Examining Religious Beliefs in the Light of Jesus
Our lives are guided by the knowledge we have acquired. We know many things about ourselves, our families, society, nature, and the world around us. Yet human knowledge is never complete. Science, experience, and learning continue to develop, and therefore there will always be far more things we do not know than the things we know today.
Some of what we know can be accepted as facts. Such knowledge is formed through observation, experience, evidence, reason, and reliable testimony. But when it comes to things we do not fully know or cannot completely prove, human beings have another way of relating to them — faith.
Who are we? What is the true nature of human life? What is the universe? Did the universe have a beginning? What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is there anything beyond death? Does God exist? If God exists, what is the relationship between God and humanity?
Human beings have offered many different answers to such fundamental questions. Some have come from science, some from philosophy, and others from religious traditions and spiritual experiences. They are not all established as facts to the same degree. This is why faith has such an important place in human life.
Yet faith does not simply mean believing anything in the absence of evidence. We believe many things because we trust the testimony, experience, and reliability of others. Some beliefs have strong evidence behind them; some have limited evidence; and some depend largely on tradition or personal experience. Therefore, all beliefs cannot be treated in exactly the same way.
A significant part of our lives is guided by assumptions that have the nature of faith.
Faith and Our Identity
Faith is not merely a collection of ideas. Our beliefs often become part of our worldview, values, decisions, hopes, fears, and identity.
A child is not born already looking at the world through a particular religious worldview. The family and society in which the child grows provide certain basic ideas about the world. The beliefs of parents, social traditions, and religious teachings gradually become the child's own beliefs.
Therefore, questioning someone's religious belief may not always feel like questioning an idea alone. It may feel as though one's family, tradition, identity, and understanding of the meaning of life are also being questioned.
Without understanding this, conversations about religious beliefs can easily become conflicts.
Here we need to recognize an important distinction:
Respecting a person's faith does not mean accepting that the faith is necessarily true.
An idea can be questioned and criticized without denying the dignity and rights of the person who holds that idea.
Therefore, we can do two things at the same time:
Respect the believer; examine the belief.
Inherited Beliefs
Many of our beliefs are not conclusions that we have independently discovered. They are inherited.
We naturally accept what our parents believed, what our society believes, and what our religious tradition teaches. This is a normal part of human life.
But the fact that a belief has been inherited does not by itself prove that the belief is true.
Therefore, we should occasionally ask:
“Why do I believe this?”
Do I believe it because it is true? Is there reliable evidence for it? Or do I believe it simply because the family into which I was born and the society in which I grew up taught it to me?
Asking these questions is not an insult to our ancestors. Rather, it is a responsible way of examining the heritage they have handed down to us.
Not All Beliefs Are the Same
When evaluating our beliefs, we can broadly think of them in three categories:
Beneficial beliefs — beliefs that lead people toward love, justice, compassion, truth, and responsibility.
Harmful beliefs — beliefs that produce injustice, hatred, discrimination, violence, or fear in individuals or society.
Harmless beliefs — beliefs about which differences of opinion do not have significant practical consequences for human life.
This classification is not intended to be a scientifically precise system that can neatly categorize every belief. Rather, it is a useful way of thinking about how we evaluate our beliefs.
Does a belief make a person more loving? More compassionate? More just? Does it lead to greater honesty and responsibility?
At the same time, does it produce arrogance, hatred, fear, intolerance, or division?
Such questions can help us evaluate the value and consequences of our beliefs.
Jesus' Approach to Religion
In this context, the religious approach of Jesus is particularly relevant.
Jesus was born and raised within a Jewish religious context. The Scriptures, traditions, and practices of Judaism were part of his life. Yet Jesus did not approach every belief and practice within Judaism in exactly the same way.
He affirmed and strengthened some. He questioned and opposed others. And there were matters about which he did not engage in major controversy.
Jesus himself did not formally classify religious beliefs as “beneficial, harmful, and harmless.” However, this framework can be useful in understanding the pattern we see in his teachings and actions.
Jesus Encouraged What Was Beneficial
Love of God and love of humanity were at the heart of Jesus' teaching.
When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus taught that one should love God with all one's heart and love one's neighbor as oneself.
Through this, Jesus made clear that the true value of religion is not merely in its outward forms but in the love and compassion it produces in human life.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is an excellent example. It is a person who was religiously and socially separated from the injured man who shows him compassion. Jesus uses the story to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” He places compassion for the human being above religious boundaries.
Therefore, Jesus strongly encouraged values such as love of God, compassion, forgiveness, justice, honesty, and care for the poor.
Jesus Questioned Harmful Religious Attitudes
Religion is meant to lead people toward God and love. But when religious laws and traditions become obstacles to love for human beings, Jesus questioned them.
His approach to the Sabbath is a good example. Jesus did not accept an approach that prevented someone from being helped merely because of Sabbath regulations. His teaching that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” reminds us of the purpose of religious law.
