Thinking like a Believer – Thinking like a free person – a paradox? - Introduction

Rene Descarte is credited with the words “I think, therefore I am”. We are the products of our thinking. What we do, how we act, whether we perceive things as good or bad, whether we find someone believable or not etc are all based on our thoughts.

These thoughts can be considered a collection of ideas and images that has been stored, and we refer to them when faced with new situations. They form the basis of who we are. They can be considered as our foundation.

We need to examine this foundation and determine where it came from, since the source of this foundation is the one we serve every time we think and act.

For most of us alive today, this foundation is from our parents and close friends, education system and the media (which these days means almost exclusively television and magazines and more recently the internet). Our parents would have obtained their ideas in generally the same way we did. Over the decades, the role of grandparents and parents in our lives has been lessened by a variety of factors, leaving the education system and the media as the primary foundation of our thinking. Who controls these, and who do they serve?

This has a greater impact on us than we realize. All of us think of ourselves as good pious people, but on what basis do we arrive at this conclusion. By what do we measure ourselves?

Do we compare ourselves with our friends, relatives, and the popular stars of music and movies? Do we measure our conduct by the way they lead their lives? Have we any idea who they serve?

How has it come to pass that most of us would never use the people we call our “religious” leaders when we wish to measure ourselves? Do we dress like television personalities? Do we partake of activities they enjoy? Has visiting night clubs, experimenting with drugs and being promiscuis become a part of our “culture”?

What does it mean when I say that we need to re-educate ourselves on how to think like a believer; that the foundation of our thinking needs to be examined and redefined.

Let us look a little closer at ourselves. There are many things we may not agree on, while there are others on which there is little or no debate.

For example, we are in agreement that it is good to partake in sport, something that is good for our health, and professional sport is the pinnacle of good health and is very rewarding financially. If we had the capability we would be sports stars too.

We accept that it is wrong to discriminate against other people and laws that outlaw discrimination are important, in fact some do not go far enough.

Paying of taxes is essential to the proper running of the country and those who think otherwise are just criminals trying to create some “diabolical moral” justification for their unwillingness to contribute to the system of which they are beneficiaries.

Firearms are dangerous and no one should be allowed to keep one. Laws outlawing ownership should be enacted and enforced. It is the only way to ensure safety in society.

Our governments do not serve us properly; they allow too many foreigners to enter illegally and then even make their stay here legal. These people take away our jobs. This should not be allowed to happen.

The United Nations Security Council is the most important world body dedicated to the preservation of world peace.  It is a pity that it does not authorize more military interventions so that tyrants and despots, the terrorists, who wish to rule by the gun can be brought to justice.

Speeding limits need to be enforced more visibly so that our roads can be made safer. The limits on some roads are still too high.

I do not think that there would be much disagreement with what I have just said. There would be a great deal of discomfort, I am sure, when you read that if you agreed with any of the above, your foundation of thinking has been corrupted. Go back and look at the list again.

As we explore what it means to think as a believer, and as we begin to understand what it means to think like a free person, we will slowly realize that they are one and the same. The great irony is that many people have abandoned religion because they see it as something that deprives us of our freedom. I have heard people saying they do not wish to be subjugated by anyone and wish nothing else but to be free. Hence they will not allow themselves to be subjugated by any “religion” or “God”.

Think of a person who is thrust into a maze. This maze is different; a wrong turn could cause serious permanent consequences, like physical injury, even death. There is a very limited capacity to retrace our steps. For all intents and purposes, once a path is chosen, we have to follow through even when we realize that we are on the wrong path.

Someone offers us a map which shows the safest way through, one that avoids all the major obstacles, and leads us to the exit with the minimum of difficulty, though for sure, some minor obstacles will have to be overcome. Do we accept this offer or do we refuse because we do not wish to be subjugated or constrained by its guidance. Do we claim that the map makes out passage to “planned” and controlled. Do we seek the excitement of the challenge, and to fail if necessary (which is the most likely outcome without the map).

If this is how we feel about life, then God’s guidance is not for us. However, when we think this way we fail to realize that even following the guidance of the map (God’s guidance) is extremely challenging, more so than without the map, but it does have the added benefit that if we succeed in implementing the guidance, we have a more than even chance of succeeding in our most important purpose on Earth, proving our worthiness of our place in Paradise. With life offering us only one chance at success, who would even think of refusing such guidance?

The reason many of us have rejected religion is that many religious institutions have been infiltrated by agents of satan and what they preach is their own ideas, not the teaching of God. They too practice a system which serves to enslave people just as Democracy does. Their practice has nothing to do with what God wishes for us. In fact, a priest who truly relates God’s message will have no “control” over people. He is a guide helping them understand when they have become enslaved and what they must do to become free. He does not become a slave master himself.

Because we know no different, we assume they represent God. We can see how wrong they are, and hence are turned away from God. Who would want us to think this way and who do these false clerics really serve?

In the book "Reflections"

I discuss the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup and use it as an introduction to professional sport in general. I will not touch on this topic here any further.

Other chapters look at the question of  Fear and how this relates to our claim to have faith in God.  Prayer is examined in some detail. In “Health and Death” we study our perceptions of these, what God expects us to understand, and how this impacts on what we can expect from our doctors. Lastly, we take a closer look at ourselves.

It will without doubt bring a new perspective to our thinking, and help us review greatly many things which we have taken for granted.

Through our discussions in some of the posts to follow, we will explore some of the other misconceptions that we take for granted and which serve to enslave us with us being none the wiser.

Until then.