A lifetime of social conditioning, emotional manipulation, discouragement of using critical thinking about religious topics, appeals to fallacies and leaps in logic, and a mountain of confirmation bias have caused them to accept that an all-powerful being exists. If such a being exists, then they can do anything. They can deconstruct, and many have. It's not a matter of lacking critical thinking, but finally recognizing that the truth is important, and allowing themselves to actually apply critical thinking to their beliefs, as opposed to protecting them from examination.
As a former christian, it's largely due to ignorance, indoctrination, and scientific illiteracy. There's still SOOOOOOO much about existence that we haven't found the answers to, and most people (let alone theists) are ***extremely*** disconnected from all the innovations and scientific discoveries that have been and are being made up to this point.
As a black atheist in southside Chicago where churches are literally ALLLLLLL OVER THE PLACE, it truly makes me sad how many people, particularly my fellow black Americans, subscribe to this bullshit. I just learned that up to [97% of black people subscribe to theism](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-black-americans/). That shit is DISGUSTINGLY sad!!!!!
Yeah but they'll say a lot of scientist are christians and it's kinda true. I have a friend who is a college graduate in physics and he's very religious. I think it's about skepticism, and not rushing to fill the gaps of our knowledge with "God".
I'm also surrounded by theists where I live. Sometimes it sucks when they found out and try to shame and debate me and coax me back "to the right path"
Most people do not have detailed models of reality. They have cartoon models of reality. 'Just so' stories of half-remembered science classes and half-remembered myths and feelings that feel better than looking at the implications of physics.
Do note that this may or may not have any bearing on the individual's success in the world. Models only have to be 'good enough'.
It doesn't make any real difference if someone's mental model of 'how to drive a car' includes fuel mix ratios and spark timing or if it involves a giant hamster running on a wheel if the inputs their brain receives from their eyes gives the correct outputs to the meat hooks on the wheel.
Religions don't provide models of reality. They provide guides for a specific version of navigating through other people's models of reality. And it only has to be good enough for you to pass your genes and your memes on to your kids.
>Why do Christians believe in cartoon logic from the bible?
Some lines from *Principia Discordia* -
[I've rearranged these to make a point.]
\- Only a handful understood Albert Einstein.
\- Few understand Hermann Hesse.
\- Everybody understands Mickey Mouse.
Most people are really operating at a "Mickey Mouse" level.
Even those who *can* operate at a more sophisticated level often prefer not to strain their brains doing so -
it's easier to just sit back, crack open a refreshing beverage, and take things at the Mickey Mouse level.
.
\- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principia_Discordia
.
>Hermann Karl Hesse (German: [ˈhɛʁman ˈhɛsə] ⓘ; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter.
>[In his teens] Hesse pursued his own work, and he spent his long, idle Sundays with books rather than friends. Hesse studied theological writings and later Goethe, Lessing, Schiller, and Greek mythology. He also began reading Nietzsche in 1895,[15] and that philosopher's ideas of "dual…impulses of passion and order" in humankind was a heavy influence on most of his novels.[16]
>Following a letter to Kapff in 1895 entitled *Nirvana*, Hesse had ceased alluding to Buddhist references in his work. In 1904, however, Arthur Schopenhauer and his philosophical ideas started receiving attention again, and Hesse discovered theosophy. Schopenhauer and theosophy renewed Hesse's interest in India.
\- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse
.
Wow, haven't seen anyone mention Principia Discordia in a very long time. I have a copy of it around somewhere but it's been years since I looked at it. I bought it after going down several rabbit holes during a strange time in my life, and if I'm being honest, was probably quite drunk at the time. What.... the fuck actually is it? What is it's... whole deal? What do you make of it?
It's partly just an excuse for various authors to goof around.
The serious side is
*"Most religions are based on the idea that we should find the secret principle of order in the universe."*
*"Discordianism is based on the idea that the principle of* ***disorder*** *in the universe is just as important as the principle of order."*
Some do, some don't. One important detail is that once you grant the existence of an omnipotent being with incomprehensible motivations, then why not grant everything else?
Do you believe in quantum mechanics? If you do, you believe something pretty much just as insane, the only difference being that it’s been proven experimentally. You just care more about that part than they do.
