Growth comes from discovering new facts and insights. Challenging backward, outdated worldviews is crucial for both intellectual and spiritual growth. Let’s explore how we can guide others toward progress and make a brighter world together.
Tradition means passing down beliefs and customs to preserve identity and give life meaning. Beliefs are ideas or thoughts that a person accepts as true, often without any proof.
The term “traditional beliefs and faith” refers to the doctrines of Western religion, or the Abrahamic religions. This tree has three main branches: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This article will explore how these religions explain and justify their doctrines. We will focus on how they handle the issue of evil. We can learn a great deal from investigating these systems because they are the building blocks of these religions.
Exploring the Problem of Evil and Spirituality
People have been questioning traditional beliefs and faith for years. One of the most frequently asked questions is, “Why is there evil in the world?” Different religions offer different answers, but they all attempt to explain why bad things happen and what we should do about them.
Spirituality is connected to evil. They overlap with concepts about suffering, morality, meaning, and transformation. We recognize that evil manifests in selfish, cruel, and violent actions. Questions about spirituality lead to the reasons behind our choices that cause these outcomes.
Whether we view evil as a force, a choice, or a misunderstanding, we must confront it. Most spiritual paths teach people to confront evil, not just in the world, but also within themselves. They say we all have choices, and choosing kindness, honesty, and love helps us grow spiritually.
Evil is what we strive to overcome to become better, wiser, and more peaceful. So, in many ways, evil challenges us to grow spiritually. It shows us the difference between right and wrong and pushes us to live with more awareness, compassion, and courage. Without evil, we might never think about what is truly good.
Challenging backward, outdated worldviews will expose these moral dilemmas. It helps separate evil and spirituality from religious myths and superstitions.
- Eastern and Western philosophies differ in their perspectives on the concept of evil. In Eastern thought, Hinduism explains evil through the concept of karma. Karma means that every action has a result, cause, and effect.
- Buddhism suggests that suffering and evil arise from attachment to things, anger, and a lack of understanding of life.
- Taoism teaches that evil occurs when people live out of balance with nature and the flow of life, known as the Tao.
- In Western thought, the focus revolves around the belief in God. Zoroastrianism is the root of Western thought. In this religion, a battle between good and evil is a central theme. The good god, Ahura Mazda, fights against the evil spirit, Angra Mainyu.
- In Christianity, evil began when the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. They made a wrong choice, and that brought sin and suffering into the world.
- Islam teaches that life is a test from God (Allah). Evil and hard times are part of that test. They help show who will stay faithful and kind, even when things are hard. Islam also says a being called Iblis (like Satan) tries to lead people away from God, but everyone still has the choice to do good.
- Judaism teaches that evil originates within us. People have two sides: one that wants to do good and one that wants to do evil. It is our job to choose the good side.
Even though these religions have different answers, they all agree on one thing: we each have a part to play. We can choose to do good, even when things are hard. And that choice makes all the difference. Exploring the problem of evil and spirituality can guide us to an informed decision about our beliefs.
It leads us to the question of what worldviews are healthy and which are unhealthy. Is outgrowing old beliefs possible when they are so deeply entrenched in a culture? Let’s examine some flawed worldviews. These paradigms (or ideologies) are based on inaccurate data, bias, and prejudice. Are you beginning to see how evil and spirituality are linked through religion?
Challenging Backward, Outdated Worldviews
Let’s examine some examples of outdated and flawed worldviews.
1. Theism and Deism. The belief in God tops the list of backward ideologies. They use mitigated dualism to justify the belief in an imaginary friend. This inconsistent ideological viewpoint tops our list.
2. Creationism. Some people still believe in the biblical story of creation. They likewise reject the scientific theory of evolution.
3. Racism. The belief that one race is superior to another race. This assertion has been proven to be false. Yet, some still hold onto this destructive and divisive worldview.
4. Climate Change. Despite the scientific evidence, some people still deny it. They want the problem to go away. Since they don’t understand the science behind it, they reject it. They can’t believe that climate change is occurring or that humans are contributing to it.
5. The Flat-Earth worldview. The Earth is not flat. Science has proven the Earth is a sphere. Although less prominent than theism, the Flat Earth theory remains a significant obstacle to society.
