But, that's not the only area in which I was a seeing denier. I knew many things about the LDS church which should have tipped me off that it's not true, but they didn't. I refused to accept the consequences of that knowledge. I knew that Joseph Smith gave different accounts of the First Vision. I also willfully chose not to ever look them up because I wanted to continue to believe. I knew that Joseph Smith had multiple wives, but I denied that they were kept secret from his first (and only publicly known) wife. I naturally assumed that she knew about all of his other wives.
I believed that the first man and woman on this Earth lived 6,000 years ago. I denied all of the geological, archaeological, linguistic, and paleontological evidence that clearly proves this couldn't possibly be true. I denied all of the evidence of evolution. I believed that there literally was a flood at the time of Noah that covered the whole Earth in water, despite the fact that 1. the logistics of such an event are incomprehensibly implausible and 2. if such a thing did happen, there should be all kinds of geological evidence to support it and yet there is none.
I am actually shamed to admit that I did believe in all of this. That I denied and deflected the truth for so long because I wanted so bad to believe in what I was taught as a child. With all of the glaring evidence proving me wrong, I still pressed on and believed all of the nonsense. It is embarrassing to have to admit that. And the only reason I do admit it is because I am an honest man. In all things, I like to be honest--to tell the truth as accurately and openly as possible. Also, I want to emphasize that it's not just stupid people that do this. You aren't necessarily an idiot simply because you are a "seeing denier". It might sound like bragging, but I'm really not a dumb person. I'm intelligent. And I was fooled. I believed in false things, despite seeing so much evidence to refute it. So, it's okay if you do too.
The only consolation that I have is that eventually I stopped denying. When the evidence became too great for me to push it out of my mind, I finally admitted that I was wrong. I finally accepted the fact that the church is in fact not true. It's very good at answering the kinds of doubts that I mentioned above, and many others that I've mentioned here and in other places.
If you are a seeing denier, you probably won't be able to admit it--even to yourself. (Hence the "denier" part.) That's why I think it's of the utmost importance that you critically analyze everything that you believe in. Especially if it's something that you think has eternal consequences. Study your beliefs. Study history. Study science. Education can never hurt. If you come across something that is false, you should be able to justify why it is false. It should not simply be dismissed because it disagrees with your church or with your preconceived notions. And if you come across something that is true, you should be able to justify why it is true. I urge all of my readers to carefully scrutinize what they believe. Study it out. Learn all there is to know about the matter. And, the more important the question--the higher the stakes are--the more important it is for you to know for sure whether it's true or false. If it truly is something that could bring you everlasting happiness, it's everlastingly important for you to know for sure. And if you have any doubts, it's of the utmost importance that you seek answers to those doubts. Find out if they are justified or not.
Don't be a blind follower or a seeing denier. Seek light and knowledge. Seek truth. Verify your beliefs. Verify your claims. Question your beliefs and see if they hold up under scrutiny and critical analysis.
Don't feel so badly about it, Keith. There are mounds of psychological evidence that shows brain development is inclined toward belief of whatever we are taught by our elders during our formative years. When we go against this ingrained pattern of belief, it places immense stress on our psyche, and manifests itself in many ways. Religion is an insidious hijacker of this trigger - the fear of the negative consequences of disbelief are designed to be much more dire than any of the positives of belief.
ReplyDeleteChristianity:
Pros - You get to live with a dominating patriarch in eternal worship and servitude in "paradise" (The hardest pill to swallow - who would actively choose to spend forever in slavery?)
Cons - YOU BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL FOREVER OMGOMGOMGOMG
Granted a pretty poor choice whichever you end up in.
Islam:
Pros - Granted wishes, no negative emotions. 77 virgins if you die a martyr.
Cons - YOU BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL FOREVER OMGOMGOMGOMG
A little bit better on the Pros portion, I'd have to say. Still, the negative fear aspect is still exponentially higher.
Judaism has no hell, nor afterlife. Later interpretations have added a punishment aspect, but Judaism always struck me as a more tame version of religion (which is probably why its texts have been highjacked and altered for Islam and Christianity to garner more followers)
Hinduism:
Pros - Cows.
Cons - UNTOUCHABLES or bugs or something.
Buddhism:
Pros - Enlightenment
Cons - Not enlightenment.
It is designed to hold you in. Feel proud that you are one of the few that made it out alive, and that you live in a time in history that you are allowed to disbelieve in silly fairy tales without being decapitated or burned at the stake. It is all a process, and it has to begin somewhere.
LOL. Love that breakdown of religions.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've read/watched on YouTube a lot of information about the psychology of belief--including what you mentioned about children's minds being very malleable and much less so when they reach adulthood, about the psychological mechanisms that religions hijacks in order to make the brain "hooked" on it, so to speak, and about cognitive dissonance. It's actually been very helpful to me in recovering from Mormonism, and I would in fact recommend (and have recommended in the past) reading and watching these educational videos and articles to anyone who is questioning their faith or is having a crisis of faith, or has stopped believing altogether but wants to understand why it's so hard for people to stop believing/so easy for them to keep believing.
Psychology really is a fascinating subject. I might just have to take some classes on it at some point in time. That's one of the advantages of being a professor--you can take college classes on anything any time you want.
I find psychology highly interesting... I've taken six classes on psych since I started back on school and it is by far the most entertaining and informative class thusfar. I highly recommend taking Developmental Psych, Human Sexuality, and Abnormal Psych.
ReplyDelete