Whom Do You Trust?

Speaking in low tones the daughter anxiously solicited a few moments of her mother’s time for advice, “Mom, I need to talk with you. Can we speak in private?” Looking at her daughter with a loving, penetrating glance and with a warm smile, the mother replied, “Of course, let us take walk together.” The daughter was seeking advice on an important matter from the person whom she most trusted.

Knowing that his uncle had been a star athlete in his youth, the youngster pleaded with him saying, “Please Uncle Joe teach me the proper method of kicking the football.” The youngster had an important request of someone he trusted.

In life, people depend upon others whom they trust. As young children we rely upon our parents and relatives for direction and love. We trust them. As we form friendships with others of our own age, we develop relationships that include a significant degree of trust. In our school years, favorite teachers, coaches, and mentors gain our trust; occasionally this trust even exceeds that given to our parents. In our work environments, trust of our fellow workers is often critical for the successful completion of a project or an assignment. Business cannot prosper without trust among the participants in the business.

In every endeavor of our lives, trust is crucial. We absolutely need to know that we can trust another individual or individuals. Marriages could not exist without a trusting relationship. Children would find it difficult to confidently mature and grow into stable adults without the trust gained through a loving relationship with their parents. Thomas Dubay summarizes this need for trust in one simple, direct sentence, “Everyone founds his intellectual life on trust.”

As people search for answers to the basic questions that everyone will entertain at some point in their lives, they trust others to help them find the answers. Questions such as, What is the meaning to life? What is the purpose for my existence? Why am I me and not someone else? Is this life all there is? all require answers. Few people can proceed through life without obtaining some answers to these and other similar questions. Oh, we can and often do submerge these questions into the background as we journey through life; first seeking a mate, then creating and raising children, working, and just living a busy and, often complicated, life. Yet at some point or other we must come to terms with answers to the questions about the meaning of life.

Since we often do not have time or the means to carefully consider these questions ourselves, we tend to rely on the wisdom of others for the answers, until we have time to consider them on our own. Frequently, we accept the solutions offered by our parents and / or mentors and leave it at that. Yet somewhere along the line, we will face the issue of life’s meaning on our own. Then whom should we trust with helping us seek the answers?

Philosophers, theologians, churchmen, psychologists, scientists and many others offer their insights into the fundamental of meaning of life that concern mankind. The question of trust again raises its head. There are many different schools of thought regarding life’s meaning. Which one has the insight into the truth regarding the meaning of life? Whom should I trust?

The most basic question that faces each person is, “Does God exist”? How can I know that God does or does not exist?  If He does exist, what is he like and what does he expect of me? These and many other questions challenge each person for a response, an answer. Based upon the answers people supply to these questions, they will form their approach to life. Many people tend to trust the opinions of others regarding the answers to the existence of God. It may their parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and acquaintances that they rely upon for guidance. Generally it comes down to whom one trusts the most.

But of those whom we tend to trust regarding the existence of God, someone, somewhere in the chain of trust has sought the answer by studying the minds of philosophers, theologians, and other teachers and thought leaders. Who among these individuals are worthy of our trust? Listed below are thinkers; some reject the notion of God while others are deists, believers in a Supreme Being, a Creator. Among the great thinkers who are deists are Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Abraham, Moses, and an endless multitude of saints, including Peter and Paul, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Bonaventure.  Luther, Calvin, and others also have shared their belief in God’s existence. While many of the saints, such as Augustine and Aquinas, are noted for their prodigious minds and intellect, most of the saints are also admired for their intense pursuit of truth, integrity, and piety. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine are considered among the great minds of all history, but their sainthood was based upon their tireless pursuit of truth and piety. For most people, they are considered very trustworthy as their lives spoke of honesty and truth.

Among the atheists are Rousseau, Nietzsche, Marx, Hegel, Lenin, Russell, Dawkins, Bonifay, and others. Are these individuals known for their pursuit of truth?

If one examines the long list of people who believe in God versus the list of those who reject God and review their reasons for their beliefs, whom would you trust? Why?

Remember in the end, the question of the existence of God is the most fundamental issue any person will face. It cannot be avoided, unless one desires to wander through life with no anchor. Whom do you trust? Whom would you follow?

Suggested Reading:

“Faith and Certitude”, by Thomas Dubay, published by Ignatius Press.