The Discouragement of Our Convictions

 by Daisy Watson-Rumbold

The courage of our convictions is a cornerstone of many ethics, historical and current. To act on what we believe is genuinely moral, regardless of others' opinions, is often praised. Not all moral agents practice this outlook, and it's likely less prominent in the face of modernity due to higher levels of polarised collectivism. However, what if those who consistently act on the courage of their convictions are missing a trick on what life should consist of? The risk of insularity is higher when we rely on self-made, unnurtured convictions, meaning the risk of non-virtuous thought cycles is higher. So, through what lens should we be deciding our convictions, major and minor?

I recently watched a film on the life and theological journey of C.S Lewis, based entirely on his own writings being regurgitated into a script. In many of his texts, he speaks openly of his static thoughts on religious belief for many of his earlier years, answering the calls of atheism in the face of theistic belief. He did so to the point that he resisted faith so actively that he describes his conversion as a ‘blessed defeat’. To define his 'giving in' to God as a defeat is a testament to the struggle of consideration. The film collectivised these writings and emotions to encompass the depth of internal questioning, the satisfaction, pain and conclusions of non-convicted thought. 

Two points emerged for me: 1) Solidifying our convictions structurally within our intellect and consciousness without adaptability restricts our experience of the empirical and metaphysical world, and 2) The society we are shaping today is predominantly reliant on polarised and pseudo-moderate opinions that either 'keep the peace' or refuse change. Both of these things dispirit our lives and cross over topics of politics, economy, diversity and education, alongside many others. 

I'd like to very briefly focus on how we view faith in conjunction with these points. 

Secularism embraces the conviction that God, in any form, does not exist. And, it's growing. The decline of Christianity in the UK can be seen across denominations; Sunday attendance has plummeted to 780,000 in the last 20 years, and only 10% of the population were baptised in 2017. Moreover, the proportion of the British population that regards themself as Christian has fallen dramatically over the past few decades. In the British Social Attitudes survey in 2018, only 1% of 18-24 identified with the Church of England, whilst, in contrast, 54% of 65-74-year-olds felt affiliated with the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, admitted he thought Christianity could be “one generation away from extinction.” To many, the church’s admittance of these declines suggests that secularism is becoming more of a threat to faith. Culture has played a significant role in fuelling secularist attitudes, meaning that large demographics (such as young people) are choosing to turn away from the establishment of faith. The BBC documentary 'Reverse Missionaries' follows the journey of a Jamaican pastor visiting Baptist churches across the UK. His despair is deepened as he becomes more familiarised with the lack of enthusiasm towards the church, especially in low-income and youth populated areas. The contrast to his congregation in Jamaica is stark and presented in visuals; it's evident a lack of faith beginning to spread in this country.

Comparatively, many historical prevalent theologians and philosophers have engaged with strict theological convictions on the attributes of God. For example, St Anselm's Proslogians set out the argument for God's necessity. He states that "God is either impossible or necessary" and goes on to formulate an argument that conveniences his chosen conclusion, that the odds of God's existence far outweigh those of his not. This form of thought restricts the attitudes of discussion and intellectual debate amongst theists and atheists, creating a further culture of unprocessed convictions.

To shift the cultural difficulties surrounding conviction-based communication, a reset of value-based education is necessary. Ideologies similar to Bourdieu's social capital, that rely on the educated having knowledge of different social viewpoints and concepts to be regarded as educated at all, would progress thinking. It would redistribute the weight and depth of difficulty onto topics that affect our lifestyles, such as faith. 

It can be said that no decision is truly made until each option has been dissected, so we must once again examine the choices we make. Just as Lewis encouraged in Mere Christianity, “if the universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that is has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” We must engage with the concepts we have and utilise our intellect to form meaningful convictions that are verifiably sound.

Above all, we should use our imagination, intellect and intuition to explore our capacity for consideration. Harness ourselves with the ability to empower our convictions with verifiability, falsifiability and debate-ability. To remain adaptable and open is to remain thoughtful.