Part-Time Believers

Trey Smith

In a world awash in religion and philosophy, most people are what I would term only part-time believers. We talk incessantly of how a particular religion or philosophy has transformed our lives and yet we don't live this transformation 24/7. Sure, we try to incorporate a reflection of our beliefs into our lives, but mostly when it serves a specific purpose -- like trying to convince others that we have been so transformed!

In the US, the predominant "spiritual" belief system is some form of Christianity. Adherents to the faith will tell you that, once they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, everything in their lives changed. It sounds good, but there isn't much evidence to support this declaration. By and large, Christians struggle with the same human foibles at the same rates as non-Christians.

But it's not just Christians either. You could line up the vast majority of members from any religious or philosophic tradition -- including philosophical Taoists -- to find much the same thing. While our minds may get wrapped up in particular forms of symbolism, our behavior more often is in line with the only "god" that seems to matter -- ourselves!

My guess is that most folks look askance at enclaves like the Amish. How provincial these people are! Sequestering themselves away from mainstream society and clinging to the "old ways." Shunning the miracle of electricity and riding around in horse and buggies. How silly!

One of the reasons that I think the majority looks down on groups like the Amish is that they actually incorporate their beliefs into the way they live their lives 24/7 and it makes the rest of us look bad. While we talk a good game, they actually live it!

I'm certainly not suggesting that each of us should run off to join our nearest Amish community, but we can certainly learn a thing or two about putting our beliefs into action from our Amish brethren.