The Right to Believe and the Importance of Doubt

The issue of the right to believe is something I frequently think about. Should I have the right to believe in whatever I want? Should other people have the right to believe what they want? Should I have the right to promote my beliefs? Should other people have the right to promote their beliefs? These are questions that bother me, and while I have my own views I don't claim to have the answers. For me it is an important topic, but it is possible that my opinions could annoy believers and non-believers alike - not that my opinions are that important.

Should We Have the Right to Believe Whatever We Want?

I enjoy the right to believe in whatever seems reasonable to me; in fact nobody can really take this away from me. Now it could be argued that my beliefs have been completely determined by my environment and if I had been born in a different place they would have been completely different. I am not so sure about this; most of my beliefs today bear little relation to my childhood beliefs. I think that humans are intelligent enough to choose things for themselves; even if that choice is to go along with everyone else. I value my right to believe so it is only reasonable that other people should have this same right.

The Reasonableness of Beliefs

If people are allowed to believe in what they want then the question needs to be asked as to whether there should be any limits on this. Should a belief have to reach a certain threshold of reasonableness? The atheist would claim that all religions are unreasonable, but is what they believe any more reasonable than anything else? Even those who claim to be skeptics are very prickly then their beliefs are brought into question.

In one way the atheist is right, there are some things which are less likely to be true than others. A reasonable person would probably agree that there as much real evidence for a belief system like Scientology as there is for other religions; the only difference really being the age of the system and the number of followers. On the other hand, anyone who believes in any set of ideas will see them as completely reasonable. The atheist is as attached to their beliefs as anyone else; and they are blinded by them too. Unfortunately belief in one thing often involves not believing in something else; it involves closing doors.

The fact is that belief is a personal matter and so is proof. There are followers of the different religions who have had personal revelations that are evidence enough to convince them; they don't need science to prove or disprove anything. Science has brought us many wonders but it is a system of beliefs that is not value free. Humans conduct scientific experiments so their beliefs will also interfere with what they find. It is highly likely that today's scientists will seem primitive to people in a hundred year's time.

Attraction not Promotion

I feel that it is important for people to be allowed to believe in what they feel is reasonable. I personally feel uncomfortable sometimes with missionaries, because I don't like the idea of one set of people trying to force their ideas onto another. I became interested in Buddhist philosophy in my teens but this was not due to somebody trying to convert me; I needed to seek the information out myself. It is my view that people should be free to investigate any religion they want, but there is no need to push anything on anyone else; especially if this involves any type of financial coercion. Mind you, it could be fairly argued that there is a lot of good work done by missionaries around the world.

The Important of Doubt

I feel that it is important to have at least some doubt as to our own beliefs. This does not mean that we need to approach our own religion or philosophy with less enthusiasm; just that we leave the door slightly ajar for other people. We can say, "hey, maybe they are right, but this is what I'm going with". That way all of us humans can find some common ground.

The case of holocaust denial

Holocaust denial is one belief that really makes me uncomfortable. I don't think that there is much to be done to stop people from believing in this, but it is probably important to stop it. There are probably very few people left who actually witnessed the holocaust, but the motives for people spreading this idea is almost always to increase hatred.

My Beliefs

I am philosophically a Buddhist, but I'm not a religious Buddhist. I would change my beliefs instantly if something else seemed more reasonable. The foundation of my own personal belief system is "who knows?" If a belief adds value to my life then that is good enough for me; I would imagine it is the same for many people.