Philosophers, Religious Apologists, Politicians, and anyone with a soap box (bloggers?) want your to change your belief about something or reinforce or expand a shared belief or desire. What is required for one to change his or her beliefs? Can we simply choose or will to believe? What about religious beliefs?
I think that creating a new belief (forming a concept) is a fascinating process. To change beliefs or exchange beliefs from belief A to B is equally interesting to me. Consider the following example to illustrate the interesting issues in an exchange of beliefs. Imagine someone who is purposely not a Christian, say Al the Atheist, who becomes a Theist. Although I think many other beliefs would necessarily be changed, for the sake of simplicity let’s limit the discussion to as much as possible to this exchange. So, did Al decide to believe in God?
IF Al NOT DECIDE to believe in God (i.e. believed unwillfully):
If Al is simply “predestined” to believe in God, then there is nothing to really “argue” about (unless of course you are Al and could wish he were an Atheist again). Assuming that religious beliefs and ordinary beliefs are similar in there adoption or denial, God’s “righteousness” would seem to be called into question. How could God send people to hell (or at least Judas who seems to be there from the New Testament account)? How could God judge or even the judicial systems of human kind execute any type of punitive or retributive justice? BUT, If religious beliefs are different from all other kinds of belief, that only allows for human justice. Further, campaigning for office, evangelism, various forms of persuasion are all rehearsals and are pageantry. In fact the fabric of our lives seems to me to bear a striking similarity to the material used by the alleged tailors of an emperor who needed some new clothes.
IF AL DID DECIDE to believe in God:
It seems to me he either does so DIRECTLY or INDIRECTLY. If DIRECTLY, then the use of persuasion, justice, etc. has much meaning and value, but then various aspects of our lives seem inexplicably out of our control. Why is it then that so many Christians for example resonate with Paul that they do the very thing they do not wish to do (Ro7)? What explains habits and those times where we want to believe but cannot?
Maybe beliefs are accepted and acquired INDIRECTLY. If this is the case, one retains his or her responsibility, and our inability to “will to believe” maybe explained. I am advocating Indirect Doxastic Volunteerism. So, although Al cannot simply will to believe in God, he can study, evaluate arguments, talk to and spend time with “believers” and if God’s existence is more likely than not, Al may find him-self believing that God exists. It may be the case that God reveals Himself in this process and the belief is simply formed. This is not to say that it could not be latter denied or be disbelieved from lack of cultivation. For example, my wife remembers many people from periodically thinking about them, that I may forget because I don’t think about them. This is to point our that we do have control about what we focus our awareness on. The things in my awareness I recognize and believe. My accuracy my be determined on the accuracy of my recognition or possibly my interpretation of an experience. However, instead of cashing out a full defense for that at this time (I will eventually) I will cash out some consequences. For the sake of space and the profile of my typical reader I will focus on Apologetics, Evangelism and maybe a touch of discipleship.
Apologetics & Evangelism:
Certainly good arguments are important and the evidence for God can be a key to creating a belief in God. At the very least, Al needs sufficient defeaters for the arguments against God that he has believed for years. However, good arguments are not magic. Many Christians often wins battles and lose wars arguing for the existence of God. There is no simple list of reasons for this event. Maybe Al was simply mad at God when his close friend died of cancer. He needed time and compassion to free his acceptance of belief. For various reasons, arguments and evidence are not enough to bring about a belief in God for Al (unless the other conditions are already met). If the argument is enough (all other conditions met) then acceptance of the belief may not occur immediately. An alignment of ones belief system may take time. So, one must not be a hasty arguer or have unrealistic expectations of arguments, and certainly there is no place for self-righteous tones because one does not simply and directly choose to believe.
A Touch of Discipleship:
Given the above, we need to be patient as a believer changes beliefs and forms new ones. A tacit assumption in this post is that we can have knowledge by direct acquaintance. I think direct acquaintance is the most direct (and perhaps foundational) ways to form a belief. One knows the most and becomes the most like Jesus is one meets Jesus. The way of discipleship is incarnational.
Christianity
Apologetics
Worldview
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