A lot of religious folks think they can help by insisting over and over again how important it is to “just believe,” as if belief were something one could conjure by force of will. But in my experience, simply wanting to believe doesn’t work. The only thing that “works”—and probably only about half the time—is the long and storied spiritual discipline the sages of the faith refer to as “fake it till you make it.” Go to church. Take communion. Show up at the homeless shelter. March in the protest. Pray for healing. Rebuke the chaos.
