Motivated reasoning is common amongst conservatives and rightwingers in America today. What is motivated reasoning? It is believing in your position regardless of what the facts are. For a more descriptive explanation is from http://www.skepdic.com/motivatedreasoning.html and states:
"Motivated reasoning is confirmation bias taken to the next level. Motivated reasoning leads people to confirm what they already believe, while ignoring contrary data. But it also drives people to develop elaborate rationalizations to justify holding beliefs that logic and evidence have shown to be wrong. Motivated reasoning responds defensively to contrary evidence, actively discrediting such evidence or its source without logical or evidentiary justification. Clearly, motivated reasoning is emotion driven. It seems to be assumed by social scientists that motivated reasoning is driven by a desire to avoid cognitive dissonance. Self-delusion, in other words, feels good, and that's what motivates people to vehemently defend obvious falsehoods."
People on the right are self-delusional regarding President Barack Obama (to them he is an illegitimate Kenyan Socialist who has plotted to become President of the USA since birth); Climate Change is a hoax (even though evidence is to the contrary) and Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11 (he wasn't). But, I think it is time we go further and call "motivated reasoning" a mental illness.
Many, many who have motivated reasoning are Church goers. Actually, they are the ones typically believing and promoting the lies most often and most vociferously (OK, many Libertarians fit into this category, too) . And they are the ones telling you how right they are and how wrong you are. You know who I'm talking about. They believe if they yell the loudest, they win. Facts don't matter to them because they usually have none.
Anyway, going back to how Republicans, conservatives and rightwingers will say they believe in God and attend Church, etc. Yet, how can they deny reality of what is going on in God's world around them and claim to be with God? OK, motivated reasoning, I get it. Did I mention it should be called a mental illness?
Unfortunately, these people remind me of those that Timothy wrote about in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 which he wrote:
3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
I know many of them and many of them fit Timothy's description. Their minds have been transformed continually by Fox, Rush and rightwing radio and Internet, not God. They do deny truths and appear stupid to many because they promote stupid, selfish ideas and are filled with hate towards others. They are modern day Scribes and Pharisees acting as if they are God's chosen when they are actual an abomination in God's eyes. What does God view as an abomination? From Proverbs 6:16-19--
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Rightwingers, conservatives and Republicans, lets take an inventory--
Haughty Eyes--arrogant superiority to others (check)
Lying Tongue--Fox, Rush, rightwing radio and internet (check)
Hands that shed innocent blood--is there a war they don't like (check)
Heart devising wicked schemes--you see how many voters Republicans are trying to purge from voting?--In every Republican controlled state they are trying to commit Election Fraud and are worried about non-existent Voter Fraud. (check)
Feet that are quick to rush into evil--See the first four, the Koch Brothers Tea Party minions (check)
A false witness (6:19)--CHECK! See Tea Partiers, Karl Rove, Republican Party in general.
We have those who are abominations in God's eyes pretending to be the moral Christian standard bearers in today's world. Boy are they going to be surprised when Jesus returns! They have a lot of explaining to do. Unfortunately, Jesus won't want to hear it. You are lucky, there still is time to repent!
No comments:
Post a Comment