Rationalizing faith.

[T.G.G. Moogly]

There are rational and irrational parts of the religious corpus. Religious people seem able to recognize the irrational parts of other religions but unable to recognize the irrational parts of their own. It's damn interesting, don't you think? How does that work?

Or maybe they are unable to recognize the irrational parts of other religions as well, but merely say they are irrational out of fear of their own religion. I think this is more likely the case.

 

[steve_bank]

I worked with creationist Christians who were god engineers. They compartmentalized region and scince.

 

[DBT]

Santa Claus for adults, the Celestial Father figure bearing wonderful gifts, immortality, an end to all suffering, live in a state of bliss forever and ever, amen.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I worked with creationist Christians who were god engineers. They compartmentalized region and scince.

Some brains obviously do that with ease. Just another page in the march of natural selection. I'm certain that one day we will be able to recognize the difference between a religious brain and a rational brain just as easily as we recognize the difference between persons that are five feet tall and six feet tall. There are reasons some brains go off the religious deep end.

It's also worth noting (again pardon the pedantry) that relighious brains today aren't totally whacked out. Their kinda crazy lite. The really crazy ones are regularly weeded out of the gene pool.

 

[DBT]

An interaction of mind/brain and environment producing nearly every possible combination or degree of the rational or irrational, crazy and/or sane, adaption or maladaptation.

 

[steve_bank]

An interaction of mind/brain and environment producing nearly every possible combination or degree of the rational or irrational, crazy and/or sane, adaption or maladaptation.

Nice summary.

 

[Politesse]

There are rational and irrational parts of the religious corpus. Religious people seem able to recognize the irrational parts of other religions but unable to recognize the irrational parts of their own. It's damn interesting, don't you think? How does that work?

Or maybe they are unable to recognize the irrational parts of other religions as well, but merely say they are irrational out of fear of their own religion. I think this is more likely the case.

Believe me, this is not a phenomenon specific to religion. I work in academia, and it is a failing of foolish people everywhere (even the very smart ones) that they think being able to poke holes in other people's ideas means that their own ideas must be impermeable.

 

[DBT]

Ideas are by nature questionable. Why some are reluctant or unwilling to question their own ideas, assumptions or beliefs may be part of the question.