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| Do you feel safer being one of the crowd? Philip Jackson Sculpture at Chichester Cathedral, Photo Janet Cameron |
Belief
is a matter of personal choice, but "not believing" can be
a difficult admission in our society. So, are you afraid to own up to holding an alternative or unpopular viewpoint?
In
Neuro Linguistic Programming, beliefs are fostered according to how
"useful" they are to you. In Introducing
NLPby
Joseph O'Connor and John Seymour, the point is stressed that our
beliefs strongly affect our behaviour, for they are our guiding
principles. "...the inner maps we use to make sense of the
world."
The
Pygmalion Effect
The
authors explain that what we believe sometimes makes our beliefs come
true. "High expectations, (providing they are realistic) build
confidence. Low expectations instil incompetence." Not many
people would want to argue with this. On the contrary, we understand
that in believing we subsequently behave as though our belief is
true, thereby attracting its reinforcement. This self-fulfilling
prophesy is known as the "Pygmalion effect." Therefore, it
follows that a good way of succeeding in anything is to pretend that
you can. Belief, therefore, becomes a matter of choice. "If you find
it useful, then believe in it" seems to be the accepted course of action. Dangerous? Probably.
A Soft Option?
But if it works, then why not? It's useful psychology when the outcome
matches the belief. But is it a soft option when we try to convince
ourselves of religious beliefs that defy reason and that mislead us?
Or worse, maintain a pretence of belief in something we secretly
deny. In this case, there will be no Pygmalion effect, because a
false belief will remain a false belief.
If
a person decides it is useful to maintain religious belief, then they
may strive to convince themselves of this belief. If they cannot,
they may pretend to be religious in order not to upset the status
quo. RichardDawkins in The
God Delusion remarks
that "...the bafflingly large number of intellectuals believe in
belief even though they lack religious belief themselves."
Dawkins remarks on how zealous these people can become, insisting
they cannot share a person's faith although they have deep respect
and sympathy for it.
One
of the main reasons proposed for maintaining religious belief is that
people actually need it. They need it for reassurance when they are
in trouble. They need it to comfort themselves when they are
bereaved. It is a means of getting through the problems in life. In a
vulnerable emotional state, what can be more comforting than the idea
of a loving, heavenly father who hears and sees everything and
empathises with each and every one of the creatures in his infinite
and eternal universe?
The trouble is, then you are not taking responsibility for yourself.
Why
is Religion a Special Case?
In
his Sceptical
Essay, "Freedom
versus Authority in Education," Bertrand Russell asserts that
the majority of eminent intellectuals disbelieve in Christian
Religion. However, they are afraid to voice their beliefs and
possibly lose their status and income. "Thus, on the most
important of all subjects, most of the men whose opinions and
arguments would be best worth having, are condemned to silence."
Richard
Dawkins says that while he won't go out of his way to hurt or offend
anyone, neither will he accord any more respect for religion than he
would for anything else. He claims to be mystified by "... the
disporportionate privileging of religion in our otherwise secular
society. All politicians must get used to disrespectful cartoons of
their faces, and nobody riots in their defence.
"What
is so special about religion that we grant it such uniquely
privileged respect?"
Sources:
-
O'Connor, J. & Seymour, J. Introducing NLP, (1990) Harper Element.
-
Russell, B. "Freedom Versus Authority in Education," Sceptical Essays, (2004) Routledge.
-
Dawkins, R. The God Delusion, (2006) Black Swan.
