Why are there so many different beliefs?

I have been accused at times of being shallow when it comes to theological matters with my teens in the hood. I’m sitting at a McDonalds with a couple of my little guys; they are actually twins, doing this blog. A couple sitting next to me, in their late 20’s with a little baby are enjoying McDonalds and the guy quickly comes over to see if I can help him with his Cricket music phone. Obviously there is an issue with his Cricket service and being on Wi-Fi. I show him a few things and he still has issues. So I send him to the Cricket 800 number. I can usually answer most questions about computer stuff or point someone in the right direction.

I had a text from one of my teens that theologically ‘blew me away.’ I get texts from all ages of kids, teens and adults. Some are purely out of necessity, i.e. what are doing, where are we going or will you pick me up. I wasn’t prepared for this text that has caused me to slow down and think. He asked, “Why are there so many different beliefs?” He didn’t write this to trap me or trick me or put down the Gospel but in his own sincere way asked a rather deep question.

I have been thinking about how I can respond. I know that philosophically I can come back and explain how man since the beginning has been asking the question of where did I come from, who am I and what is reality or what is true? I also know that you can go on You Tube and find numerous clips that talk about how Atheism has become a popular belief system, that there isn’t a God and that I am the creator and master of my universe of life.

I was listening to the news yesterday morning before we took our dogs on a special walk and heard that some scientist had discovered the ‘God Particle’ or the Higgs Boson Model that now explains or attempts to explain how matter came into existence and some would say takes us back beyond Genesis 1. I know that this doesn’t answer my teen’s question but want to show how it is one of the more important questions.

What I would rather ask is why does anyone in today’s world believe in anything that is beyond materialism or a totally non-intelligent design model? What I want to tell my teen is the amazing fact that all people have a basic belief sense within them that becomes either a tension, especially for the Atheist, who wants to disprove the existence of God or a scientist who struggles with not having the unifying equation figured out after spending a lifetime in the University Lab. All of us have a conscience that gives us a sense of a moral compass that ultimately comes from our creator or designer – God.

I know that one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, would start off with this moral argument for the existence of God as the path to help someone see that God exists. I also have other friends who quoting Lewis would also look at the argument from design to prove the existence of God. Regardless of what path you walk down to discover God’s existence at some point in your life a crisis or event will happen that helps you see the bigger picture in life, i.e. I’m a speck in comparison to the vastness of the universe. My body, mind, etc… are truly amazing so how can I come into existence by pure chance?

So why are there so many different beliefs? I know that God has given us by his design free will to think through the mysteries of life. These mysteries are addressed in many different religious and philosophical contexts. The question my friend was really raising is it possible for all of these different beliefs in today’s world to all be true? Do they all lead to the same view of life? Do they all affirm the same type of God?

It doesn’t take too long to catalogue all of the different views, practices and impact on the world to see that all of these views aren’t the same and lead to some similar outcomes and some that are opposed to one another.  So why are there so many different views about life? Is it possible for someone who was born in a North Korean Labor Camp to affirm a belief in God when all of his life he has been told God doesn’t exist and is a crutch for those living in the west. Just like attending a university for the first time you can be blown out of the water by a professor who talks over your head and totally dismisses any view of God. Yet, I have a good friend who was helped in a philosophy class and learned how to think and question about the meaning of life, its’ existence and its’ beginning. As his life unraveled with a lot of bad choices it forced him to think that there must be more to life than drugs, sex and loud music. The emptiness that typified his life wasn’t impacted by science’s quest for the unifying equation or philosophical determinism.

I have decided to not answer this question but challenge him to think through his beliefs and how they compare to other individual’s beliefs. Why do I believe this and not that? What are really key beliefs and what are secondary beliefs about God and life? As I ask these questions the whole notion of God comes to the forefront. I don’t have the answer to this timeless question. Yet, I know one who can help us understand both the mystery of life and the beauty of life.