Note: these ideas are all theories, and are not meant to be taken necessarily as compatible with modern psychological and scientific ideas - I have not had the opportunity to study relevant cases in any depth to ground these theories in any kind of solid scientific foundation - this is all philosophical theory

We do tend to possess beliefs about the mysteries which surround us. We wonder about where we came from and where we will go when we die, about who created the universe, and about why exactly things seem to work the way they do. All of these questions lead us to attempt answers, through one means or another. The bottom line, however, with much of this, is that these questions are unanswerable - there is no way to prove an answer one way or another - so we must take our answers - if we have any - on faith - we must believe in them.
What shapes what we believe? Here are a few things that I believe help us define our beliefs:

• How we are taught, what we are taught, and - most importantly, how much we are taught. Or, one could say "learn" for any of the above
• The ideas that we encounter from others, and the effectiveness with which these beliefs are presented
• How conventional an idea is greatly affects are likelihood of accepting it, one way or another
• Whether or not we are secure within our own beliefs, or insecure and require some kind of external reassurance about our beliefs

Back to the theorizing:
People generally seek a few things that are common to almost all humans: love, friendship, fulfillment in career or hobby, self-respect, among others. Much of our "goals" are psychological ones. We want to be able to feel good about ourselves, feel gratified and pleased by what we have done or how we behave. I believe that this is a very powerful force in human thought and human belief. The need to feel that one is "right" is very powerful indeed. We argue over minor points, such as who was in what film or who stole the most bases in such-and-such year or how many feet make up a mile and so on - all simply out of a desire to be correct, to feel good - that we knew the right answer. This extends to larger questions, as well.

Fundamentally, I think we all need to feel good about who we are... this leads us, often, to following moral beliefs that support behaviours which we can be pleased with, or proud of. Someone might derive personal satisfaction from always telling the truth, knowing that they are adhering to their own moral doctrine, their own notion of "doing what is right," in telling the truth. There are many other examples. The main point here is that no one follows a set of morals the following of which would make them feel miserable. Many people cannot adhere to their own moral standard, but they still try. From this, they derive a deep satisfaction. Again, it is what I can only describe as knowing that they are "right."

The main problem with this is that clearly we do not all share the same moral beliefs - I am using morals here as an example, for illustrative purposes - in fact, we often differ. Some people think abortion is murder, some people think it is not; some believe the death penalty is wrong, others believe it is right (these are pretty basic examples, but I think I am making my point). How do we know - or, rather, why do we believe - that we are right about these things - whichever side we find ourselves on, when clearly there are others who "know" or believe just as certainly the exact opposite is right?

My answer here is that we believe things because we want to. I don't believe that anyone really wants to use this as a basis for their own beliefs, however. People always seem to have "the facts" on their side, to back up their beliefs. Rarely will someone say "I believe in X because the idea appeals to me."

In fact, I think that is exactly why people choose beliefs, and why they sometimes defend their beliefs with such passion. A christian might say that he believes in god because of the indisputable proof of the bible, because to him perhaps it is obvious that god exists, while an atheist might say that he believes in no god because there is obviously no evidence for such a god. Neither can be proven correct. However, many of each sort will absolutely insist that their version of things is the correct one. That their belief in fact represents truth. I disagree that this is possible (with a twist - keep reading). There is no way to prove either belief to be truth - and it seems to me that as much as the atheist seems to suspend rational judgement in insisting that there is no way that any kind of god exists, the christian is flying equally in the face of rationality by insisting that the clear evidence of god's existence is lying around where anyone can see it. The point here is not that god does or doesn't exist, it's that the atheist believes in no god because the atheist is comfortable with that belief, and is pleased by it, and that the christian believes in god for the same reasons.

People will choose to believe the things that will make them feel good about themselves. They will believe the things that make them feel inner peace, or enlightenment, or spiritual harmony, or whatever they care to term it. The actualy beliefs are irrelevant - there are a lot of different people on this world, and no one can expect everyone to have the same "belief" needs as everyone else. Just as people like different sorts of people, they like different sorts of beliefs. People will tend to beleive in - have faith in - the ideas that they are comfortable, peaceful, and fulfilled with. It is necessary for many people to have the support of others - people whose beliefs are similiar - in order to be at peace within themselves. I believe that people often group themselves around common beliefs because they gain safety, support, validation, and strength from such groupings. Similiar beliefs allow them to interact together easily, without threatening one another's selfhood. In this way, the need to feel "right" causes us to seek out others with similiar beliefs - others who are "right." This strengthens us and helps us feel better about ourselves.

Above, I said that I thought it was flatly inpossible for any one belief to be the truth. There are so many beliefs, and so many differ on various points. However, there is one way in which all of these beliefs can infact be true, and all at the same time. There is no universal truth - there is an equally real, equally valid truth for every human being. The christian who believes he will go to heaven when he dies will certainly do so, just as the believer in reincarnation who thinks he will come back as another person will do so. The truth of one belief need not invalidate the others and render them untrue. It merely means that there are many different truths, and we all have the power to choose which ones we wish to believe in.

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