The Call to Distinguish Belief from Truth

Believing a thing doesn't make it true. We have to act on beliefs, but what a sweet world it would be if we all recognized (one of the few sure things) that our private, subjective belief-acts don't impose limits on the objective universe.

I posted the above on a Facebook religion group and got backlash, including denial that, even in the informal common sense, such a thing as an "objective universe" exists. I replied with (I thought) reasoned arguments, but still got backlash. I shared this weird exchange recently (https://www.wrestlingwithreligion.net/2022/09/believing-thing-doesnt-make-it-true.html).

This morning it came to me that argument was the wrong approach. A list of examples should work better.

I may believe the earth is flat. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that God revealed the Quran to Muhammed by the angel Gabriel. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that Jesus died for our sins and believers go to Heaven. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that dead ancestors speak through Shamans. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that nothing like a God exists. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that abortion is murder. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that fetuses are not yet human. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that people are unalterably masculine or feminine at birth, signaled by flesh between their legs. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that gender is a matter of personality. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that homosexuality is perverse. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that homosexuality is a normal variation. It may be, but my belief can't make it so.

I may believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that marriage is between one man and three women. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that marriage is between any two adults. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that Trump is a hero who can make America great. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that Trump is a dangerous conman. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that America is the greatest nation on earth. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe that China is the greatest nation on earth. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe it will rain tomorrow. That doesn't make it so.

I may believe I will live to be a hundred. I may die today.

I may believe that water is wet and ducks quack. These are so, but my belief is irrelevant. If I were silly enough to disbelieve, water would still be wet, and ducks would still quack. These and billions of other events carry on--the sun rising and setting, rain falling--regardless of my beliefs. People of all beliefs experience the sun and rain. Sun and rain belong to the "objective universe." The beliefs listed above this paragraph do not. They aren't real in the same sense.

What those beliefs have in common is that they depend on individual choice, culture, or personality. They aren't obvious to all competent observers, like the sunrise. Either they can't be tested because they exist in legend, the future, or immaterial realms, or they are matters of taste or culture with no universally agreed-upon standards to determine truth or falsity. They are opinions or community values not shared by all other communities The first item, the flat earth, is demonstrably false, but members of the Flat Earth Society still believe it.

As I said at the onset, we have to act on our beliefs even if we recognize that they aren't universally or objectively true. Here in Virginia, I believe I should drive on the right side of the road, and I'd better act on that belief, but not if I were driving in the UK or Japan. Near-universal customs within our own culture are all-but indistinguishable from laws of nature when acting within that culture. A basic level of conformity is essential to success, even survival.

What I am calling for comes into play when there is disagreement within a larger culture, sometimes called tribalism. I am advocating a recognition that our beliefs, if not merely personal, are often flags of tribal identity, and we should respect neighbors who fly different flags. We should work (it's hard) to discern our beliefs for what they are--not God's truth, but our own (even when they are beliefs about God). We should respect competing beliefs for what they are, not necessarily less true than our own. As we form our best beliefs and act on them, we should avoid--as far as possible without real injury--forcing them on others who disagree. 

If mutual respect and toleration are possible, we should let folks who disagree with us live their own lives. We shouldn't use police (with guns as objectively real as the sunrise) or other political force to suppress beliefs that don't actually hurt us. We should, as far as possible, live and let live, knowing that there is no truth in matters of belief. It's above the human pay grade.