What evidence is there that christians are all mass deluded?

[Papersock]

And what do you think is the reason so many christians believe 'inaccurate' things?

I think Christians (but not just Christians, mind you) attribute certain feelings and experiences to the wrong thing. For example: Having a sense of peace and forgiveness being attributed to God doing it.
And once a firm belief is set into a person's mind, it is difficult to change that belief because the mind has already decided that that is the correct belief.

I had a hard time wording it, but it's something like that. At least, that's what I believe

 

[Mister Emu]

Christians, in common with other religious people, have a fixed belief in something without evidence supporting it, ie: a delusion.

I must note that beliefs being unsupported by itself is not enough to qualify as delusion, if we are going to be talking about delusion in a psychiatric sense...

How do you respond to the reasoning and evidence presented in this dramatization?

There can be no scientific study on the efficacy of prayer...

 

[Humanistheart]

And by the same token, people who were not brought up in christian homes, who have not gradually been indoctinated are christians and believe in god. So really what im saying is that you are going to have to find another reason why christians believe in god, because having learnt these things from their parents does not stop any of these children to abondon their beliefs when they grow up, neither does it hinder children who have not grown up in christian families to start believing in God

Heneni

Does it apply to ALL christians? No, and if you re-read the posts you'll see I never made that claim, I only answered your question of how children could be 'brainwashed'. Does it apply to the ones raised in the faith? Yes. One large section explained away, one smaller portion of believers to go. Which group are you in? Either way, I noticed you've dilluded yourself into believing jesus is the messiah, despite the fact jesus did not fullfill the messianic prophicies.

 

[dogsgod]

I must note that beliefs being unsupported by itself is not enough to qualify as delusion, if we are going to be talking about delusion in a psychiatric sense...

Why not?

There can be no scientific study on the efficacy of prayer...

Of course there can, there have been some, prayer can't out perform chance. Rolling dice is just as effective.

 

[Mister Emu]

Why not?

Because the psychiatric definition involves things are that impossible or provably false... not things that are merely unsupported...

Of course there can, there have been some, prayer can't out perform chance. Rolling dice is just as effective.

Not there cannot, and no there have not... there have been some studies that claim to be scientific, but those claims is fallacious...

The scientific method hinges on the ability to control variables... you cannot control the most important variable in the study of the efficacy of prayer... you cannot control who is not being prayed for. You cannot point to someone and say, "That person is not being prayed for"...

 

[blackout]

Christians are no more "dilusional" than anyone else.

People see, hear and experience
as they are inclined to.
They attribute meaning and reason/s
to their experience,
and "explain" things via the paradigm they 'know',
or
they "term" their new experiences via "terms new to them".
Which might be christian ones,
or any other ones that seem to circumstantially "fit"
their *new experience.
(*could be a very strong new feeling, or a dream that comes to pass,
or some great syncronicity, a whole reality shift, or anything... whatever)

Explaining things via the terms of your current paradigm,
simply serves to renforce that paradigm.
You 'see' through the lenses of your paradigm,
therefore your paradigm will obviously be the one you see in all things.
Therefore, it it the TRUE reality. See?
(take a look through my lenses)

Sometimes also people just choose religions/organizations/clubs/causes/'societies'/'circles'
for asthetic, social, comfort, ethical and other personal reasons.

 

[averageJOE]

...believing jesus is the messiah...

It's the central belief of Christianity that I find delusional. The worshiping of a flesh and blood mortal man, who may or may not have actually lived. Actually believing this mortal man was God.

OK, maybe delusional is too strong of a word. But I definatly find it to be weird and creepy.

 

[Madhuri]

It's the central belief of Christianity that I find delusional. The worshiping of a flesh and blood mortal man, who may or may not have actually lived. Actually believing this mortal man was God.

OK, maybe delusional is too strong of a word. But I definatly find it to be weird and creepy.

Funny, that's the part I respect the most.

 

[dogsgod]

Because the psychiatric definition involves things are that impossible or provably false... not things that are merely unsupported...

Religious beliefs are of the impossible and provably false, the evidence and proof of the universe and living things evolving rather than being created by a creator god is overwhelming, the religious are simply delusional.

Not there cannot, and no there have not... there have been some studies that claim to be scientific, but those claims is fallacious...

The scientific method hinges on the ability to control variables... you cannot control the most important variable in the study of the efficacy of prayer... you cannot control who is not being prayed for. You cannot point to someone and say, "That person is not being prayed for"...

All scenarios have to be considered and taken into account, but I understand your concerns:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If religionists applied reason and science to their faith, their religion would simply die. That's why faith must oppose science for its very survival.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]--Ignots Pistachio [/FONT]

 

[Willamena]

All scenarios have to be considered and taken into account[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]

On the contrary, the so-called scientific experiment doesn't even have to propose a method of prayer affecting its target at all.

 

[Beaudreaux]

There can be no scientific study on the efficacy of prayer...

Why not?

 

[linwood]

There can be no scientific study on the efficacy of prayer...

Of course there can be.

Prayer is one of the doctrines that claim God affects the physical world.

Affects on the physical world can be measured by science.

It`s really that simple.

 

[Perfect Circle]

There can be no scientific study on the efficacy of prayer...

Yeah, I'm not following. If I claim that my appeals to god will measurably affect something in the world and it turns out that they don't, what does that say?

 

[Perfect Circle]

And what do you think is the reason so many christians believe 'inaccurate' things?

Christianity is a broad term really. Defining exactly what a "Christian" believes can be a little tricky. But, if you like, we can use you as an example. Do you personally believe that the entire Earth was flooded?

 

[monta]

There are the following possibilities in my view

1. Dieties exist
2. Dieties do not exist
3. Dieties did exist
4. Dieties will exist

Take option 1 to be true, than it the following choices arise

A. One of the existing religions is correct
B. All of the existing religions are correct
C. None of the existing religions are correct

Take option 1 to be true than either
X. Christianity is correct
Y. Christianity is not correct

So if the answer is 1AX than christians are correct if it is not the answer they are not correct.

Arguing about it neither effects the outcome nor benefits anyone.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

To be deluded, you have to actually believe. I don't think the vast majority of Christians have ever examined their beliefs enough to make those beliefs meaningful.

 

[Mister Emu]

Why not?

Of course there can be.

Yeah, I'm not following.

Read post #65...

A study is not scientific unless it follows the scientific method, the scientific method cannot be applied to prayer since you cannot control the variables.

 

[Poisonshady313]

To be deluded, you have to actually believe. I don't think the vast majority of Christians have ever examined their beliefs enough to make those beliefs meaningful.

A belief can be an actual belief even if it is not meaningful.

For example... a diehard fan of a particular baseball team may believe his team is the greatest team in the MLB... even if they have the worst record in the MLB.

The belief is an actual belief... and this person is actually deluded... even if he hasn't examined the matter enough.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Because the psychiatric definition involves things are that impossible or provably false... not things that are merely unsupported...


Not there cannot, and no there have not... there have been some studies that claim to be scientific, but those claims is fallacious...

College of Human Services at Arizona State University, conducted a comprehensive analysis of 17 major studies on the effects of intercessory prayer.

Tell me what you think of it.

Meta-study finds God answers prayers | Science Blog

 

[Mister Emu]

College of Human Services at Arizona State University, conducted a comprehensive analysis of 17 major studies on the effects of intercessory prayer.

Tell me what you think of it.

Meta-study finds God answers prayers | Science Blog

Well now... I might have to change my opinion

It is nice, to me, that a meta-study says that, however it still isn't scientific... as the studies it is based on aren't scientific... as they cannot meet the basic standards of the scientific method that I learned in my first science class