Christians are often accused of having “blind faith” that God exists or that Jesus is God’s son. I assume blind faith to mean belief in something despite evidence to the contrary. It is true that none can come to salvation without a step of faith that no logical argument can mimic. However, this step is nothing that every one of us does not rely on in our everyday life.
I believe that my husband loves me. I believe that my parents kept me alive and fed me because they loved me. I also believe that my car will not explode the next time I fill up at the gas station. We all have similar beliefs. However, there is evidence that I could be wrong on all three counts!!
Perhaps you have heard horror stories wherein a husband or wife lived with a spouse for many years in harmony. Things went along very well, and all who knew them saw a loving couple. Then one spouse died mysteriously. The police discovered that the husband strangled the wife, or that the wife poisoned the husband. The deceased spouse placed their faith in the wrong person. I choose to believe that my husband loves me, and is not merely using me to bear children. I choose not to believe that he will one day kill me for life insurance money, even though there is plenty of evidence that I could be wrong.
My parents fed and clothed me as a child. They kept me safe from dangerous situations and people. Evolutionarily, that was their instinct. I could choose to believe that my parents did not really care about me, but were merely acting exactly as the selfish gene hypothesis says they must. However, I choose to believe instead that they really loved and cared about me, and were not merely protecting their DNA for further spread on the Earth.
Sometimes, when you fill your car up with gas, a spark can be created by the static electricity in your body that will cause the car, pump, and buried tank to explode. The explosion completely destroys anyone near it. Clearly, even though this happens, we all choose to believe it won’t happen to us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the courage to go to the filling station at all.
Do I have any way of proving that my husband or parents loved me? No. No matter what they say or do, they could be acting in their own self-interest to conceal their true feelings toward me. My husband could be trying to preserve his comfortable home and family unit. Maybe he doesn’t want to upset the children, since they are his genetic investment. The same argument could be used against my parents. You cannot prove what thoughts or feelings are in the heart of another person, any more than you can prove that you will beat the odds against your continued survival each day. It’s really true that no man is guaranteed tomorrow.
Do I have evidence that is contrary to my chosen beliefs? I read things in the media that make me think others have been deceived and even killed by loved ones. Also, my loved ones may occasionally do things that are thoughtless or rude. These could be used as evidence against my loved ones. Clearly, many people see a situation as safe, but are putting their trust in the wrong place every day, or there would not be much abuse of children by caregivers and teachers, adultery, relapsing drug abusers and gamblers, debt collection, and so on. Who would willingly place a child in the hands of an abuser? Who would lend money to someone who they knew had no intention of ever paying it back?
I choose to ignore all this. However, those with altered perception, such as unipolars and schizophrenics see every negative remark as a sign of enmity. Some even convince themselves that their spouse or parent is against them, and either run away or become violent. My beliefs are a choice based on my perception and worldview.
Now, let me reemphasize that despite some evidence that I could be wrong, and the fact that I have no proof for my beliefs, I make a conscious choice to believe these things, as we all do each day. Choosing to believe something that you can never really prove is called faith, and we have defined belief despite evidence to the contrary as “blind faith.” If you can believe in such things as love and patriotism, you can believe in God. It’s a choice.
If you can board a plane after 9/11/01, or get in your car and drive it after seeing a horrible car crash, you are exhibiting more faith than is required to believe in God. Those who are in touch with God will tell you that He will never forsake you, but according to statistics there is a certain probability that a plane or car will definitely forsake you at some point.