists who is watching them. They in turn show their gratitude by praying and offering sacrifices to him. Christians believe that God listens and answers their prayers and requests. Atheists dispute the existence of God and try to explain the supernatural by use of scientific theories. Christians, perceive God as the creator and preserver of the universe. Only he alone has the power to do all that is deemed impossible. God is represented in the Bible as being concerned with people and their faith and salvation. The bible refers to God as he (man) and is understood to have a will and a personality. This makes him all divine, compassionate and powerful being. In the second paragraph, I mentioned a man by the name Charles Darwin. He was a geologist who came up with the theory of evolution. It stated that human beings evolved from primates. This theory is in direct disagreement with the creation theory held by Christianity (Greenberger, 2005). God created human beings in his image, however, atheists prefer practical explanations like the evolution theory. They do not believe in any form of divine interventions. Be they spiritual or any other kind. Most atheists adopt a materialistic perspective on reality. They regard nature and reality as energy and matter. To them, everything around us is natural and there is nothing supernatural about the universe. They also stress there is no such thing as another realm or plane. This is in regards to the biblical references of Heaven and Hell. Christians believe that, after death, the human soul goes to either heaven or hell. According to the Christian religion, the righteous people who have done no wrong go to heaven while those with sins and have not repented go to hell and join Satan. Atheists dispute this fact by stating that, after death there is no heaven or hell the human soul or spirit manifests itself again in another form. It may be as a star or tree just as long as it is something they can touch or see. That is why when an atheist dies, his or her ashes are scattered all over the earth so that they can come back more prosperous. Atheists claim that Christians came up with God and other religious beliefs to fulfill their psychological and emotional needs. Atheists have started their own churches made up of philosophers who do not see the need for praying and worshipping a God or gods who are an invention of men. Atheism usually favors humanity as the prime source of values and ethics. They explain that atheism permits them to resolve moral and immoral problems without resorting to a higher power for guidance. Christians main criticism regarding atheism is that, the lack of any shred of faith or belief in them leads to moral decay and renders life miserable and meaningless. Religion is free and nobody should be forced into it, and individuals are free to worship whomever they choose. Freedom of worship is embedded in the respective constitutions of different nations and is a fundamental right of every human being. In my opinion, Christianity works for me since it is sometimes important to associate the supernatural because it provides a sense of importance especially when God answers my prayers. Since atheists and their teaching are controversial, most individuals tend not to associate with them to avoid stigmatization by the society. References Begbie, J. S. (2009). Theology, music and time. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press. Greenberger, R. (2005). Darwin and the theory of evolution. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, Inc. Lopez, K. M. (2010). Christianity: A biblical, historical, and theological guide for students. Macon, Ga: Mercer University Press. Morganti, M. (2013). Combining science and metaphysics: Contemporary physics, conceptual revision, and common sense. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Murray, R. M., & Kujundzic, N. (2005). Critical reflection: A textbook for critical thinking. Montréal: McGill-Queens University Press. Roetz, H. (2006). Cross-cultural issues in bioethics: The example of human cloning. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Read More