Belief In....What?

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The 'objects' I come across predominantly in rural areas, no matter where I travel in central and southern Europe, are religious shrines and icons of one description or another.

Never came across any in England, which is not a surprise, with the political correctness of the UK Government and all the ridiculous equal this and fair-play nonsense the next thing groups, England is a place, like a few other 'western civilized nations' where religious festivals, such as Christmas, are frowned upon and in some areas not allowed to be called Christmas at all. How insane is that?

The purpose of these shrines is clear, to praise the God that people devoutly believe in. The shrines do vary, some a small simple crucifix, others an elaborate display of statues and water features. All are maintained to some degree or another, none are totally neglected.

My reason for mentioning this is Belief.

We, the Human Race, are complex, sophisticated bits of kit. We can walk, talk, invent, rationalize, analyze, etc, etc, and we have evolved into the mammal that, basically, controls this planet we inhabit. (Even though we have no control in reality because it is getting ready to wipe us all out and start again, as it has so many times in the millions of years it has been in operation). Yet as a species we still believe in the basic concepts of 'Good and Evil'.

The guise that these two concepts take is different for each individual but, I think the vast majority of people still have a basic belief that 'Good' is represented by God and 'Evil' is represented by the Devil.

Okay, so there are people that don't believe in God or the Devil, but even these people believe in something, like Mother Nature or Neptune or Fate, Chance, Sun, Moon, Destiny, Spacemen, Credit Cards, whatever. Get over it.

The thing is, every one believes in something outside themselves and 99 times out of 100, the something that is believed in has an opposite something outside of themselves, so for ease for me to write (and think) I'll call it Good and Evil.

My question still remains, what is it, why is it, how is it that us, the human race, have this ingrained need to have belief in something outside of ourselves, outside of the species we are?

I myself believe in God. What I believe God to be is another matter. I can totally understand why rural, farming communities want, and in some ways, need to, openly, strongly, 'pay homage' to the God they believe in. Their livelihood is entirely dependant on the elements, the weather.

Get crap weather, get a crap crop. Get good weather, get a good crop. Simple.

So who controls the elements? The weather?

We don't. Scientist give it a good try, but we don't. So, our complexity, our ability to think, analyze, rationalize, steps up to the breach and says, quite rationally. "If I don't control this thing, who does?"

Can't see anyone, so must be.........

Throughout the recorded history of the human race and, undoubtedly when we lived in caves, our race has looked at the sky, the sea and even the forests (before we cut them down) and asked, 'How did this come to be?' 'Who/ What made these things?'

Farmers have watched their crop destroyed by a thunderstorm the day before harvest and asked. 'Why?'

Parents have watched a child die and asked 'Why?'

When we can't find an answer to a question. When we can't see a logical explanation for something that happens, we have to fill the space, if we didn't fill the blank space with something, we would go insane trying to find the solution.

So what do we do? If something bad is happening, I must of pissed off the 'entity' that controls that aspect of my existence, so I better let the 'entity' know I respect it, I talk to it (prayer) I put signs up that say I respect it (shrines) I get people together in groups to add support to my words and requests, to show respect (church).

Still the bad things happen. So I try the harder to show the entity that I respect it and am incredibly grateful if it can keep the bad things away for a while, bigger prayers, bigger shrines, bigger churches and presto, a good summer, a good crop, everyone healthy. Done the job.

We Believe.

The next year, a hurricane writes off the crop. The house burns down and I wake up to find I have cancer. Mmmh, must have annoyed the entity big-time somehow. Better pray harder.

What do we believe in though? A Good, Caring, Loving Entity?
Or is the entity a nasty vindictive piece of work that likes to screw us over if we don't do as it wants?
Do we believe through love and devotion? Or do we believe through fear?

Fear is born in any situation we do not know the answer to.
We don't know there is a God, We only believe there is a God.
Do I believe in God? I only believe I believe in God. The scariest bit for me is.

What if there nothing to believe in but 'shit happens'?