Stephen Kaufman, M.D., Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
On Certainty
We have all run across people who are absolutely certain of religious
tenets. We often regard those tenets, we don’t share as unreasonable or even
absurd. How do people come to have certainty about beliefs for which there
is little or no compelling evidence? If we have a sense of certainty about
something, how can we know that this sense of certainty correlates to truth?
Certainty is a psychological state, and human psychology is so complex and
multi-factorial that any explanation for human certainty is likely to be far
from complete. When it comes to certainty about religious tenets, I think a
look at comparative religion is instructive. Throughout human history and
throughout the world, people have gravitated toward religious belief,
indicating that religions address core human needs. For example, religions
generally offer people answers to fundamental existential questions – Where
did I come from? What am I supposed to do with my life? What happens to me
when I die? It seems to me that most people have an intense desire to have
answers to these questions, and in particular they seek answers that give
them a sense of peace, well-being, and confidence about the future.
Consequently, people are attracted to religions that offer such answers. Paradoxically, it seems that people hold with greatest conviction those beliefs for which there is the least empirical evidence. Evidently, strength of belief helps to compensate for lack of knowledge.
I think the thing about which we can be most certain (but not absolutely certain) is that we can’t have certainty. Next week, I will offer empirical evidence and logic to support this conclusion.
Go on to: Can we have
certainty?
Return to:
Reflection on the Lectionary, Table of Contents