It is wise to honor your upbringing: A call for religious tolerance
Finding common spiritual ground for people of all faiths and walks of life is no small task. Belief systems are powerful things that exist on a subconscious level. They influence every area of our lives in ways we are only beginning to fully understand. At the very least, we know belief systems shape how we perceive the world, how we think and how we behave. When something conflicts with a human belief, we experience what is known as “cognitive dissonance” and it is at least uncomfortable.
As humans, upon examination, we find that most of our beliefs don’t even come from us. We had very little choice in the matter because they come from our parents, our teachers, or our society. Belief systems are passed down from one generation to the next and they are usually unexamined, which can be dangerous. Science shows us that a child, up until about the age of 7, experiences a unique brainwave state that enables him or her to essentially download belief systems that he or she will carry throughout life.
After the age of 7, when evidence for something surfaces that contradicts a belief, the mind tries to filter it out. To minimize dissonance, humans also tend to seek out only information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs. In psychology, they call this “confirmation bias.” However, confirmation bias is merely one of many dozens of biases the human mind is prone to when it comes to making decisions and perceiving reality (See Below). Because of all these inclinations towards bias, scientists and scientific studies are held to rigorous standards to ensure these mental mechanisms do not contaminate the results of their findings. Their findings, furthermore, are held through a process of peer review to find any holes or errors.
In any case, when it comes to belief systems, there’s no mistaking it: Humans believe what they want to, and will go to great lengths in the name of the “Truth” or what they believe to be the “Truth.” Beliefs and religions have been used throughout humankind’s history to cause more war, horror, suffering and atrocity than anything else. Even today, belief systems create innumerable divisions that separate not only entire nations but also entire societies and groups within groups and families.
We at MindBodySpiritMastery.com understand the power of belief systems. Furthermore, we are NOT seeking to change anyone’s beliefs or encouraging anyone to venture beyond the comforts of their religious upbringing. In fact, we encourage people to honor their upbringing and to stick with their religion for guidance and support. Trust us when we say, it’s never fun being the outcast for believing something or being subject to ridicule and persecution because our beliefs are different than other people’s beliefs.
Having said that, many of the concepts we explore and utilize are NOT for everyone. For those who are interested, however, we aim to provide a common spiritual platform that welcomes all regardless of their beliefs and strictly focuses on what can be verified by all and what can be beneficial to the Mind, Body and Spirit of all. We believe, the Truth should always stand up to common sense, reason and logic and should always be something verifiable. Lies and secrets tend to thrive in the dark. So we aim to bring in the light of compassion and understanding and put great emphasis on these things while also honoring the value of all the various spiritual paths of the world. Instead of focusing on differences, we focus on the similarities.
Blinded by biases
Overall, scientists have identified more than 90 decision-making, behavioral and belief biases, in addition to several dozen other memory errors and social biases!
