Creating Realities and Gods Through Belief
In one of my most interesting conversations since arriving in Arkansas, I met Lunar Franklin, a man with deep ideas about the nature of thought and its ability to shape reality. According to Lunar, reality is nothing more than a construct of our minds, a concept supported by great thinkers such as Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill. In his book Think and Grow Rich, Hill argues that positive thinking and unwavering faith in an idea can manifest it into reality.
Thought as a Creative Tool
The idea that thought has the power to influence reality is not new. In modern psychology, the law of attraction holds that what a person believes with enough intensity can manifest in their life. We also see this in historical figures who have shaped the world through their vision: Jesus and Muhammad, for example, changed history thanks to the conviction of their followers. Without believers, their ideas would never have transcended.
This theory is reinforced by the phenomenon of social media today. Nowadays, the value of a person or an idea is measured in likes and followers. If an individual manages to build a strong enough community, they can become an authority—almost a mythical figure. This leads to an interesting reflection: isn’t the construction of a divine figure a similar process? For a savior to arrive, we must first believe in them with absolute certainty.
Two Ways to Create a God
If we analyze history, we can identify two ways in which a society has generated the figure of a god:
- Through thought and collective belief. This is the case with Jesus and Muhammad. Both preached revolutionary ideas that resonated with people’s minds, turning them into spiritual symbols. Their followers were key in constructing their divinity, much like how a public figure today rises to prominence through their online community.
- Through destruction and the rewriting of history. An example of this can be found in the biblical narrative of the Great Flood and Noah. In this case, YHWH (God) decides to eliminate most of humanity, leaving only a select group to pass down his story and divinity. This method not only ensures the preservation of a belief but also imposes a singular version of reality.
Reality as a Collective Agreement
If we accept that reality is constructed through thought and shared belief, then the creation of a god is simply an extreme manifestation of this principle. The power of thought not only influences personal life but can also shape entire civilizations.
The question remains: Can we create the Messiah? If the belief of millions can shape reality, the answer is yes—but you must be as certain as Morpheus was about Neo being The One. In other words, Morpheus shaped Neo’s reality through thought.
Perhaps, as Lunar Franklin said, the key is to believe—but to truly believe.
Scientific Insights Supporting This Premise
This idea is echoed in contemporary scientific studies. Below, we explore some of these contributions.
1. The Vision of Great Thinkers
Various authors have argued that faith and positive thinking are tools of creation. In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill explains that deep conviction in an idea is the first step to materializing it. Similarly, historical figures like Jesus and Muhammad achieved transcendence through the unwavering faith of their followers. In this sense, the construction of a “god”—whether a savior or an idealized mythical figure—is the result of an intense collective belief that, through thought, transforms society.
2. Scientific Evidence: The Impact of Thought on the Body
Modern science also supports the mind’s ability to influence matter. A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University demonstrated that the perception of time can alter the healing process. According to their findings, when participants believed more time had passed, their wounds healed faster; in contrast, a perception of “accelerated” time slowed down recovery, even though real-time remained constant. This discovery suggests that our internal beliefs can affect fundamental biological processes.
3. Neuroscience and the Manipulation of Perception
In neuroscience, the work of researcher Rafael Yuste has shown that it is possible to induce perceptions in the brain by selectively activating neural clusters. In experiments with mice, his team managed to “trick” the animals into perceiving non-existent stimuli. While these tests were conducted on animal models, the results suggest that the mind, by modulating its neural activity, can “create” experiences that lack an immediate external counterpart. This supports the idea that, in the hands of strong and directed thought, reality can be reconfigured.
4. The Social Construction of Reality
Not only does experimental science support this; philosophical and psychological theories such as constructivism and communication theories (for example, Paul Watzlawick’s ideas on self-fulfilling prophecies) argue that “reality” is largely a construct of our minds and social interactions. If we consider that facts become “real” when interpreted and that our expectations can generate concrete effects—just as self-fulfilling prophecies do—then thought emerges as the fundamental mechanism through which our world is built.
5. Eastern Perspectives: The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi
Parallel to the Western perspective, the Indian sage Ramana Maharshi proposed self-inquiry as a path to dismantling the illusions of the mind. According to Maharshi, the mind tends to create an illusory representation of the world, while pure consciousness remains untouched and is the source of true reality. This distinction between the mind (as the creator of illusions) and consciousness (as the unchanging foundation) reinforces the idea that experienced reality is, ultimately, a product of our thoughts.
