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Your religion: the odds are against you
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Which religion we're raised in is just chance.
1. We know it is possible for people to believe in things that are not true. (Ancient gods, cults, superstitions, false prophets, self deception, etc.)
2. We know it is possible for people to sincerely hold to those false beliefs and stridently defend them while believing they are correct.
3. We're all people, and so we could be one of the deceived.
It is statistically unlikely that the religion of our birth is the most true or most correct out of all the beliefs in the world. The odds are not in our favor. With the sheer number of different beliefs held around the world and throughout time, we would either have to be extremely fortunate, or, more likely, we were born into the wrong religion.
This is often a hidden statistic in the sense that our parents raise us with certain beliefs, take us to church that teaches those beliefs, and we live in a society that generally accepts those beliefs. Our individual "local universe" more often than not supports the religion of our birth; it couldn't possibly be "unlikely."
This is a perception that might not change until we go off to college, move to a completely different country, or more recently, interact on the Internet. It isn't until our "local universe" bumps into the larger world of opposing cultures, religions, and beliefs that we have any reason to suspect that ours is in fact only a small slice of a slice of a very large pie.
To be a convert, (or just a very thoughtful adherent) something must have convinced us that our particular religion is more correct than the others.
What sorts of reasons might be convincing?
For most, something "spoke" to them. It feels right. This implies, however, that those of other religions don't feel the same way.
It would be dishonest to hold to this position because we can't possibly know what another person is genuinely feeling or experiencing. We're forced to claim that either everyone else is deceived about their spiritual experiences (and we're somehow immune to being deceived ourselves) or all views of god and all beliefs about the afterlife, no matter how varied they might be, stand on equal testimonial grounds. Just browse the testimonials from some Raelians, for an example. They found contentment and a resounding philosophy with the teachings of Rael, a man abducted by extraterrestrials and told that it was they who created life on earth - not gods. Something "spoke" to them, as well. It just feels right. It makes sense to them.
With contradicting testimonies, it is clear that a moment of profound insight or warm assurance is not itself an indication that something is real. It might prompt us to investigate a hunch, but if we use it to conclude that something is true, then we've jumped to a conclusion, or, in other words, made a leap of faith.
After such a leap, we're intellectually and emotionally invested. Our minds subconsciously work to filter and distort information to support whatever it already believes. If we are certain something is true, we will find a way to make it true; it's human nature.
The safest bet of all is to wait for reasonable evidence before believing.
Email Jonathan: slcfreethinking@gmail.com
Read Jonathan's other articles on science and religion
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