Is it fear of the voice inside one’s head that keeps religious people from learning about facts contrary to their beliefs?
Imagine if a muslim (or a catholic, or methodist, or jew) were reading this.
You as a [insert your religion here] can clearly see that THEY are off a bit, right?
Imagine having the freedom to think about anything, without anyone, not even god, knowing about it.
If i believed that the voice inside my head could be heard by a jealous, vengeful, omnipotent being, i would be careful of the opinions i allow myself to think about. Wouldn’t anyone? So, before one starts a discussion with a religious person, one must invite the person to admit and acknowledge that they have an inner voice that is ever present that they have to either suspend or hold in check while they ponder some things. They also must give themselves permission to think about some things candidly while their inner god doesn’t object to the process.
David Hume talks about this in the Natural History of Religion [N 13.6, Bea 78-79]
But as men farther exalt their idea of their divinity; it is their notion of his power and knowledge only, not of his goodness, which is improved. On the contrary, in proportion to the supposed extent of his science and authority, their terrors naturally augment; while they believe, that no secrecy can conceal them from his scrutiny, and that even the inmost recesses of their breast lie open before him. They must then be careful not to form expressly any sentiment of blame and disapprobation. All must be applause, ravishment, extacy. And while their gloomy apprehensions make them ascribe to him measures of conduct, which, in human creatures, would be highly blamed, they must still affect to praise and admire that conduct in the object of their devotional addresses. Thus it may safely be affirmed, that popular religions are really, in the conception of their more vulgar votaries, a species of daemonism; and the higher the deity is exalted in power and knowledge, the lower of course is he depressed in goodness and benevolence; whatever epithets of praise may be bestowed on him by his amazed adorers.
No matter what God does, he gets praised and is called “good.” We are required to set such a low bar for God and his goodness. And if anything is bad, then by definition, we’re required to find another culprit besides God for causing it. Hume’s words, “no exaggeration will be deemed sufficient to reach those perfections with which he is endowed” …kind of makes one think; there’s no way to challenge such an ideology or being, in the eyes of the believer. There’s something very wrong with that.