J-zine - I Don't Believe in Sex

"I don't believe in Sex"

Margareta: Do you believe in god?
Faust: Sweet, who can dare
To say that he believes?
Ask anywhere --
A sage or priest -- and you will see
The answer seems like a mockery
Upon the asking.

The title is a quote from a spotty faced school friend of mine. The announcement caused considerable amusement amongst the rest of us. We were at an age when we both laughed and blushed when sex was the topic. Still, none of us were in any doubt that it was not anything one can believe in. Or not believe in, for that matter. To say so was just plain silly.

Many years later, I started to reflect on his statement. I slowly realised that he was not alone in using the wprd "believe" in this way. Many people say "I believe in X" where X may be "little green men", "flying saucers" or whatever. What is worse, such people frequently ask you "Do you believe in X?" This is question to be wary of. Basically you are trapped into a yes/no answer. Answer no and you are deemed non-believer by the questioner. Answer yes, and you are deemed a crank by everyone else.

Believe: v.t to regard as true; to accept as true what is said by; to be firmly persuaded; to have faith (with in, on)

I must suppose that "Do you believe in X" means "Do you believe (as I do) that X exists", leaving you to guess what exactly the questioner actually means by X. An example. "Do you believe in UFOs?" Is the questioner asking you if you believe that certain flying objects have yet to be identified? Given the state of our meagre knowledge, it is difficult not to answer in the affirmative to such a question. On the other hand, the questioner may be asking if you believe that spacecraft from a distant galaxy are present in our airspace. The cautious person should query to find out what exactly the questioner means by "UFO" before answering.

Do you believe in god? asked the man behind the counter. I had just entered his small shop in a street in Cairo. He closed a book. From the Arabic script on the front I could guess it was the Koran - a well used copy, at that. My mind spun in search of a tactful reply. "How can one not believe in god?", I countered. "Ah, these Russians that come here; they are unbelievers.", he replied. Crisis over. He started to show me the tourist items I had come to view, while my mind was mulling over our initial exchange. His question reminded me of my spotty friend's proclamation of dis-belief in sex. It is surely equally incorrect to believe (or not believe) in god as it is in sex. One can believe in a particular doctrine or credo, certainly. But can I correctly believe (or not believe) in something that that simply is?

God: n A superhuman being; an object of worship; (with cap.) the Supreme Being of monotheistic religions; the Creator.

I have visited a Catholic church in Sacramento, a Hindu temple in Tirupathi, a Mosque in Cairo and a Bahá'í temple in Evenston. In each of these places of worship the people in attendance were, I presume, believers. What they believed in was their version of that religion or faith. Even the Russians that the Cairo shop keeper called unbelievers, had their beliefs - Marxist-Leninism supressed established religions, just because they were competitors to the new religion; Communism.

About Time

Note: Dictionary definitions used here are from Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1972 (gosh, that old?).