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'Cause I gotta have faith, ah faith, ah faith
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The unicorn exhibit, now at the MN Zoo
I recently had a discussion with a Christian friend, who told me she thinks it is far more difficult to be a person of faith than not. When I asked her why she thinks this way, she replied that faith involves a great deal of strength on the part of the believer; strength that can often be hard to find. Upon thinking about her point of view, I quickly responded with a two-fold rebuttal that both agreed and disagreed with her sentiments.
First, I vehemently disagree that it is more difficult to be a person of faith, for the same reason it is difficult to cheer for the Green Bay Packers when living in Minnesota. When one lives in a country where the vast majority of its citizens are faith-based believers, it is far easier to join the ranks of those holding the popular opinion, than choosing to go against the grain. Nobody wants to be the odd person out. There have been numerous books, psychological studies, and articles published on this very notion, usually with subjects like “mass delusion,” “madness of crowds,” etc. And there is even greater pressure on the micro level – within one’s family, circle of friends, neighborhood, and social group – to be one of the flock. Let's face it: it is far easier for everyone if we all believe the same thing.
Conversely, to my second point, I do agree that it may actually be quite difficult to be a person of faith because you are forcing yourself to believe some, well, fairly absurd claims. Think about how challenging it must be for our brains to believe in something for which there is absolutely zero evidence. Would you not agree it is illogical to believe in flying pink elephants, the tooth fairy, unicorns, Santa Claus and Aphrodite? Try to convince yourself that any one of these things actually exists. Go ahead, I have time. Better yet, try to convince someone else – above the age of three – these things are true. Any takers?
It is quite a feat to look at the Bible, see the superfluous amount of contradictory stories, impossible claims, and flat out erroneous facts, (not to mention, ironically, references to unicorns. See: Job 39:9-10, Psalm 22:21, among others) and to still, despite all of that, tell oneself it is the literal word of God. Personally, when I started questioning the tenets of the Catholic Church in which I was raised, it became increasingly difficult to accept any of the religious claims as fact. Science has far more answers than religion can provide, and science does not require faith; it provides evidence.
Religion has had more than 4000 years – going back to the Old Testament – to provide one iota of evidence for the existence of God and the stories of God’s prophets. But it has taken a little more than a few hundred years for science to unlock a myriad of the mysteries of the universe. Yes, to still be a person of faith in the 21st century takes a great deal of strength indeed.
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