Are lies and misconceptions the basis of Christianity?

Terry- I believe that some people are more outer directed, some more inner directed. There are people who are very concerned about matters that religion encompasses. For many, there is comfort in a structure that spells out answers that some find too difficult or frightening to contemplate on their own. Add that to the tendency for many people to desire validation of by others.

Terry wrote:

Setanta, why do you suppose that some people adhere to religious dogma while others reject it? Are some minds naturally more receptive/less skeptical, or does childhood training and experience determine your level of belief?

This is an interesting question, and one I've been trying to answer for years. This was the core question I was trying to probe with my "do you believe in Magic" threads (here and on abuzz). In those threads, I was trying to see how many people believe in the supernatural, and why they choose to believe this.

The distinction between belief and skepticism seems to be a choice which people make early in their lives, and I don't know what makes people lean more in one direction than the other.

It's an interesting choice because it's one which must be made with no information. The two philosophies cannot be measured from the outside, yet it's from the outside that we must all start, so what makes us choose what we choose?

So do we let people cling to their superstitions and dogma, or try to lead them to the truth (as WE know it, of course. :wink: )? Perhaps we could take up a collection each Thursday and and send out missionaries to all parts of the world to teach critical thinking skills ...

... but meantime, could you post a link to your belief in magic threads? Thanks.

I suppose, and it is only supposition, that people adhere to dogma, whether religious or political, because it relieves them of the need to think for themselves.

People continue to cling to revealed truths, to dogma, because they haven't the habit of thought.

R. Kelly Myers of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center says 14 percent believe they've seen a ghost, 7 percent report seeing angels, and 9 percent reported seeing a UFO.
Nearly half of those surveyed are "either unsure or actually believe in astrology," he said. And 46 percent "admit they occasionally read their horoscopes," he says, "while 6 percent say outright they believe in it."
Sept 6, 1996 U of NH survey

Sparks says people tended to put paranormal phenomena into two groups. One group includes creatures that Sparks labels as supernatural beings, such as ghosts, space aliens and angels. The other group consists of psychic phenomena, such as ESP, astrology and the ability to move objects with the mind. "If people endorsed one member or aspect of a group, then they tended to accept them all. It was usually all or none," he says.

Sparks says he thinks television's influence may be tied to how realistically it depicts the paranormal. "Because we saw a connection between supernatural beings and television -- and no such connection between psychic powers and television programming -- we think it may have something to do with the fact that television provides more vivid coverage of ghosts and space aliens. Things like ESP may be harder to depict on TV in such a vivid fashion," he says.

Sparks says belief in paranormal phenomena was quite common among the study's respondents. "For example, over 50 percent of them indicated a belief in ghosts; nearly one-third reported that sometimes they had been able to read another person's mind through extrasensory perception; and nearly 45 percent believed in UFOs from outer space," he says.

Those percentages are similar to national poll results. However, as far as Sparks is concerned, why people come to believe in such phenomena is just as important as what they actually believe. Sparks' research shows that the media do exert some influence on paranormal beliefs.

"We are hoping to draw attention to the ways in which people arrive at their beliefs about the nature of the world," Sparks says. He says charges that the media have not exercised enough caution in disseminating information about paranormal events may be justified if it's proven that the media have undue influence in shaping society's beliefs.
October 17, 1997 Sparks survey

That very large majorities of the American public, and almost all (but not all) Christians believe in God, the survival of the soul after death, miracles, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Virgin birth will come as no great surprise. What may be more surprising is that half of all adults believe in ghosts, almost a third believe in astrology, and more than a quarter believe in reincarnation - that they were themselves reincarnated from other people. Majorities of about two-thirds of all adults believe in hell and the devil, but hardly anybody expects that they will go to hell themselves.

The survey also found that women are more likely than men to hold both Christian and non-Christian beliefs. African-Americans are more likely than whites and Hispanics to hold Christian beliefs, as are Republicans. The level of belief is generally highest among people without a college education and lowest among those with postgraduate degrees.
Jan 2003 Harris survey

Setanta wrote:

I suppose, and it is only supposition, that people adhere to dogma, whether religious or political, because it relieves them of the need to think for themselves.

your supposition is simply wrong...for example, there are MANY Christian scientists...

Setanta wrote:

People continue to cling to revealed truths, to dogma, because they haven't the habit of thought.

smarter men than you are Christians....the truth is as the bible states:


(2 Corinthians 4:4) "the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest THE LIGHT OF THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, who is the image of God, should shine unto them"


(John 3:19) "This is the condemnation (judgment) that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather that light, because their deeds were evil."


( Isaiah 5:20) "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness."

I do believe that the human race improves over time, but slowly enough that one probably wouldn't notice a difference within one's own lifetime.

You would think that if there were some Ultimate Truth, it would be clearly perceived by everyone who looked for it. .

But it has been my experience that the blinders of belief prevent people from seeing anything that conflicts with their religious tenets, even if it is written in black and white in their own Bible.

The Paine pieces are interesting, as is the excerpt posted by Thomas. However, there is altogether an elitist view of religion which emerges. The ordinary communicant cares little or nothing for the the wrongs or rights of dogma, simply whether or not he or she will have any "stars in their crown." They hold their beliefs unexamined, and prefer that you not examine those beliefs, either. What i am suggesting is, the great majority of the devout do know or care whether or not the dogma to which they adhere makes any logical sense, and will resent any effort to hold what they believe up to a rigorous examination.