Believe it or Not

I am struck by the range of belief that exists among believers--especially those who say they are "spiritual but not religious." Some believe the Bible or other so-called sacred texts are literally true. Some say they are figuratively true, or true in some sense, but not others. Some believe God is a Father who is jealous, loving, and Who needs to be prayed to. Others say that image isn't complete enough to describe God.

In any event, there seems to be a tent of belief of varying sizes that believers may or may not fit under depending who is judging whom. Evangelicals around the tent pole, but Catholics don't fit under it to them. Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians--not quite in or out for the Church of Rome. Mormons, Christian Scientists--definitely out for the main streamers, although they seem to be in to themselves. Quakers, anyone? Other religions or belief systems are no different. Why else would there be Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed Jews, to say nothing of the "Jews for Jesus" believers? Don't even get started on Sunni, Shi-ia, and Wahabi belief systems among the Muslims--and what about Black Muslims?

They may tolerate one another and even live as peaceful neighbors, but among believers of any stripe, there is something fundamentally flawed with those whose belief systems are at variance with their own; they are simply wrong and bound for some sort of hell anyway.

Most of the accounts used to form religious belief systems were written before we had any true sense of biology, neuroscience, cosmology, physics, etc. In light of our more complete understanding of the world and the Universe, would anyone write the Bible or religious text, or come up with a prophetic system about life and the afterlife today like the authors wrote thousands of years ago? If someone wrote such a text that flew in the face of what even a fourth grader knows to be true, who would believe it? Who would use belief in it as a litmus test for another's relative virtue, let alone worth?

Most of us will agree that if conscience is to mean anything, belief cannot be compelled. Compliance or agreement can be tortured, argued or deceived out of someone else, but if they don't really believe, they don't really believe. How many true believers would rather break bread with someone who lies and confesses a similar belief than be a loving neighbor to someone who honestly and in good conscience simply does not believe like they do? Where does that leave someone who believes in neither the miraculous or the supernatural?