Rational Ag

Some people in our world are more gullible than others. By nature and definition, those that are gullible tend to believe things with little or no proof.

If you were to go to the local periodical shop, you could find several different types of UFO magazines. If you flipped to the back you would see all kinds of advertisement adds pleading the reader to buy a product or service. These adds would most likely include secrets to power, wealth, and love. They would probably include life improving spirits, promises of magic powers, conspiracy theories, get-rich schemes, powerful talismans and seals, sacred writings, etc. They would include all kinds of things people are looking for.

The thing that binds all of these is the expectation of audience gullibility, because people that are prone to buying the UFO magazine are more likely to be less skeptical and more believing when it comes to other concepts, ideas, and offerings as well.

I would hesitate to guess that most Christians would say that people that believe in UFO's visiting earth people were gullible. The Christian would say that there is not ample evidence to believe that UFO's were visiting the earth and interacting with humans, and thus a belief that such aliens existed is irrational and makes the person more gullible than average.

In addition, I would hesitate to guess that most Christians would believe that magnetic healing mattresses work, or that talismans or crystals can cure your diseases or pain. I would say that most Christians would not be interested in books about conspiracy theories or hidden rulers of the earth. I would propose that most Christians wouldn't be interested in mind magnets that magnify psychic powers or life-improving secrets from aliens. I would suggest that most Christians would think that the people that buy into these products are gullible.

Looking at all of this from my perspective, I agree. UFO magazines and advertisers are counting on a high gullability factor in the readers. They are looking for un-skeptical people who do not require evidence and will believe most anything because it offers them something that they want.

However, these very same reasons are the same reasons I do not believe in Christianity. The promises of everlasting life, the promises of love, the promises of an omnipotent being that cares about you, the promises of hope, the promises of happiness...with no empirical evidence to back them up.

To me, Christianity looks just like the UFO cults. A case of gullibility. People choosing to believe what they want to, in spite of empirical evidence to support it, and despite contradictory evidence that states otherwise.

How does one avoid gullibility? By using critical thinking skills to discern whether something is true, or if you perceive it to be true because you want it to be true. By demanding empirical evidence.

-------

Props and credit to Carl Sagan for expressing this concept at length in "Demon Haunted World".

I posted this on Christianforums.com and so far all I have is bible verses and people telling me that God is awesome. *sigh*

-Rational Ag

Samhain

Of course Christians believe that New-age "medicines" and techniques work, but they are the tools of the Devil, mind you

cydonia

Yes i thought the ideas were very similar to the demon haunted world. Great book.

God is just, so totally awesome and stuff like that! Hey, if you don't believe me, read John 3:16.

cydonia

Many christians also believe harry potter books summon evil demons into the souls of precious younglings.

Oxidizing Material

And that homosexuals want to hump your children

NOGO

Personally I don't believe that it is a quesiton of gullibility. People are actually smarter than they appear.

The problem has to do with human weaknesses like fear, uncertainty in the future etc.

All this predisposes us to gullibility.

Let me give you a real-life example.

This very reasonable and rational person who did not believe in magic and the like came down with cancer. As the end appraoched he was willing to try anything even the absurd. During his final hours he even gulp down a week's worth of medicine (more like a witch's brew) which evidently did not work till then and would not work ever. But at that stage rational logic gave way to belief in magic.

A strong desire for something will slant all your thoughts and make you gullible or at least make you appear that way.

Laera

My sister (who, granted, is a xian) has defied all the odds for 19 years in her battle with cancer. My mom likes to use her as the ultimate example of god's saving grace and point out how much better her life has gotten from the beginning of her battle to today (minus the physical pain and treatments) and how important her impact on our family and others has been. ("god's kept her here for a reason")

Meanwhile, she's been through every treatment known to mankind - legal, experimental, mystical, etc. When the real doctors gave up on her she became a guinea pig in medical trials for college research, and when that avenue wasn't available, I've even seen her wear crystals and magnetic bands around her wrists while drinking strange herbal teas. (my mom has even performed "drum healing" over her - don't ask.)

Through all this, everyone prays. Now, I see that the odds have always been against her, and that many other people that try these treatments die much sooner, but I also see people praying for those folks as well. It seems to me to be a "chaos theory" kind of situation where there are too many inputs that we couldn't possibly identify them all in order to predict the expected output.

Is it "gullible" of my mom and sister to attribute her continued survival to "God's plan?" Honestly, I feel kind of harsh to call it "luck" or even to give sis the credit by noting how tough she is. Was she "gullible" to give those magazine ads a fair shake?

The gist of all this is that I agree with NOGO: But that raises another question:
Is desperation something different from gullibility?

Kosh

Actually, in this case I believe they're simply suffering from a bad case of logic.

A. Most people who get cancer die
B. Someone who got cancer didn't die
C. That person must have been saved by God.

Clearly, C does not follow from A and B. It hinges on A, Most people, is somehow translated into All people in their minds, and therefore any survival is deemed as a miracle. When in reality, as you pointed out, there are far two many variables which we don't understand.

In doing this, modern people are no better than ignorant primitives where all this started. They are drawing conclusions and attributions from an insufficient lack of information.

ebolamonger

I'll buy that!

Kosh

<img src="graemlins/notworthy.gif" border="0" alt="[Not Worthy]" />