To bring about reform we have to change minds

I am sometimes questioned about the effectiveness of our academic studies. “It’s deeds we want, not talk”, they tell me. But that’s where they are wrong. For all action begins in the brain. If we want to change what people do, we have to change the way they think.

People act according to their beliefs

During the Second World War hundreds of thousands of Japanese soldiers refused to surrender under any circumstances. They fought to the death. When the Allies captured the island of Saipan in July 1944, for instance, there were virtually no survivors of the 30,000 strong Japanese garrison and two thirds of civilians also committed suicide. To the horror of American troops advancing on the island, they saw mothers clutching their babies hurling themselves over the cliffs rather than be taken prisoner.

The reason was the samurai code of ethics known as ‘bushido’. The supreme sacrifice of life was regarded as the purest of accomplishments. ‘Do not live in shame as a prisoner. Die, and leave no ignominious crime behind you.’ The indoctrinated minds of Japanese soldiers made them act as they did.

The same applies to Nazi anti-Semitists under Hitler, communist fanatics under Lenin and Stalin, and the suicidal Jihadist terrorists of our day. The root cause was and is the wrong belief in their minds.

Japanese bodies after a suicide charge against machine guns

Presentation of reasons and facts help people change their beliefs

English politician William Wilberforce persuasively spoke and wrote against slavery. His 400-page book A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1806) had a huge impact. It led to the UK Parliament adopting the ‘Abolition of Slave Trade’ in 1807, and even more importantly, to the ‘Slavery Abolition Act’ of 1833 that ended all slavery in the British colonies.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stone (1852) had a huge impact. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It has been recognised as a major factor to legitimise the American Civil War that led to the abolition of slavery in the USA (1865).

Fanatics excluded, people learn to use their power of reason. The press, radio and TV have greatly promoted access of women to all jobs, equal rights for ‘blacks’, support for refugees, the protection of wildlife, you name it.

William Wilberforce denounces slavery in Parliament

Antiquated beliefs and practices in the Church will only be abandoned when the underlying errors are exposed

Antiquated beliefs and practices in the Church will only be abandoned when the underlying errors are exposed.
Past mistakes of the Church included:
• defending the legitimacy of slavery (from the Middle Ages to 1888);
• denying the sacraments to businessmen who took interest on bank loans (from 1139-1830);
• rejecting the scientific discovery that the earth goes round the sun (1632-1835);
• declaring that no one outside the Church can be saved (from 1442-1854);
• etc. etc.

Changes only came about when the educated laity and church leaders understood why such views and practices were mistaken.

In 1633 Pope Urban VIII and his Vatican Inquisition silenced Galileo Galilei for holding that the earth was moving round the sun. This was due to misunderstood Scripture texts.

The Church urgently needs to reform some of its ‘doctrines’ and practices. We help bring this about by providing evidence that exposes the errors that underly those ‘doctrines’ and practices. It will liberate the minds of church members. It will open the eyes of church leaders.

We work on two fronts:

• we assess facts and arguments affecting vital present-day issues through coordinated international research projects;
• we make this information available to millions of people all over the world through 16 educational websites.

John Wijngaards