“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” ~Psalm 25:5
Mark Twain is believed to have authored the saying, “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” Another very common expression is, “My mind is made up; don’t try to confuse me with the facts.” These statements reflect an unfortunate reality; once someone has been deceived and has come to believe a fallacious idea, it is much more difficult to present the truth of the matter – and have it accepted.
There are a number of reasons why this is so:
1. Cognitive bias: People will most likely cling to their beliefs and resist changing them, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. Cognitive bias makes it harder to convince someone that they have been deceived.
The reason for Cognitive bias and how it works stems from the idea that our brains are wired so as to believe the first thing they hear and is related to the concept of the illusory truth effect. This is the case whereby repeated information is more likely to be perceived as true−simply because it was repeated frequently−regardless of its actual accuracy. This effect is explained by the phenomenon of processing fluency, where familiarity leads us to assume something is accurate. An example of this is the statement often attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels, and used in his propaganda campaign: “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” Note: A
2. Emotional attachments: Beliefs can be deeply intertwined with emotions, making it difficult to detach from them in order to accept a new reality.
3. Confirmation bias: People are more likely to seek out and pay attention to information that confirms their existing beliefs. This makes it easier to deceive them with tailored information.
4. Trust and authority: Deception can be more effective when presented by someone trusted or in a position of authority, as people are less likely to question their sources.
5. Denial and self-preservation: Being deceived can be a painful experience, so people may deny it to protect their pride or maintain a positive self-image.
I think it is important that we realize how easily we can be deceived and how firmly we can hang on to certain beliefs – despite all evidence to the contrary that could refute such beliefs. I think it important to be aware of and understand the power of deception once it takes hold; and we must be mindful of this as we form our beliefs and our overall world view. Pre-existing beliefs form the lens through which we will receive and judge any additional facts on any given subject and determine what we do with such information.
Recent history should make this age-old human dynamic painfully obvious. Consider the following examples and how we handle differences and treat one another amidst conflicting, pre-existing beliefs. Without getting into great details or attempting to promote a particular narrative, I will simply list a few recent topics and I’m certain most will be aware of the different strongly held beliefs surrounding each topic:
Covid,
Vaccines,
Mandatory masking,
Social distancing,
Closing churches,
Closing schools,
Gender identity,
Trump,
Mark Carney,
Pierre Poilievre
I picked the list I did because none of these topics would have been particularly divisive just a short time ago. Many people would not have even heard of them ten to fifteen years ago. All such topics, once introduced, were first announced in some manner and this is then followed by frequent narrative driven reporting in the media. Most of the views and beliefs (regarding these topics) that subsequently developed, would have been largely formed by what people were listening to. Repeated exposure to a consistently repeated narrative, served to strengthen public opinion. Often people did very little independent research on their own; instead, they allowed their beliefs to be shaped by their favourite “experts” and information sources. Once those beliefs were strongly formed, the opposing beliefs and views held by others (even among close friends and family) would be rejected and very often ridiculed – certainly they would rarely be thoughtfully considered.
We are all subject to this dynamic; therefore, in any search for objective truth, we all must be mindful of this possibility. When the facts (relevant to any particular subject), seem to be in conflict with our own preconceived beliefs, we should be prepared (temporarily at least) to set our own preconceived opinions aside and attempt to objectively evaluate the new information. This is as true about religious matters as it is about any other topic. However this step, in any search for objective truth, is the one that faces the greatest amount of resistance.
If one is serious about their study of Biblical topics, I believe they must be prepared to ask of them-self the question, “Has my study of scripture fallen victim to the presuppositions I have about this topic that I wish to examine?” Such presuppositions, in all likelihood, will colour just about everything you read as you study and interpret the text before you. This might mean that the text has not been correctly interpreted – for if the presupposition is faulty, the interpretation (based on the presupposition) will likely be faulty as well. This dynamic is especially the case when your pre-existing belief is what you want to see in the text; this is commonly referred to as confirmation bias.
When I grew up, one could say the doctrinal teaching I was exposed to, and the Christian environment I experienced, was homogeneous. Everyone believed essentially the same thing with very little variance. Such an environment is otherwise known as an “Echo chamber,” and it serves to greatly reinforce and validate the world-view of all those holding beliefs in common. Since I’ve become exposed to other denominational churches, groups and settings, I’ve come to recognize similar kinds of echo chambers in each one. So, while I may have thought the teachings I was exposed to and raised with were exactly what the Bible said—and would have readily argued the point that this was so—I did not realize my understanding of the Bible was constantly being filtered through a denominational lens. In fact this dynamic did not become evident until after I realized believers from other churches (denomination other than the one in which I was raised) often made very similar kinds of errors with respect to the dogma to which they held.
This was never more evident to me than when I began attending Bible study groups whose members came from Christian traditions and backgrounds that were different from my own. Suddenly it became very evident that though we were studying the same topic and reading from the same text, there were many times when there was very little agreement about the interpretation and meaning of what we’d just read. The understanding of the text seemed very much related to the pre-existing, tradition or denominational belief the person held coming into the study. (Of course, I include myself as coming in with my own pre-existing beliefs as well.)
Unless you are aware of beliefs, which you have already formed relative to any subject, those beliefs could (and sometimes do) become an obstacle to comprehending the actual text—the data in front of you. It is therefore important to be mindful of what beliefs you’ve chosen to bring with you into any study… and yes, it is a choice.
When it comes to a variety of views about different subjects and doctrines, Christians are not a homogeneous group. Within the broader Christian community there exist a number of controversial views and ideas that encompass doctrinal beliefs about various things – topics from the distant past, the present time and the future to come. Amongst Christians today, a number of Biblical scholars have said that nothing is more contentious than the so called “Millennium” and associated end-times views.
Even though there is general agreement in Christ’s promised return – His second coming. Beyond that there are differences as to what/how this will be. Because of the disagreements, there is a stated agreement that these various end-times views are not a core belief or central to the Christian message. They do however; have a tremendous impact on associated world views. This is particularly true of Dispensational pre-millennialism and the so-called “Rapture of the church.”
This particular view, held by many identifying as “Evangelicals” and including many influential folks in government, can be seen to have a direct effect on the foreign policy of their country. It might even be said that on these issues there has become an unhealthy/dangerous blending of church and state. Has this been a good thing? I think not but I’ll leave it to the reader to decide.
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Note: A. The full quote is: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic, and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” ~ usually attributed to Joseph Goebbles
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