Let’s face it, humans naturally choose their beliefs and actions based on whether it goes along with what they already believe or if it will benefit them in some way to change what they currently believe. In other words, not based on the evidence or source of the belief. We start developing our beliefs about the world, people, our likes and dislikes and fears, from a very young age. Is the world a safe place? Are people good? Can I do things or do I need someone to do them for me?

We develop preferences for foods largely based on what we are given to eat, although we may have some genetic tendencies as well, just as we do for other things. We can be genetically predisposed to being calm or anxious, energetic or more passive, fearful or brave. But these tendencies can be strengthened or weakened by our life experiences and they contribute to our beliefs about everything. Nervous people can learn calming techniques. Lazy people can be taught the value of effort.

We all carry around preconceived ideas, also called prejudices, about other people based on our previous interactions or lack thereof. That is why travel is so good at opening minds. We can see with our own eyes that much of what we have picked up is not true or based on limited stereotypes. But if we never leave our homes, and get all our beliefs from people who never leave their homes, then of course we will be prejudiced.

Even more important is recognizing that much of what we believe is very carefully instilled in us by education and media. Do not make the mistake of assuming that your college professor or high school teacher is less biased than your hillbilly uncle. Bias is everywhere! Think for yourself. Do the work. Do the thinking and the reading and throw out the lies. The truth is available to those who will seek it.

And the thing we believe FIRST is usually the thing we think is RIGHT, even when given evidence that it is WRONG. It’s hard to get people to change their minds because they are so invested in being right. The media uses this against us by putting out incorrect information quickly and correcting that information slowly and less noticeably. So we believe the first headline we see. We must question!

It is essential to admit these things to ourselves so that we can start to think more clearly about what we believe and why and where we got these ideas. If we do not, we can uncritically assume that everything we believe is correct. This is ignorance. We must question the beliefs that we picked up as children and young adults and ask if they are based on truth or not. This is not easy and can be very disruptive to our mental peace if we realize we have been going along with lies or propaganda or superstitions or unfair judgments simply because we never asked ourselves if there was any logical or Biblical foundation for these ideas.

It can be very humbling to suddenly see that we were duped, lazy, or had jumped on a bandwagon without doing our own thinking. But letting go of lies is crucial to being right with God. God does not want us to use worldly lies to justify what he calls sins.

Slavery, abortion, abuse of women and children, oppression of the poor, violence of all kinds has been justified by blaming the victim and excusing our own responsibility to do the right thing. Religions of all kinds have justified the murder and subjugation of people by believing that they had the right to do these things “in God’s name” after being taught this by their religious leaders. Remember, just because something happened in the Bible in the past doesn’t mean that God gave you the permission or command to do it. The gospel teaches that we are to love God and love our neighbor (and children and parents and our enemies), period.

Therefore, be brave! Begin today to search out WHY you believe what you believe. And find out if it is actually true or not. We are blessed to have history at our fingertips. We must compare what the Bible teaches to what “we have been told the Bible teaches”. Even though you might feel embarrassed or ashamed when you go through this process, the end result is freedom, truth, and salvation in Jesus Christ our Savior. Live not by lies!

We have so hopelessly ceded our humanity that for the modest handouts of today we are ready to surrender up all principles, our soul, all the labors of our ancestors, all the prospects of our descendants—anything to avoid disrupting our meager existence. We have lost our strength, our pride, our passion. We do not even fear a common nuclear death, do not fear a third world war (perhaps we’ll hide away in some crevice), but fear only to take a civic stance! We hope only not to stray from the herd, not to set out on our own, and risk suddenly having to make do without the white bread, the hot water heater, a Moscow residency permit.

We have so hopelessly ceded our humanity that for the modest handouts of today we are ready to surrender up all principles, our soul, all the labors of our ancestors, all the prospects of our descendants—anything to avoid disrupting our meager existence. We have lost our strength, our pride, our passion. We do not even fear a common nuclear death, do not fear a third world war (perhaps we’ll hide away in some crevice), but fear only to take a civic stance! We hope only not to stray from the herd, not to set out on our own, and risk suddenly having to make do without the white bread, the hot water heater, a Moscow [housing] residency permit.

https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies