Sam Harris has created a simple, but effective template for how to believe in God that he fit easily into six tweets, which are shown below. I’ve added brief commentary to each step.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652543742755344384
Step one is critical because, by default, one’s beliefs are generally motivated by evidence, which is unlikely to lead to a (sustained) belief in God.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652543782076968960
Step two is a rationalization that dampens the cognitive dissonance that often causes one to discard unsupported conclusions.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652543908120002560
Step 3 is a another rationalization designed fight one’s natural urge to demand evidence for a belief by manufacturing “evidence” out of circular, wishful thinking. — Belief in God is evidence of God; I believe in God, therefore I have evidence of God.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652543964277510144
Step 4 is designed to squelch those inevitable doubts the moment they occur. In much the way a bark-detecting shock collar trains a dog to suppress the urge to bark, this step helps train a believer to suppress the natural urge to question and doubt.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652544021353644032
Step 5 creates a euphemism for the act of disabling ones critical, evidence-based reasoning functions. It allows believers to treat as a virtue that which would, in other contexts, could be considered a shortcoming.
https://twitter.com/SamHarrisSays/status/652544053121257476
This final step serves to ensure that no further consideration be given to the question of belief. It creates a dead end for intellectual curiosity and inquiry.
2 comments for “How to believe in God (in 6 easy steps)”