How Beliefs Create Behaviors ...

Lets start with this: All behaviors are created by beliefs.

But, only ALL.

Yeah, I can hear some of you ... "wait a minute, what about automatic reactions?"

Even those ... they're based on what we believe is happening, about to happen, or could happen. Many of our beliefs are fear-based.

Basically, we can't make any sort of change in behavior, without addressing the beliefs that are foundational to the behavior. And, after we change a belief, the behavior will take care of itself -- it will naturally flow out of the belief.

And, because so many of our beliefs, particularly about God, are insane -- so is our behavior. Now, most of us aren't doing this on purpose ... "we know not what we do." Most of us aren't aware that our beliefs are false ... we've received what was handed down to us ... we've believed what we were taught ... we've assumed these things to be true. And so the "sins of the fathers are visited upon the son, even unto the seventh generation."

We have believed that God is intolerant, and so we condone (& even reward) intolerance in our children ...

We have believed that God is angry, and so we condone (& excuse & justify) our own, and our children's outburts of anger.

We have believed in a vengeful God, and so we condone actions of vengeance (the theme of so many of our movies).

We have believed in a God of separation, and so we condone actions of separation from anyone who is "not like us and our God".

And yet - we're all doing the best we can, given what we believe ... insane beliefs create insane behaviors.

We are mirroring life to our children, and to all others ... and others are our mirrors too (they show us our blind spots -- what we do not like in another, we can be sure we *have* in ourselves).

So, what did the mirror say to the other mirror?

("It's all done with people.")

;)

Next - exploring some of our beliefs about God ...

Shalom, Dena