THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF QUESTIONING BELIEF

Belief is a very strong thing. It is ingrained more in you and is more convincing than anything you think or imagine. A thought or image in your head cannot compare in psychological power to a belief. Beliefs are there all the time underneath it all while thoughts and affirmations only last as long as you engage in them.
 
Beliefs are hard to change which is why you have to decide to let them be challenged and put yourself in situations that may show if they are really as helpful or true as you think. A person or situation that is showing you the belief you love is untrue and bad will not be able to get through to you unless you let the guard down. You have to stop finding ways to hold on to beliefs regardless of the evidence.

Some people are found to stick by cherished beliefs no matter how many refutations and evidences are given to them that the beliefs are false. Religion is top of the list for that. It leads to critics giving up or not trying in the first place for they think they cannot help anybody change or discard these beliefs. If a religion is seen to have a stubborn attachment to its doctrines, worship and faith that will invite fear or persecution from secularists and activists and even religions that are opposed to it. All will see it as a prison and an obstacle to human flourishing. Each religion will fear the stubbornness of the other for it takes one to know one. Another fear is that if religion makes you obstinate then other entities such as political parties will try to get you to extend that attitude to them as well!


PROCEDURE
 
Question what you believe for it may be doing you damage and keeping you away from the truth.
 
Not caring about the truth means you are risking yourself and robbing yourself for you cannot know if you could be better and do better.
 
Ask whose authority says x is true.
Ask if you really believe them or believe you believe them. There is a huge difference.
Ask if you have thought about if they really believe what they say they believe?
Ask if you believe because you think they believe and that is why you take them seriously.

Ask why you believe them.

 
Ask if you still believe them or believe as much.

 
Ask what they get out of believing.

 
Ask what you get out of it.


Ask if it was ever true.

 
Ask what reasons or evidences there is for believing.
 
Ask what reasons or evidences there are for NOT believing.

 
Ask what would happen and what changes would result if you were to drop the belief or learn that it is not true?

 
Ask what evidence you need to scrap or fix the belief?

 
Ask why it is better for you to have the truth even if you do not like it.
 
Question All Things

You might see yourself as never changing your mind. Don’t. See yourself as letting your mind change you. See others as inviting you to do that and you will find you will listen to them better.

Doubting presupposes that obtaining truth is possible or should be possible.

Beliefs often prevent you from seeing the truth. Sometimes they help you see the truth clearer. Beliefs are inspired by how you see the evidence. They are not the truth but attempts to see the truth. That is what they are for. That is why belief must always be open to revision and welcome the opportunity to be proven wrong or unbelievable.

We all experience conditioning. This is when we think we are behind our acceptance of our ideas and feelings and behaviours but have in fact been programmed. To heal this conditioning and to be ourselves we must open our minds. Be open-minded and your creative freedom will envelope you and radiate into all the corners of your life. Do not write off any suggestion, especially one that you make to yourself, as foolish or silly. Do not call it foolish or silly. Simply choose to think about it. That will increase your sense of freedom. It is affirming to yourself that you are worthy of an amazing existence.

Question all things. Truth is not afraid of questions but welcomes them. If you have doubts, find an answer, but doubt, even deliberate doubt is not wrong or bad. Without doubting you cannot see the truth for what it is. Doubt is always an act of sincerity. You cannot insincerely doubt anything. Beware of the attitude that you mustn't have your doubts. That attitude seeks to stop you seeing if you are wrong.

It may be dangerous to doubt that the doctor is treating you properly. But it is not wilfully dangerous. If you have doubts they are not your fault unless you fail to do something to resolve them.

Even when you follow the teaching authority of another you really follow yourself. You judge that they may know best or that you are better to listen to them for you don’t have the time or expertise to check out what they say. Because you decide for yourself, you must outgrow authority. Question all you have been told in important matters and search for the truth.

Don't fear your power to doubt for you can be confident in yourself that you can find truth.

Doubt, when unintended, intends to be your friend. Let it be. It is only like a question. You must have the confidence to let it ask. You must have the confidence to try to find an answer. You have to let it be right if it is right.
 
Respect your bullshit detector.