6. Young Earth Theory. While we are the subject of the Earth, we should not forget those who believe it is only a few thousand years old. Scientific evidence has widely disproven this; yet some individuals and religious groups still hold on to it.
7. Women are the inferior gender. The belief that women are subordinate to the male gender is a backward worldview. Believing women should be relegated to the kitchen or domestic duties is a thing of the past. This kind of thinking is outdated and detrimental to society as a whole.
8. Interracial relationships are wrong. The belief that people of different races shouldn’t be together is a form of bigotry. It is the cornerstone of racism. People of all races should be free to love and be loved by whomever they choose, regardless of skin color.
9. Homophobia. The belief that being homosexual or bisexual is immoral has been debunked numerous times. However, there are still individuals and groups who hold onto the idea that it is abnormal or sinful. These beliefs are borne out of the opinion that non-heterosexual orientations are deviant. It has been debunked and disproven countless times, yet it persists in many parts of the world. Sexual orientation is a natural part of who we are and should be respected and accepted by all.
10. Anti-Science and Anti-Vaccination. Some deny the evidence of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Some still refuse to vaccinate children, which places them at risk. We are seeing the recurrence of previously eradicated viruses. They are a health risk to everyone. They prefer to believe conspiracy theories spun by talk shows and greedy celebrities rather than those based on science.
Challenging backward, outdated worldviews is necessary to maintain a healthy society. Unfortunately, there are countless others. As we move into a more interconnected and progressive world, we must acknowledge the past and let go of views that no longer serve us. With this overview of unhealthy worldviews, let’s look at the reasoning used to justify them. For this, we will utilize the most popular belief systems, specifically the Abrahamic tree.
Outgrowing Old Beliefs
To outgrow beliefs means you no longer see them as true or helpful because you’ve gained new knowledge and understanding. You realize that something you once believed no longer fits who you are or how you see the world. You have to be willing to question what you’ve been taught, even if it feels uncomfortable. It means examining your beliefs with fresh eyes, questioning whether they still hold true, and remaining open to new ideas. It also takes time because changing how you think about life, truth, or yourself doesn’t happen all at once.
Outgrowing old beliefs takes curiosity, freedom of thought, and courage. We’ll show how this applies to the Abrahamic tree of religions.
Creating Traditional Beliefs and Faith
The Abrahamic religions are a combination of the mystery religions. These are the cults from ancient Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Persia. Here is where Western theology derives its doctrines, including concepts such as God, good, and evil.
The universal religion of Christianity was established to tap into the financial resources of these cults. These older religions had loyal followers who provided ongoing offerings. By keeping them intact and rebranding them, they maintained this base of income. This solution was more cost-effective than maintaining a Roman army in these regions. People brought in money and were willing to produce. This was far cheaper than maintaining an army over such a large region.
Yet, combining all these religions created several inconsistencies and contradictions. One of the major issues was how to explain the existence of evil. How do they do it? They employ several tactics that we’ll discuss next.
Apologetics, Circular Reasoning, and Denial
Apologetics explains and defends religious beliefs. It’s a roadblock to questioning traditional beliefs. One tool it uses is circular reasoning. Circular reasoning is when an argument’s conclusion is the same as its proof. An example is “It’s true because it says it’s true. “Denial is another common defense mechanism. It is pretending something isn’t there, so you don’t have to deal with it.
When someone in a place of authority tells you they have the knowledge, ability, and power to do something, it is reasonable to believe them. But, when they can’t or don’t make it right and can’t fix the problems with it, you doubt they are telling you the truth. That’s what happens when you have a God who is supposed to be all-powerful and loving but fails to deliver on either of these promises. Who is this being called God? What is he or she like? Let’s look at the attributes of God in the Abrahamic traditions.
Attributes of a Supreme Being
Time to review the seven essential attributes of a Supreme Being in Western theology:
- Eternal Existence. No beginning and no end; existence is outside the confines of time.
- Self-Existence. Self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and independent of any other cause.
- Omnipotence. Possessing unlimited power and authority, having no equal.
- Omnipresence. Being present everywhere simultaneously and continuously.
- Omniscience. The quality or state of complete universal knowledge of all things and events.
