Every day, it is extremely evident that what people believe has a significant impact upon their behavior. For instance, if a man earnestly believes, either rightly or wrongly, that his house is on fire, his actions are going to reflect his conceptions. This man will, if operating under good sense that is, leave his residence immediately upon the discovery and contact a fire department as soon as possible. Just as this hypothetical man’s actions reveal his belief that his house is aflame, a man’s behavior reflects his religious beliefs and worldview. Despite the varying opinions of psychologists, it is impossible to logically separate religious belief from human behavior without denying the intrinsic relationship of the thoughts and actions they produce. Ultimately, what a person believes and the assumptions lying behind those beliefs determine, to a large degree, an individual’s behavior.
To fully understand the implications of beliefs upon behavior, it is important to understand that everyone is religious. As defined in the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, religion is “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” This definition applies to every single human being, whether they recognize it or not. When it comes down to it, everyone has faith in some entity, whether it is nature, a god, or themselves. Even Atheists*, who are often portrayed as being faithless, really have just as much faith in their belief that there is no God as those who recognize the existence of a God. While perhaps unintentionally, everyone has developed principles and codes of morality through which they live life. Even though many of these compilations of assumptions are not established through a formal, recognized, or mainstream religion, they are essentially religious in nature.
This compilation of assumptions is also known as a worldview which is, as it implies, how a person views the world. It is through a personal worldview that people attempt to tackle questions concerning morality, their purpose in life, and how they relate to other people. The foundation for this framework of existence is formed upon two major assumptions which create entirely different motivations for behavior. In every person’s worldview, the two foundational items that must be addressed are the nature of man and the nature of God. It is upon these two columns that every single worldview is established.
It has often been said that ideas have consequences. If this is true, it is safe to conclude that beliefs, being the parents of ideas, have consequences as well. These consequences, good or bad, are often manifested through human behavior because they are direct results of the actions taken, or not taken for that matter, to fulfill one’s beliefs. Every time a person makes a decision, they are making a choice based upon what they believe their worldview tells them to be right.
In some instances, people’s actions are not consistent with their beliefs, and there are several reasons for these contradictions. Firstly, people may act differently than what they believe because they, in fact, do not fully know what they believe so naturally their actions do not completely reflect what their belief stipulates. Secondly, people might just not understand the implications of their beliefs. In the Christian faith, many people are apathetic about following Christ because they have not fully grasped who he was and the tremendousness of what he did. Finally, people’s actions might not fit their beliefs because they do not actually believe in their beliefs. Returning back to the Christian faith for sake of example, if a person truly believes in the power of prayer, they are going to pray. These are the reasons that account for the inconsistencies between actions and beliefs.
It cannot be denied how much of an impact religious beliefs, worldviews, and underlying life assumptions have upon behavior. The frame of existence these components create is utilized throughout every decision individuals make, and since these different beliefs produce different actions, it can be concluded that it does in fact matter what a person believes. As stated earlier, beliefs have consequences, both good and bad, and it is essential that individuals start to realize the role beliefs play in shaping actions. It is necessary to carefully examine one’s beliefs since those ideals will be reflected through behavior. For if one’s house is burning to the ground, it is the belief in flame that promises safety, not its denial. The belief in fire makes all the difference.
* As hinted at earlier, Atheists, although they are often anti-faith and anti-religion, make many assumptions that they accept by faith. Atheists must have faith that their doctrine against the existence of God is correct, just as one must have faith in the existence of God since neither can be quantifiably proven. The main assumption Atheists make is that there is no God. While this is the main tenant of their beliefs, there are many implications that follow this idea which also require faith. If they deny the existence of God, they must accept that there are no absolutes because morality shifts with the change in humans, society, and nature. They must accept that life has no meaning because humans are products of chance, not purpose. They also must accept that free will and dignity do not really exist because humans are just programmed to respond to a physical environment, thus leading to the conclusion that our minds and thoughts are not real. While some Atheists, such as B.F Skinner, have arrived at these logical extensions of their assumption, it is safe to say that many have not. If a person denies the existence of God and realizes the implications behind simply being biological machines, there is very little motivation to do anything extraordinary. As Freud suggested, if life has no meaning, then the main purpose of life is to discover happiness and to please oneself. As a result, if humans’ only purpose is to gratify themselves, it should not be surprising or worrisome when people act selfishly. In a true Atheistic worldview, people’s only motive for behavior is to please themselves, so if they do not want to or do not feel like doing a task, there is no reason for them to. These are several of the implications for behavior from an Atheistic perspective.
I think you have made a very good paper hear. I would go to the level that a person's beliefs inevitably shape their behavior. To me, very well thought out and put together.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to briefly and respectly challenge a couple of the ideas in the atheist explanation though :P. Denying the existence of God does not necessarily mean you have to throw the idea of free will out the window. As a matter of fact, denying a god denies a governing factor except for nature. There is always the possibility of choosing how you respond to natural stimuli. People still have their own personality based on their genes, but they decide how they respond to pain to love and whatever. They even still have the choice to believe in God, even though there would not be one. And that's all I got :)
Ok, I'll respectfully counter your reply, can't promise it's going to be brief, though. :P I'll try to unpack that concept a little more. One sentence doesn't really do it justice.
ReplyDeleteSo, if God/other supernatural concepts(i.e angels, demons, heaven, hell, souls, etc.) don't exist, then it is logical to conclude that only the natural world exists. If only the natural world exists, then humans are merely physical machines that react the way their environment tells them to react.(Essentially, behaviorism from psychology) Skinner went so far as to say that our thoughts and minds aren't real, only the brain exists. Thoughts are just chemical synapses firing. This fits with many atheists' logic: if I can't see it, touch it, or cut it open in a lab, it isn't real. With the understanding that the soul and mind are myths, only physical stimuli are responsible for causing our brains to "think" and then respond in action. The logical conclusion of that step is that we don't have free will.
Here's a quote that sums it up nicely: "Concepts like choice and responsibility are meaningless; man does not choose, but rather is dictated to by the world around him. If you find yourself reading this book, you are doing so not because you wanted to but because the humidity is 32%, your body temperature is 98.7 degrees, you had cold pizza for breakfast, your parents spanked you when you were three...and so on. You get the idea." ("The Deadliest Monster")
I believe that is the logical conclusion of believing that the natural world is all that exists. So, from that perspective, the only reason someone would believe in God is because their environment produced that belief. Love wouldn't really exist; just hormones and instincts.
This is really extreme, I realize. :P
Ok, random yet related info about Skinner that I think is interesting: He once gave a lecture about poetry, and he told everyone that you don't write a poem, you "have a poem." Everything you write/do/say is entirely a response to your environment. As he was exiting the podium from this lecture, he concluded, "I have had a lecture."
Anyways, sorry for the length. And that's all I got :)