Author, Adam.
Published, January 12, 2010.

Belief is not a simple matter. They come in all shapes and sizes. We believe in a whole raft of things, seen and unseen. Some are dictated from our particular up-bringing. Others are formed through popular opinion. Some derive through faith. Others derive from scientific rationalism. How much choice, however, do we have when it comes to what we believe? Do our attitudes - ones we presumably have control over - dictate to some degree what we end up believing?

In terms of the choice we have over beliefs, it is helpful to view this from two extreme angles: Either we have no freedom of what we come to believe, or we have total freedom of what we believe. In reality, perhaps it is neither of these two extremes. As already mentioned, our beliefs are mixed and varied. Yet, there are certain worldviews that take fairly radical points of view. For instance, the life philosophy of existentialism deems that we are born radically free. We have the freedom to choose our beliefs, to choose how we live and the decisions we make rest on no prior wisdom. This, as Sartre says, brings anguish to the individual because we utterly free to make our own way in life. “Existence” asserts Sartre “precedes essence”, which is to say that there is no prior meaning to our lives. All meaning that we have, we either adopt or create. On the other hand, Calvinism stipulates that God is totally sovereign over everything. Everything, in its extreme form, is pre-ordained down to the most minute detail. The consequence is that we are left with no individual freedom of what we believe. God, in his ultimate plan, grants grace to the individual he chooses to accept his offer of salvation.

Yet, in both extreme cases of either radical freedom or radical predestination, we need to remember that both are worldviews in themselves. At this point, a bottomless pit presents itself when the next question to be asked is ‘do we choose our worldview?’.

Let’s presume that we do not choose our worldview. In that case, our attitude towards whether or not we have freedom of belief is prescribed by whichever worldview we hold. On the other hand, if we have choice over our worldview then our particular beliefs must somehow determine our worldview. For example, if we have a particular religious worldview that is based upon some form of divine revelation that simultaneously incorporates scientific rationalism, what happens when the science contradicts the religious belief? Do we change our worldview? Or does our worldview remain the same - either it was always based on a presupposed inerrant divine authority, or it was always going to be convinced by scientific rationalism.

It seems like these questions cannot be easily answered. Yet there are interesting consequences for both extreme views. If, for example, we inherent our worldview and, in turn, our worldview dictates what we believe, then who can be responsible for what they believe? Or, on the other hand, if we choose what we believe, what informs our attitude towards our choice of belief?

Perhaps it is necessary to be more specific when talking about beliefs. I guess it may come down to what we end up being a case of what we choose to be non-negotiable. What are your thoughts?