1. Why do you believe what you believe?
Lecture 3
Why do you believe what you believe?

2. “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” --Blaise Pascal (17th century French philosopher)

3. Why do you believe what you believe?
SOCIO-LOGICAL REASONS
Parents
Friends
Society
Culture
Geography
Community
Peer Pressure
PSYCHO-LOGICAL REASONS
Comfort
Peace of mind
Meaning
Purpose
Hope
Identity
Feelings or
Intuition
RELIGI-OUS REASONS
Scripture
Pastor/Priest
Guru
Rabbi
Imam
Church
Tradition
Mysticism
PHILO-SOPHICAL REASONS
Consistency
Coherence
Completeness
BIBLICAL
TRUTH
Accurate
Exegesis
Biblical,
Theological
Systematic
Coherence
Adapted from: James Sire, “Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All” in Telling the Truth, D.A. Carson, ed.

4. One goal of Systematic Theology is to (1) expose inadequate justifications for belief and (2) provide a solid basis for validating or invalidating truth claims.