It May be True, But I Don't Believe You!

Watching the roller-coaster ride that was the American Presidential Election, and it's aftermath of endless legal challenges, coupled with the unbelievable scenes from the Capitol Building in Washington, got me thinking.... Why do people stick to their beliefs in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary? 

Flat-earthers, moon-landing deniers, climate change and Holocaust rebuffers, Covid-19 rejectors et al., have great difficulty in facing reality. A member of my extended family has become so enamoured with a TV based quasi-Christian group that they have lost all sense of the joy and freedom that Christ imbued His followers with. One of the principal movers in this group is clearly a false/failed prophet (with a less than 30% success rate), but it matters little.  

A recent study by researchers at the University of California, has given some insight into this perplexing problem. They found that feedback, rather than hard evidence, boosts people’s sense of certainty when learning new things or trying to tell right from wrong. Developmental psychologists found that people’s beliefs are more likely to be reinforced by the positive or negative reactions they receive in response to an opinion, task or interaction, than by logic, reasoning and scientific data.

In other words the lyrics of the 1998 Boyzone song, "No Matter What" are true for many people. 

No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true
 

The Bible tells us this...  We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.           1 John 4:6 NIV 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Ephesians 6:14 NIV 

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 NIV 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NIV

Denial of truth is an all-too-common human trait.  When reality is overwhelming, it's often easier to slide into the fantasy world that denial of truth affords. Often the fear of actually living in this sad old world of ours results in people resisting change and if we try to fight the seasons of life we will miss the blessings that God has for us. It's often said that there are only two things certain in life... death and taxes, well I would suggest that there is another to add to that list. Change! 

Most people are resistant to change, and truth to tell, there is a certain comfort in consistency. Why are most of us resistance to change? Usually and simply because it's seen as a threat!  

Just a few of the specific reasons why we are often hesitant to change are as follows:

• Our perceived needs are already being met
• We feel the change will leave us less well off 
• We do not trust the success of the change
• We fail to understand the purpose of the change
  

 Modern Christianity, particularly Western Christianity, has taught successive generations of Christ Followers that God only wants to prosper us, and that there is no place for pain and tribulation in a believer's life. Even the remotest suggestion that there could be a purpose or some value in suffering is usually viewed as uncaring, offensive and deeply insensitive. Furthermore, our deeply individualist culture has conditioned us to believe the opposite. A collective attitude that exalts comfort and views personal happiness as the end of all things has blurred our perspective. 

 

Most people (myself included) count it all joy when they escape trials, BUT, the Apostle James said the opposite.... "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience". James 1:2-3 NKJV 

 

The same thought is expressed in 1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. NKJV 

 

Life is a journey, many times we find ourselves forced to take a journey we would rather not. Perseverance is a word not much favoured today. It's an old word, derived from the Greek hupomone, which describes the ability of a plant to survive in the harshest of conditions. In ancient Jewish  literature and thought, it was used to refer to the ’spiritual staying power’ which enabled the faithful to die for their God. The early Christians exhibited this trait in the centuries of persecution by the Roman Empire. Sadly, perseverance is a rare commodity these days. It's just so much easier to wallow in spurious and patiently false beliefs and ideas, rather than challenge ourselves and divest our lives of falsehoods. As Prince Hamlet said in Shakespeare's Play... "to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them?"