Our beliefs influence the way we think and live. Discover our top selection of articles about beliefs to assist your writing, including prompts to inspire you.
Ponder this: What came first, the chicken or the egg? If you answered the egg because the chicken was once an egg, who popped out the egg unless it was a grown chicken? If you answered the chicken, then wasn’t that chicken once an egg?
This question can be answered in many ways, such as Aristotle’s philosophical deduction that “actuality always comes before potentiality;” thus, the actual chicken existed before the potential egg. However, science argues that the egg came first, evolving from a hybrid between fowls that are not yet domesticated chickens.
The chicken or egg debate is just one exciting topic that opposing sides can continue to defend and prove. This is one of the wonders of believing or trusting something you consider true. To better grapple with this concept and create an article about this subject, feel free to read essays about beliefs and essays about values.
Contents
- 5 Example Articles
- 1. Scientific Faith: Belief in Science Increases in the Face of Stress and Existential Anxiety by Miguel Farias
- 2. What Actually Is a Belief? And Why Is It So Hard To Change? By Ralph Lewis, M.D.
- 3. It’s Hard To Challenge Someone’s False Beliefs Because Their Ideas Come From Social Networks, Not Facts by Lara Millman
- 4. Santa Claus, God, and Lord Buddha: The Difference Between a Belief and a Religion by Jamie Buckland
- 5. Worker at Fort Campbell Sues Union Over Religious Beliefs by Associated Press
- 7 Prompts in Writing Articles About Beliefs
- Author
5 Example Articles
1. Scientific Faith: Belief in Science Increases in the Face of Stress and Existential Anxiety by Miguel Farias
“Science and religion are often taken to offer competing explanations of the world. That science can be a source of meaning, similar to religion, is not a completely new idea; it has been raised by philosophers and scientists alike. While many have attempted to understand the emotional or social underpinnings of religious belief, the possibility that science might serve similar psychological functions has received less attention.”
Farias et al. believe in the power of religious beliefs to relieve one’s anxiety and stress. However, they also wanted to prove that scientific beliefs could do the same, so they manipulated stress and anxiety in their experiments. According to their findings, individuals under high pressure, like those in mortality salience and athletes before a competition, believe more in science when coping with stress and anxiety.
The researchers conclude that belief in science is unrelated to religion and can help people endure these conditions whether they are religious or not. After discussing the experiment’s limitations and recommendations, they differentiated scientific and religious beliefs but claimed they were both powerful.
Looking for more? Check out these essays about religion.
2. What Actually Is a Belief? And Why Is It So Hard To Change? By Ralph Lewis, M.D.
“Beliefs are our brain’s way of making sense of and navigating our complex world. They are mental representations of the ways our brains expect things in our environment to behave, and how things should be related to each other—the patterns our brain expects the world to conform to.”
Lewis describes belief as something essential for learning and survival. It allows the human brain to process, categorize, and analyze complex information, making it easier and faster to conclude. The author presents three factors influencing people’s resistance to changing their beliefs: trusting physical senses, homeostasis, and self-concept. He also dives into how society affects one’s beliefs, including applying scientific evidence to disprove certain beliefs.
3. It’s Hard To Challenge Someone’s False Beliefs Because Their Ideas Come From Social Networks, Not Facts by Lara Millman
“There is a reason facts are quickly lost in contentious arguments: individual people do not have the resources to deeply understand complex social issues. This is, in part, because the world in which we live is hyperspecialized. This means all reliable information is produced thanks to vast, interconnected fields of study.”
The author identifies racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic ideas as false beliefs. She mentions that when these beliefs are not changed or resolved, it will lead to enormous negative consequences in society. Millman says that lack of knowledge, access to research, and one’s assumptions are why people fail to assess the issue and spread false beliefs.
4. Santa Claus, God, and Lord Buddha: The Difference Between a Belief and a Religion by Jamie Buckland
“From here we can see that what makes one’s belief a religious belief is an extremely complex matter – but one thing does remain certain: for all its perceived virtues or faults, veganism cannot be said to be a religion, despite the fervour of its followers.”
This article focuses on ethical veganism, or the morality-based decision to not consume animal-based products, and whether it should be considered a philosophical belief the same way religions are protected.
According to the criteria of the Equality Act of 2010, ethical veganism is a philosophical belief but not a religion. A belief can be religious if associated with a deity and commitment to the supernatural. Ultimately, Buckland defines religion as something with rituals and ceremonies, a lived experience, and something that embodies the spirit of religion. You can also check out these articles about being grateful.
5. Worker at Fort Campbell Sues Union Over Religious Beliefs by Associated Press
“A hospital custodian at the Fort Campbell Army post has filed a lawsuit against her union arguing she shouldn’t have to pay dues because of her religious beliefs.”
This piece tackles the conflicts related to an individual’s belief. Associated Press reports a situation where a woman accused a union of religious discrimination and sought refunds as compensation for emotional harm. In the article, the religious belief of the woman in question is to join and financially support unions that support abortion. However, the union argues that the woman had not fully demonstrated how they support abortion.
7 Prompts in Writing Articles About Beliefs
1. Understanding Belief Systems
A belief system is a person’s set of principles describing what’s right or wrong. Tackle why having a solid belief system is vital in our everyday life, plus its other uses. Discuss their characteristics, types, and elements. For instance, an excellent example of a belief system is religion. Pick a specific religion, then present cases where it affects an individual’s life and decisions.
2. The Formation of Beliefs
Explain to your readers how an individual’s beliefs are developed through relationships and experiences. You can interview an individual and ask what led to their current belief system to make your article more compelling. Incorporate and review scientific studies or expert quotes explaining how different factors affect people’s mentality. To give you an idea, someone who grew up in a religious family is significantly influenced by their parent’s beliefs.
3. How Do People Believe?
This prompt illustrates what it means to believe in someone or something. Then, identify the essential factors that most influence a person’s choice of what to accept. For example, in law, belief heavily relies on available information presented in court. You can compare this with a spiritual belief that trusts in a higher being despite not seeing it physically.
4. Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are an individual’s negative view of themselves that often prevents them from advancing in life. Devote your article to tackling these limiting beliefs and how they can turn into something positive for the person’s benefit. For example, the limiting belief is, “Money will make me happy; without money, I will never be happy.” The empowering belief contrasting this is “I can be happy with or without money by appreciating what I have now while working for what I want to have in the future.”
5. Are Beliefs Good or Bad?
There are positive and negative beliefs with varying effects depending on how individuals apply them to their lives. Identify and list positive and negative beliefs and how they can improve or make life more challenging. You can also include practical ways to change negative thoughts, such as reevaluation and reinterpretation.
6. The Correlation Between Culture, Religion, and Beliefs
Studies show that people of the same religion also share the same culture. For this prompt, recognize the link between culture, religion, and a person’s beliefs. Describe the differences between the three and explain why beliefs are often attributed to religions but not culture. At the end of your article, determine what has more power over an individual and explain.
7. Where Do Beliefs Come From?
The five primary sources of beliefs are environment, knowledge, events, past experiences, and visualization. Use this prompt to describe the sources of a person’s beliefs and give examples. Highlight misconceptions to refute to make your piece more interesting and informative.For help editing your articles, we recommend using the best grammar checker. Our round-up profiles these tools and offers discounts.
