Modal beliefs
Modal beliefs are transactional by nature of being organized for the benefit of the modality.
Modal beliefs are transactional by nature of being organized for the benefit of the modality. There has to be a buy-in at some point that comes at the expense of individual beliefs which are by their nature dispositional: every human is born with beliefs that predate their birth by hundreds of years (Lipton, The Biology of Belief). Over the course of a child’s first 7 or so years, these dispositional (epigenetic) beliefs become articulated by family and other social environments. From age 7 until whenever a child leaves the nest, the dispositional beliefs become more organized, muted or enhanced, suppressed or amplified.
Maturation is the final stage. It happens primarily in a person’s twenties through thirties or whenever a person leaves their family for an extended period of time. This stage is when all of the reinforcements and values challenge the young adult as they navigate the world, career paths, and meet others with similar beliefs and start families of their own.
In short, dispositional beliefs become articulated then organized.
To understand the stages of epigenetic belief development is to realize that beliefs become better articulated and then organized which creates a healthy or unhealthy self-image. Beliefs don’t develop, they simply become better articulated and organized. Every cell in your body responds to all of your emotions and their attendant self-reinforcing thoughts and actions. This happens 24/7. You can’t change your beliefs, but you can change how you express them.
In a nutshell, this describes the teachings of Jesus — which align with The Biology of Belief (condensed here) — which were diametrically opposed to Phariseean transactional beliefs which promoted the letter of the law–morality–above the spirit of the law which is love. Because that modality was transactional, the Rabbinic class was wealthy because they collected sin taxes whereby sinner’s artificial debt was paid off. Hence Jesus’ assault of the money changers in the Temple.
Jesus shows that the Phariseean belief system addresses the symptoms which is very profitable, at the expense of the cause. Focusing on symptoms is the world’s oldest business model because it’s fear-based and thus effective: perform this action in order to achieve/receive what you already are. Miracles are the direct opposite of that: believe. No sin tax, no kissing the ring, no tithing, heck, you don’t even need to believe in God. Just believe.
And do not doubt. Doubt (disbelief) is the hallmark of fear-based transactions. Jesus specifically mentioned to the disciples that if they do not doubt they will have whatever they say in order to demonstrate the difference between miracles and the fear-based rules that they knew all-too well. The disciples had facilitated miracles that were amazing in and of themselves, made even more amazing because their so-called ‘religious leaders’ had forgotten that the greatest commandment is to love one’s neighbor as one’s self. Jesus merely quoted Leviticus 19:9–18 to remind the Pharisees that their con was the cause of the oppression of their fellow Jews which opened the door for Roman occupation.
These Phariseean beliefs, and the consequences they created, became dispositional beliefs. The way that you treat others modifies the expression of your DNA and that of the people you treat.