Similarly, Jesus criticized the practice of giving greater importance to human traditions than to God's commandments (Mark 7:8–13).
His criticism of the Pharisees is also significant. Prayer, fasting, and giving are good things in themselves. But when they become performances intended to gain the admiration of others, their spirit is lost.
Therefore, Jesus placed greater emphasis on the purity of the heart than on outward religious observance.
One important point should be noted here:
Jesus' criticism was not directed against religion itself; it was directed against religious attitudes that turned people away from love, justice, and compassion.
Not Everything Needs to Become a Controversy
Some matters in religious life may be neither particularly beneficial nor harmful, but simply harmless.
Different forms of worship, styles of music, certain forms of dress, different practices of fasting, and variations in worship traditions may often belong to this category.
People may legitimately disagree about such matters. But they do not need to become the most important issues of faith.
Paul's principle in Romans 14:5 is relevant here: one person considers one day more sacred than another, while another considers every day alike. Each should be fully convinced in his or her own mind.
Therefore:
Not every difference needs to become a battlefield.
When people judge and divide one another over such matters, we should ask whether we ourselves have forgotten the love and compassion that stand at the heart of Jesus' teaching.
“By Their Fruits You Will Recognize Them”
One of the most important principles for evaluating beliefs is found in Jesus' words:
“By their fruits you will recognize them.”
(Matthew 7:16)
This principle can also be applied to beliefs.
Does a belief make a person more loving? More compassionate? More just? Does it bring a person closer to God and to fellow human beings?
If so, that belief is producing good fruit.
On the other hand, if a belief produces arrogance, hatred, fear, intolerance, or division, then it needs to be reconsidered in the light of Jesus.
“Fruit” by itself is not a scientific proof of whether a belief is true. But it is an important criterion for examining the ethical and human consequences of a belief.
Fundamental Beliefs Also Need Critical Examination
The world's religions are complex systems of belief. Many beliefs are interconnected, and some occupy central positions within a religious tradition.
Therefore, questioning a fundamental belief is not easy. It may affect a religion's theology, practices, institutions, and even structures of authority.
But the fact that a belief is foundational to a religion does not by itself prove that it is true.
The foundation of a building may be its most important part. But that does not mean the foundation should never be examined.
In the same way, the foundational beliefs of a religion should also be open to examination when necessary.
For example, belief in the divinity of Jesus is one of the historically developed foundational beliefs of Christianity. Questioning it can have significant implications for Christian theology.
Yet an important principle remains:
A belief does not become beyond criticism simply because it is important.
A Christian who believes in the divinity of Jesus has a responsibility to examine the foundations of that belief. Likewise, someone who understands Jesus differently has a responsibility to examine the foundations of his or her own position.
The same principle applies to every religion.
Examine Our Own Beliefs First
It is easy to identify problems in the beliefs of others. It is much more difficult to examine our own beliefs critically.
When someone else's belief appears to us as an idea, our own beliefs are often part of our identity.
That is why self-examination requires courage.
We should ask ourselves:
- Why did I adopt this belief?
- What is its basis?
- Have I examined it independently?
- Do I believe it simply because my family, society, or religious tradition taught it to me?
- How does this belief affect my life?
- How does it affect the way I treat other people?
- Is this belief beneficial to human well-being?
- Is there anything harmful within it?
- If new evidence or stronger arguments become available, am I willing to revise my belief?
The last question may be the most important.
Can someone who is incapable of revising their own beliefs fully engage in the search for truth?
Standing firmly in one's faith and being willing to revise one's understanding are not necessarily opposites. Perhaps genuine confidence is found partly in having the courage to place one's beliefs under the examination of truth.
Why Is Religious Renewal Necessary?
Religions have never remained completely unchanged throughout history. Their interpretations, practices, institutions, and understanding of the relative importance of beliefs have changed over time.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is a significant example. Under the leadership of Martin Luther, certain teachings, practices, and structures of authority within the Church were challenged. This eventually brought major changes to the Christian world.
We may not agree with all of Luther's positions today. Yet the history reminds us of an important truth:
A religious tradition must be capable of examining itself and correcting itself when necessary.
The strength of a religion does not lie merely in preserving every old belief without change. Its vitality also lies in its ability to recognize mistakes and correct them when necessary.
Jesus and Religious Reform
To understand the need for religious reform, we can consider the example of Jesus alongside that of Martin Luther. Jesus did not come from outside Judaism to establish a new religion. He was born and raised as a Jew and carried out his ministry within the context of Jewish Scriptures, traditions, and practices. Yet he questioned certain religious interpretations and practices that, in his view, could distance people from the love of God, compassion, and justice. He challenged rigid interpretations of the Sabbath, excessive emphasis on external religious practices, and the elevation of human traditions above God’s commandments. At the same time, he strengthened the central values of religion—love of God, love of others, compassion, forgiveness, and justice.
