Belief, a dialogue

287 0

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Some say that belief is the easiest thing in the world. 

It’s an easy switch to make in your head.  Since our youngest age, we have always been expected to believe many things, from the practical, to the downright fantastical.  We have been trained to expect so many things in our life, and to take them for granted.

Sure, we never believed the fairy tales, or at least, eventually we knew them to be fiction.  But the ideas remained, the morals of the stories — good versus evil, kings and queens against dragons and witches, love over hate. So yes, we might not have believed in the fairies, but we believed in the power of the narrative, we kept listening, kept learning.

And that has primed us for a lifetime of being able to believe.  To look around and wonder, and then to contemplate, and eventually to accept.

And then there’s the everyday, common, mundane kind of belief.  We just trust that some things are an established part of everyday life, and we trust that they will always be, barring some catastrophic event that is totally out of the ordinary.

For example, we believe that the government will continue to govern, in some form or another.  We might think that they aren’t doing a good job, but that’s beside the point.  We still believe in the general concept of “government” as a ruling body that is there for some semblance of order in our community, in our world.

So yes, belief is the easiest thing in the world.

Some say that belief is the hardest thing in the world.

It’s a matter of what it would take to convince a person otherwise.  To convince a person to change their way of thinking from one direction to another.  And this is difficult because of that thing called willpower.  Self-control.  Independent thought.

Change is difficult.  It’s inevitable, that’s true, but it’s just so hard sometimes.  And some people put off change as much as they can, so that they can put off the discomfort for as long as they can.

Belief also implies trust, and that is not the easiest thing in the world to give.  Trust demands a giving over of one’s self, or some part of it at least.  It means letting go.  And to some people, that equates to giving up.

As human beings, we have been primed for self-preservation.  We have been trained to pursue whatever is best for us, whatever is most beneficial.  And that means our first instinct is to reject things that would appear to get us out of our comfort zone.  It just seems to make the most sense is all.

So yes, belief is the hardest thing in the world.

Some say that belief is only for the simplest of minds.

When we say simple here, we mean a mind that is not so calculating.  A mind that takes things at face value.  Maybe not so reflective, but also not so emotive either.  Freewheeling.  Carefree.

However, the simplest of minds are also often the strongest.  They usually see the world in black and white.  They can usually make the fastest decisions, all just based on “gut feel”.

So yes, belief can only be for those with the simplest of minds.

Some say that belief is only for the most complex of minds.

Complex minds are capable of making connections between ideas and things, and coming up with conclusions based on their own nuanced perceptions.  Complex minds seek out new knowledge all day, every day; they appreciate hard evidence and solid proof, and they use all of this in their daily interactions.

They can ruminate for a long time, poring over every detail before they make a final decision, or even just the initial declarative statement.  But when they do reach an internal concensus, that opinion is guaranteed iron clad in its arguments, and all it’s supporting clauses.

So yes, believe can only be for those with complex minds.


When we are talking about belief, in the aspect of faith (i.e. belief in Jesus), all the arguments above are applicable.  Together, they are all true, making up a statement about belief that honours God in all His mysterious and singular ways.

In order to believe in God, you have to have a simple mind (strong, unbreakable, able to make swift decisions) that is complex in its thinking (contemplative, inquisitive, always hungry for more wisdom).

Belief in God is easy, you just have to know who Jesus is (Son of God, lived among us two thousand years ago, love personified), and then you accept that Jesus in your heart.

That then gets you to the hard part, where you take that acceptance, that knowledge of love, and make it manifest in your own life.  If you don’t go through this hard part, then you didn’t really believe in the first place; go back to step one.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

What could be simpler, than saying those words?  And then again, what could be harder?