Are You Afraid of Being Unpopular or Disliked for your Beliefs?

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.