Who do we trust when we trust in God? That may seem a stupid question, in God of course! But what does that mean? It can mean different things. If you trust in God, what does it mean to you?
To some it means, that life has a meaning. That this world and each living thing is created with intention and talent. That every person comes into this world with potential, and with love from God. Trusting in God can mean that you trust in your life, that you have faith in this world and its future. It can give you strength and stability, even when the outside world appears to be in chaos.
Many people trust in God, in the past and still today. Today, however, an alternative has become quite popular: “Trust the Science”. So who do we trust when we trust science? This question you have maybe asked yourself already. The answer should be: Nobody! Not a person, but a method: the scientific method to acquire knowledge is what we trust in, if we truly choose to trust in science. So, as a first step, we must know this method and what it is based on. Do you?
Trust can also mean something else. Trust can be given to authorities. If you give your trust to authorities or so called experts, the choice becomes a different one. You can choose authorities claiming to represent God, or authorities claiming to represent science. In both cases you trust an authority, and it will tell you what to believe and maybe even what to do. Trusting authorities or experts is very comfortable and tempting. But who do you trust, when choosing one or some of them? The person itself for sure. Maybe others also, who you expect to check the statements and ring alarm in case of any issues? Maybe an entire community, the “scientific community”?
It is very important to be aware of this difference. Trusting in a community claiming to represent God is not the same as trusting in God. And trusting in “the” community claiming to represent science ist NOT the same as trusting in science.
We choose how we place our trust and how much effort we put into finding truth. One way to begin is with our capability to perceive and to think.