- Immutability. The state or quality of being unchangeable, unalterable, or invariable.
- Perfect. The state of being complete without defect or fault. It is a condition of excellence and faultlessness that can create no disharmony or imperfection.
Questioning Traditional Beliefs and Faith in Mitigated Dualism
Dualism is the concept of two opposites that balance each other, such as day and night, or yin and yang. But this is not the situation with the Abrahamic traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Abrahamic tree uses mitigated dualism, in which one of the two forces is greater than the other, yet they still need each other to exist. This is the situation with good and evil.
Exploring the problem of evil and its relationship to spirituality in Western theology is inevitable. If you want to remain a believer, you cannot question the answers given. It starts with overlooking the problems of mitigated dualism. The Abrahamic religions haave two major deities: the good one, known as God, and the bad one, called the Devil. What?
Yes, the Devil is a secondary God. He has many of the powers of the primary God. These include omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence, eternal existence, and near omnipotence. How is this possible?
The devil is portrayed as having the ability to read our thoughts. He understands how to manipulate our desires and weaknesses, as well as predict future actions.
Some believe Satan can predict the future so well that he sets traps perfectly timed for when someone is weak or vulnerable. The Church uses this to explain the various figures who lived before Jesus in the New Testament. All of these avatars mirror the life of Jesus from his virgin birth to his crucifixion and resurrection. So, theologians say these were the preconceived forgeries of the Devil. Oops. That means the Devil is omniscient. Additionally, Satan is often blamed for evil happening all over the world at the same time, as if he is everywhere at once.
The Devil could not be killed or converted by God; thus, he is self-existent and eternal like the primary God. Satan is often described as ruling hell for all eternity, punishing souls endlessly, suggesting he never dies or fades.
Let’s begin challenging backward, outdated worldviews. Here are some essential questions.
Why would an all-knowing Supreme Being create an adversary in the first place? The decision to create an evil adversary undermines the principle of being perfect. God should have known what was going to happen. If the Supreme Being created the lesser God, knowing it would rebel, he could have corrected it. Why did he not forgive, save, or convince the lesser God to repent and return? These are questions children ask, and they convince Sunday School teachers to begin outgrowing old beliefs.
How do you reconcile the coexistence of two gods? You have a god with the attributes of omniscience and omnipresence, which should make them all-powerful. Yet we also have an evil adversary with equally, or nearly equal, god-like qualities. Why doesn’t the Good God defeat or convert the lesser God?
Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? ― Epicurus
Learning to live with the problem of evil and spirituality is challenging. It brings all these kinds of issues to the surface. This dilemma poses a significant challenge for the average follower. Why would God, who can see the future, create such an opponent? Why would a God who is all-powerful fail to deal with the Devil?
And, if God can’t fix this obvious problem, what about all the other things he’s supposed to do? What about that afterlife he promised? Exploring the problem of evil exposes the inconsistency of the ancient mystery religions.
How Does the Abrahamic Religion Handle These Issues?
Questioning traditional beliefs and faith is forbidden. One way they address these issues is by discouraging doubts about religious authority. They say faith means believing without question. Doubt is weakness, disobedience, or sin. Followers learn that sacred texts or leaders have absolute truth. Personal doubts may feel dangerous or disrespectful. It creates pressure to accept beliefs as they are, rather than to explore or challenge them. Arguments about evil and spirituality are not meant to be questioned.
You aren’t smart enough to understand. A common argument in Western theology is that ordinary people can’t grasp God’s reasoning. Only the clergy, selected by God, understand it, even though they cannot articulate it. They can’t explain it because the reasons are illogical and don’t make sense. Or, simply put, we can’t explain it, so you are too stupid to understand. So I won’t try to explain.
Using circular logic. The above excuse is a good example of circular logic. Circular reasoning is not logical at all. The general form of circular logic is “A is true because A is true” or “A is true because B is true, and B is true because A is true.” Religion uses this tactic to prevent an assertion from being challenged or questioned. An example of this argument is, “The Bible is the word of God because God says so in the Bible. Therefore, God must exist because the Bible, which is His word, says He does.”
