I became curious about how people came to believe ideas. People I knew could hold fast in a belief beyond all evidence to the contrary. When it came to religion, say Judaism and Christianity, people could read the same words (albeit in different languages which presents a problem) and hold opposite beliefs.
So, I read deeply in psychology and then in the burgeoning field of brain/body physiology. Discoveries poured forth in the late 80s and 90s.
I learned about the complex interconnectedness of electrical signals in the brain and nervous system and the various chemicals secreted in the gut. We continue to learn more of this interconnectedness.
Two takeaways presented themselves.
First, your brain will believe whatever you tell it to believe, especially when it is reinforced. Now, if that belief is connected to strong feelings emanating from the gut, here comes one of those firm beliefs. And we know how hard it is for people to change their minds.
This leads us to the inevitable conclusion that we must be intentional about what we feed the mind. A steady diet of our favorite news TV—what is that doing to our brain? Even more reason to study reputable spiritual writing.
Second, let us consider the interconnectedness. As Paul wrote about how the church is one body made up of many parts, he had no clue about how deep that interconnectedness goes in our bodies. So, our churches and communities need to be even more intentional about how we are and should be interconnected.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 