Today is the first day of summer, marking the summer solstice for some New Agers and neo-pagans. From comments I’ve read today about the solstice, it appears to be a good day to poke fun at those beliefs systems.
In their defense (and in the defense of belief systems in general), it needs to be pointed out that everyone operates under some degree of belief. The less popular a belief, the more likely it will be ridiculed. Popular beliefs such as love and the certainty of tomorrow are rarely ridiculed–and they are less likely to be pointed out as being belief systems.
The majority of people believe in love and consider it an important part of their daily lives–atheists love their family and friends, too. There is no empirical evidence proving the existence of love; while physiological reactions to love can be measured, there are no instruments which can detect and measure “love rays.”
It would be next to impossible to function day-to-day without some trust or confidence in areas that are unknown. Tomorrow is a belief, too. I plan for tomorrow under the belief that I will be around tomorrow. Statistically speaking, I probably will be here tomorrow, but there is no absolute certainty and it is guaranteed some of us will not be here tomorrow.
I find no reason to fear or ridicule others’ beliefs. Beliefs in and of themselves poise no danger; many beliefs like love are important and beneficial. The fear of beliefs we don’t hold exists in part because once a belief becomes popular, it has the potential to become law.
The danger doesn’t reside with the belief; the problem is the ability to force beliefs on others.
