That you believe isn't as important as what you believe

A random sampling of newish holiday movies reminds us that it is really important that you believe.

Polar Express is about a young man on the age of lost innocence when we are at that age when we begin to face some realities about Christmas.  At the end of Elf, it is clear that with danger lurking, it's people's willingness to believe that makes it possible for Santa to do his thing.

Even a mere immortal civilian like Peter Pan relies on the believe signified by clapping of the audience to do his thing.

Science isn't exempt.

In a New Yorker article called The Truth Wears Off, Jonah Lehrer describes a phenomena called publication bias and selective reporting that seem to indicate that even in rigorous scientific methods we "still have to choose what to believe."

In the world of religion and learning and applying the ways of our faith, it isn't until we can articulate and make decisions based on what one another of us believe that significant things happen.

What you believe attracts me to you.  Why you believe it is important and how you manifest your belief is a big part of the story.  But what you believe makes it possible for us to do our thing.

We get tripped up on the right thing to believe.  There is anxiety about what's going to happen to us or our organization or our nation or our eternal station in life if we don't believe the right stuff for the right reasons.

So much anxiety in fact:

We often forget to speak about what we believe.  And what it has caused us to do.

As we search for peace, justice, and truth: may we take a moment to consider what we believe.

Let's take some time to hear about what other people believe, too.

Santa's journey, Peter Pan's flight, or whether or not Dorothy will get back to Kansas don't depend on it.

But what we can and can't do, together as a community of faith, hang in the balance.