Evil as an agent for God. Another popular argument is that evil beings exist to execute the Supreme Being’s judgment. God’s judgment is a “tough love” process. But the Supreme Being doesn’t want to do all the dirty work. So, it delegates the authority to the evil entity, thus keeping his hands morally free of evil deeds. In this way, they can portray the Supreme Being as a loving God because they attribute the evil deeds to someone else. They delegate the bad stuff.
When God gives the power to execute judgment, he delegates authority to the Devil. The concept of delegation undermines the assertion that “God is love.” Hiring an agent to perpetrate evil acts on your behalf is a conspiracy to commit a crime. Therefore, the belief system establishes an endless list of potential violations. It ensures that we will be held accountable for something, even if we are unaware that we have violated the law.
Misuse of free will. Here, evil is your fault. It comes from a misuse of free will. That means God gives us free will but also makes us imperfect, so we are prone to making mistakes in judgment. So then, he punishes you if you don’t make the right decision.
Why doesn’t the omniscient Being prevent this from happening since he knows the future? God sets up a game we cannot win and punishes us when we fail because we cannot know God’s mind.
How Evil Creates An Opportunity
You might think that all these inconsistencies would make it difficult to sell these religions, but you’d be wrong. The creation of evil and the concept of the Devil created a theological opportunity. The antidote for the Devil was to become a protected believer. You do this by supporting the religious construct.
Backward, outdated worldviews are a trap. When you buy into this construct, you are taught that any other beliefs are evil and of the Devil. You fear going outside the designated paradigm. This way, you won’t encounter any ideas that threaten your core beliefs. It keeps you a paying customer for life.
More importantly, it mandates the believer to provide financial support. At the same time, it allows them to dictate values and personal rights. This control includes arranged marriages and the number of children you may have. And this control reaches into the culture itself. Thus, creating a self-policing practice helps maintain control at the least cost.
The concept of evil creates an excellent opportunity for financial gain. First, you create a problem. Then, you provide the solution to that problem at a substantial cost. Now, you are the only place to get the antidote for the issue you created. You have a 100% market share.
Another rabbit trail is the concept of original sin. If we are all born evil, we must get absolution via whatever means are set by those who created the theology. By the way, this is another example of circular logic. The solution is payment for atonement, which includes indulgences and other money-making mechanisms.
These are income-generating mechanisms that play upon the fear of the unknown. It’s an exchange for money that entitles you to the rewards of the Afterlife. You see, God loves, and there is eternal life in heaven for those who believe. But, just in case you decide not to become an acolyte, there is also a Hell to suffer torture for eternity. It is a classic example of the carrot-and-stick approach. You get the carrot if you believe and pay your way. Otherwise, you get the eternal “stick.”
Eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God’s infinite love. ― Bill Hicks
Demonizing and persecuting competing ideologies while assimilating their beliefs is their overriding strategy. Take terms like magic and “the craft,” for instance. These rituals are appropriated and rebranded simultaneously, demonizing the sources.
The primary tool for salvation is “mystical, mental appropriation.” Here’s how it works. You reach out mentally with intent. This makes a mystical connection with the divine. The religions of the Abrahamic tree need a specific formula to obtain salvation or other favors. This formula often uses some type of power word or phrase, such as invoking the name of Jesus. This process is the essence of magic and “craftwork.” They persecute people who employ a similar approach to working magic outside the established paradigm. It’s a way of protecting their customer base.
In Conclusion
Questioning traditional beliefs and challenging backward, outdated worldviews helps promotes personal growth. Outgrowing old beliefs is healthy.
Exploring the problem of evil and its relationship to spirituality offers valuable insights. It helps us understand our own beliefs and the narratives in our modern culture.
It helps us to deal with those who hold firmly to their brand of theism. As we embrace a global perspective, we must examine ourselves and ask if what we believe is true. Outgrowing old beliefs should be something we welcome rather than hide from. It is time to adopt a worldview that can evolve as we acquire new information.
References
- Abrahamic Religions. Wikipedia.
- Epicurus. Wikipedia.
- Religious Responses to the Problem of Evil. Wikipedia.
- The Devil Is Not Equal to God. Harvest.
- Is Satan / the devil omnipresent?. GotQuestions.
- 10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan. Crossway.
- Religious Responses to Evil. Wikipedia.