U turn if you want to - it might be a good idea!

Why do we believe what we believe?

All beliefs have some background, some point at which we experienced, or were told or shown something which shaped our thoughts on a subject. Many of the beliefs we have may have their sources back in a past situation which no longer has any relevance, yet the belief remains.

A few thousand years ago, a tribe of nomadic desert-dwellers made a discovery. They found that if they left cooked beef around for a few days before eating it, they came to no harm, yet if they ate three day old pork, they were sick. We now know that pork goes off more quickly than other meats if not refrigerated, but this was before they had Kitchens, let alone fridge freezers to put in them, and their understanding of biology was less developed.

So some wise tribal elder came up with an explanation, which also served as a deterrent to any hungry child to who thought that pork looked tempting. 

'God does not want you to eat pork,' he would have opined. 'So if you disobey Him, he will give you a tummy ache as a punishment'. Job done. People would avoid three day old pork and the resulting diarrhoea.

I wonder what that tribal elder would think if he could see the wholesale eschewment of pig meat in the 21st Century by two leading world religions? Does it make sense nowadays? But once God has decreed, it is apparently for all time. God appears to agree with Thatcher at least on the subject of U turns.

And don't get me started on rituals involving menstruating women....

Of course, some ancient religious beliefs are still valid, though not necessarily for the original rationale. Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim prayer involves a set of ritual movements which were, I presume, once presented to devotees as simply the only acceptable way to worship. Nowadays our greater understanding of the human body tells us that these postures stretch important muscle groups, help oxygenate the body and are conducive to calming the mind. The benefits we now attribute to health and well being were, I am sure, once seen as the godhead's way of rewarding the devotion of his followers.

So some old beliefs are of use, either for practical purposes or just to give us confidence. But what about those other ideas about ourselves, often inculcated in childhood, that we are for example rubbish at Maths, not good-looking, have fat legs or big ears - what are those beliefs good for, except lowering our self esteem? 

We can challenge, and defeat these baseless thoughts. Once we become aware of them and the damage they are doing us. And realise they are as pointless as refusing to eat meat because it made someone sick four thousand years ago.

Whether you believe in yourself or not, you're probably right...

Belief is a wonderful thing. Humans can believe nearly anything if they really want to. Often irrespective of facts, but almost equally often by twisting, even mauling, the facts to suit what they want them to prove.

What is fascinating is how society views beliefs: some apparently crazy interpretations of the available facts are, with reason, not accepted by the general populace and those who take those interpretations to their logical conclusions are sneered at. Like in the 1990s when I dared to suggest that the current government's failure to provide clear evidence to the public of the existence in Iraq of the much vaunted weapons of mass destruction, on which they were building a case for war, I clearly recall a colleague telling me that I had to have faith in the Prime Minister who was of course only able to reveal so much of the truth to the public. As it turned out, he revealed far less of the truth than my colleague assumed.

Why do we - or many of us at least - dismiss someone who believes in alien spacecraft and UFOs visiting earth as a looney, yet accept, even defend, those who believe a divine being visited the earth 2000 odd years ago on a mission to save mankind, and to this day has the power to affect what happens to you after you die?

Religious folk will tell you that their prayers are answered, and yes, that makes sense. Not because of some beneficent God (who alternately through history appears to have created miracles for the good of mankind and destroyed his creations through hurricanes, earthquakes and wars) but because of belief.

What the mind truly believes, the body takes on..

So if you go into a job interview truly believing that you will be appointed, that belief translates into confident body language: a firm handshake, a steady, positive voice, upright posture and good eye contact. All of which reassures your interviewer that you are a suitable candidate, and while your presentation of yourself may not guarantee success, it will go a long way towards increasing its likelihood.

Whether your self-belief comes from a conviction that Jesus will grant your prayer, a knowledge that your experience makes you the best candidate, some mental mind-games or pure delusion does not matter - the effect is the same. 

What most people do not realise is that we can choose what we believe, and can consciously shape our belief system to suit our purpose. The vast majority of us are at the mercy of beliefs that have been created for us, often without us recognising the process, by external forces. some of these beliefs may be of use (such as the belief that we should be kins to one another) but negative ideas about ourselves can destroy our self esteem and mar our happiness, so why allow them space in our head? 

Yes, changing our beliefs about ourselves takes work, but it can be done. You can programme your brain just as you can programme a computer.