In this sense, Jesus’ mission can be understood as a religious reform movement. Just as Luther’s reform within the Christian Church later brought about profound changes in Christian history, Jesus’ reform also became a major turning point in religious history. Christianity emerged historically as a consequence of the spiritual movement initiated by Jesus. In this sense, Christianity could be described metaphorically as a historical “side effect” of Jesus’ religious reform—not a side effect in the sense of an unintended accident, but in the sense that his attempt to bring the existing religious tradition back to its heart eventually led to the formation of a new religious community and tradition.
This offers an important lesson: the best way to preserve a religion is not necessarily to preserve everything within it unchanged, but to continually examine and correct those elements that no longer correspond to its fundamental purpose. The examples of Jesus and Luther remind us that religious reform is not necessarily an enemy of religion; sometimes it is an essential form of self-examination through which a religious tradition can remain alive.
“Surgery of Faith”
When certain beliefs within a religious tradition are recognized as harmful to human life, they may need to be examined and, where necessary, corrected.
This can be compared to removing a diseased part of the body through surgery.
Surgery may be painful and may involve risks. But ignoring the disease may have far more serious consequences.
In the same way, questioning a harmful belief within a religious system can be painful. It may lead to disagreements, resistance, and sometimes even division.
Nevertheless, when it becomes clear that a belief is causing serious harm to human life, protecting that belief may itself become harmful to the health of the religious tradition.
Yet great caution is necessary here. A belief should not be declared “harmful” simply because we personally dislike it. Such judgments should be made on the basis of reason, evidence, ethics, human rights, and the actual consequences of the belief for human life.
Freedom of Faith and the Examination of Faith
Religious freedom does not mean merely having the right to protect one's own beliefs. It also includes recognizing the right of others to hold different beliefs.
Likewise, the freedom to question and criticize beliefs is necessary for a healthy society.
Therefore, we should be able to do two things at the same time:
Stand firmly in our faith while remaining willing to revise our understanding.
Respect the beliefs of others without treating any idea as beyond criticism.
Criticizing another person's belief is not necessarily an insult to that person. Likewise, accepting criticism does not necessarily mean abandoning one's faith.
The goal of healthy religious dialogue should not be to defeat one another, but to seek truth more clearly together.
Returning to the Example of Jesus
This is where Jesus' approach to religion becomes relevant once again.
Jesus did not reject tradition as a whole. Nor did he accept everything within tradition without question.
He distinguished between what was important and what was secondary. He strengthened what led people toward love of God and love of humanity. He questioned religious attitudes that produced injustice, hypocrisy, hatred, and intolerance. And he did not turn matters of lesser moral importance into unnecessary conflicts.
Therefore, one simple principle we may learn from Jesus' approach is this:
Accept and strengthen what is beneficial.
Question and correct what is harmful, with love.
Do not turn what is harmless into unnecessary controversy.
This is not merely a criterion for evaluating other religions. More importantly, it is a criterion for examining our own Christian faith, practices, and traditions.
Look in the Mirror First
One of the greatest temptations in religious dialogue is to identify the errors in the beliefs of others.
It is easy to ask:
“What is wrong with their belief?”
But before asking that question, we should ask:
“Is there anything in my own faith that is inconsistent with the love, compassion, and justice of Jesus?”
Does my faith make me more loving?
Does it make me more compassionate?
Does it encourage me to stand against injustice?
Does it make me more humble?
Does it teach me to respect people who believe differently from me?
Or does it produce arrogance, fear, hatred, or intolerance within me?
When these questions are first used to examine our own faith, they acquire their deepest spiritual value.
Conclusion
A large part of human life rests upon knowledge and faith. Knowledge continues to develop, and therefore our beliefs should also be examined and, where necessary, developed.
Faith can give meaning, hope, and moral direction to our lives. That is why our beliefs are valuable to us. Yet the same emotional attachment can sometimes create a tendency to protect our beliefs from criticism.
Therefore, the greatest spiritual and intellectual courage does not lie in discovering the errors in other people's beliefs.
It lies in being able to examine our own beliefs honestly.
It is not always our responsibility to correct another person's faith. But we do have a responsibility to examine our own beliefs and, when necessary, revise, abandon, or renew them.
Therefore, the first question in religious dialogue should not be:
“What is wrong with your belief?”
Before that, each of us should ask:
“Which of my beliefs have I accepted without ever examining them?”
And perhaps we should ask one more question:
“Is my faith making me a person who is more loving, compassionate, and just — more like Jesus?”
If we can examine our own beliefs before attempting to correct the beliefs of others, religious dialogue can move from conflict to conversation, from assertion to inquiry, and from religious competition to the search for truth.
Ultimately, we should give greater priority to protecting truth and human well-being than to protecting our beliefs.
Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons we can learn from the religious approach of Jesus.
