Faith can be powerful. It can also be an enemy of truth.
A Facebook friend shared a rather well-done post. The author started with someone’s moral belief based on an old-testament Biblical passage. The author then went through a number of other old-testament Biblical passages and questioned whether they should be enforced. It was rather humorous. Most of society has moved on.
However, let’s not be too hard on those who choose to believe. Illusions can make us happier. I find many people of faith have a more positive outlook and are happier. They are not interested in learning what I consider to be truth.
I don’t remember the subject. I was talking with a woman, and she made a comment that I thought could easily be disproven. She said, “I just have to have faith.” She helped me realize the power of faith. It helps us keep on keeping on, despite appearances. Often what seems to be truth is illusion.
We live in a world of illusion. Can you believe what you see? How do you know you are not hallucinating? Your brain creates illusions. Let me give you an example.
When I was a child, my eyes were tested at school. There was a machine that I looked into. There was a place for left and right eyes. The scene was an apple tree with a picnic table under it. The apple tree had a red light that was the apple. I was asked if the apple fell on the picnic table. It did not. The test was repeated several times. During one test I closed one eye. The apple tree was in the left eye, and the picnic table was in the right. My brain was not putting the two images together.
Because of that, I did not have three-dimensional (3-D) vision. That made it more difficult for me to catch a ball and other activities that are based on depth perception.
What was the truth? What I saw was the truth. The picnic table was not under the apple tree. However, I was not benefitting from the truth. I would benefit from the illusion.
Those who saw the apple fall on the picnic table saw an illusion. They had less difficulty in life. They had faith in the illusion. They had no reason to question it. I knew it was wrong. I suffered because I did not have the illusion.
Around 30 years later, I wanted to see x-rays in 3-D. One of my mentors used a stereopticon. The stereopticon was made by mounting mirrors at 90 degrees to each other and placing them between two view boxes. Two x-rays were taken with the x-ray tube positioned to the left for one film and to the right for the other. The separation created a distortion similar to the separation of our eyes. The films were then placed in the view boxes. The mirrors were positioned so that I placed my nose where they came together, and my right eye saw the right film and my left eye saw the left film. Eventually, I saw the illusion.
I’ll never forget walking home and realizing I was seeing 3-D. I was at the top of a hill and looking down on the city of Bellingham. I realized I was seeing depth. It was amazing. I was benefiting from the illusion.
Few people really study the Bible. Few look for contradictions. Few look for truth. Most find the illusion that they are prepared to see.
If you are benefiting from your faith, good for you. However, if you attempt to force your ideas on others, expect resistance. Does your illusion protect individual rights? Does your illusion harm others or protect them?
Although ignorance is bliss and truth may set you free, I enjoy knowing the truth - all is illusion. I like to think of it like watching a magician. What a great trick!!