Does our opinion matter?

I’ve participated in many online discussions on religion over the years. The discussions are healthy to have, and they can be very deep and interesting if participants can refrain from posting simple things like "god sucks." A common flaw I’ve noticed is many people seem to take their opinions too seriously.



For a moment, let's take a step back. I won’t be talking about religion. I won’t say anything about who is right and who is wrong. I’m just talking about truth and reality, and the perception of them.

From those discussions, I’ve noticed a common element, a frequent phrase. “I don’t think God would make a hell”, “I don’t doubt there is a God, I just don’t think it’s the God of the Bible” and “I think religion is more or less a state of mind and soul” are common responses I’ve seen. Many of the statements have one thing in common: the focus on “I think” or “I don’t think.” Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with opinions. Opinions about things like religion are healthy, but they can only go so far.

For example, here is a video I found on youtube:



Consider this. Jay Leno has a popular segment on “The Tonight Show” where he asks random people on the street common knowledge questions. We see many people who have some interesting answers to the questions. Yet, no matter how much someone may think the South Pole is hotter than the equator, it just isn’t true.

We have two examples here. Either a supernatural creator exists or it doesn’t. Either the South Pole is warmer than the equator or it is not. Of course this doesn’t prove anything about the existence of God. But it does point something out: reality is not changed opinions. Even if the whole world has an opinion about reality, it wouldn’t change what reality is. Almost everyone believed the world was flat. Did that change the reality of it at all?

So what does that have to do with religious discussions? You can think whatever you want about the Bible, God, evolution, humanity and anything else, and you should express your thoughts in well written posts, but none of that means anything in the long run. Reality is what it is. The South Pole is quite cold. Humans came from somewhere, survival of the fittest or creation. One of those is a historical fact, something that actually happened. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because what you think sounds nice or logical means it's right.

Like I said, opinions are healthy. It is human nature to develop our own theories on how things work. Just be careful with what you do with those opinions. Remember that what we all “think”, myself included, has no effect on the reality of what is. Reality is the way it is, regardless of what we think about it.