Do our beliefs reflect reality or create one?

Both.

Of course, reality is not a matter of belief. Beliefs do not create reality as it is. Sometimes beliefs don’t even reflect reality. For instance, many religious beliefs are basically founded on pure wishful thinking. Such sectarian beliefs have certainly created a reality for millions if not billions of people. The same goes for so-called scientific beliefs like evolution and abiogenesis.

A great number of people actually believe that God has only one son, and He sent His only son to save the true believers. Anyone who believes otherwise are sent to eternal hell-fire.

God’s only son descended on earth a couple of thousand years ago to save people. So anyone who happened to die before Christ, they were not saved? They are now burning in hell? Or remote tribes in the Amazon, who have never even heard of Christ, they are on their way to hell?

It’s basically a ridiculous concept of God.

None the less, such irrational beliefs form the reality for many people on the planet. Is it the real reality, though? Of course not. Why limit God to only one son? And why limit God’s saving grace to only one short period of known history?

So while different beliefs certainly have the power to create imaginary realities, reality as it really is, can only be established by God. If not established by God, humans are free to define their own beliefs and realities, which is exactly what is happening in Kali-yuga - the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy.

The sun-god, Surya, says:

Whenever the principles of religion deteriorate and the principles of irreligion increase, the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead Sri Hari, appears by His own will. —SB 9.24.56

Srila Prabhupada explains:

The principles by which an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends upon earth are explained in this verse. The same principles are also explained in Bhagavad-gita (4.7) by the Lord Himself:

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion -- at that time I descend Myself."

In the present age, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to inaugurate the Hare Krishna movement. At the present time, in Kali-yuga, people are extremely sinful and bad (manda).

They have no idea of spiritual life and are misusing the benefits of the human form to live like cats and dogs. Under these circumstances Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has inaugurated the Hare Krishna movement, which is not different from Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

If one associates with this movement, he directly associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. People should take advantage of the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra and thus gain relief from all the problems created in this Age of Kali.