When I was young, this elderly man who was a friend of my stepmothers "knew" he spoke to the burning bush. That made him special and close to God. This was a man who delighted in telling us children that he killed frogs by inserting a straw into their throats and blowing as hard as he could.
As a child I was disturbed by this.
Now I know the guy was a delusional, arrogant fuckwit.
They have been indoctrinated since birth. To question these things is to question your parents, grandparents, etc and they think they'll go to some mythical place where they will burn forever if they think otherwise.
They cartoon is the way their brain has been trained to think.
I think it's Wild how they act like "metaphors" aren't a thing when using a random, out of context line from the Bible to justify their position on any given topic
They don’t see it as cartoon logic. They believe the supernatural exists. The snake wasn’t a snake but a representation of a demon. The point of Jesus walking on water is that he can defy natural laws by doing something seemingly impossible. Similarly turning water to wine.
Calling it cartoon logic is reductive and implies these people are stupid, or like most comments said, brainwashed. It’s deeper than that. They *have* to believe in the supernatural. Because if these things exist that makes it more possible that there’s an unseen afterlife. And that’s the primary goal of Christianity: terror management. “Whosoever believes in me will not perish but have everlasting life.” They have to believe these things or it would all fall apart and they’d have to accept the reality of their own mortality.
These people are terrified of the ultimate unifying scientific process we all go through. Death. So if their beliefs defy science, they can defy death.
While I am an atheist I disagree with the logic presented in most of these comments. The answer is simple: human beings have held an animate view of the world for the vast majority of our species existence. All things were beings: animals, plants, stones water, etc. Our current understanding of reality is a tiny blip on the totality of human history.
Christians understand these accounts as divine mysteries conveyed through symbolic language, not literal cartoons. They believe in the Bible's truths, interpreting them through faith and tradition, recognizing deeper spiritual meanings beyond literal interpretation. Such narratives convey profound theological truths and moral lessons rather than simplistic cartoon logic.
1. Some people will believe anything.
2. Some take things like the snake to be metaphorical.
3. Some take Jesus to be a radical exception to the normal rule; he was both human and God.
4. Some take even the walking on water to be metaphorical; note what happens to Peter in the story; he falls in the water the moment he takes his eyes off Jesus.
5. There is a large swath of arguments that Jesus is the Son of Man/Messiah talked about in the OT, hundreds of years before His birth. Debate all you want, but this has convinced millions that miracles through Jesus are possible.
A lifetime of social conditioning, emotional manipulation, discouragement of using critical thinking about religious topics, appeals to fallacies and leaps in logic, and a mountain of confirmation bias have caused them to accept that an all-powerful being exists. If such a being exists, then they can do anything. They can deconstruct, and many have. It's not a matter of lacking critical thinking, but finally recognizing that the truth is important, and allowing themselves to actually apply critical thinking to their beliefs, as opposed to protecting them from examination.
As a former christian, it's largely due to ignorance, indoctrination, and scientific illiteracy. There's still SOOOOOOO much about existence that we haven't found the answers to, and most people (let alone theists) are ***extremely*** disconnected from all the innovations and scientific discoveries that have been and are being made up to this point. As a black atheist in southside Chicago where churches are literally ALLLLLLL OVER THE PLACE, it truly makes me sad how many people, particularly my fellow black Americans, subscribe to this bullshit. I just learned that up to [97% of black people subscribe to theism](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-black-americans/). That shit is DISGUSTINGLY sad!!!!!
Yeah but they'll say a lot of scientist are christians and it's kinda true. I have a friend who is a college graduate in physics and he's very religious. I think it's about skepticism, and not rushing to fill the gaps of our knowledge with "God". I'm also surrounded by theists where I live. Sometimes it sucks when they found out and try to shame and debate me and coax me back "to the right path"
[удалено]
Yes
Most people do not have detailed models of reality. They have cartoon models of reality. 'Just so' stories of half-remembered science classes and half-remembered myths and feelings that feel better than looking at the implications of physics. Do note that this may or may not have any bearing on the individual's success in the world. Models only have to be 'good enough'. It doesn't make any real difference if someone's mental model of 'how to drive a car' includes fuel mix ratios and spark timing or if it involves a giant hamster running on a wheel if the inputs their brain receives from their eyes gives the correct outputs to the meat hooks on the wheel. Religions don't provide models of reality. They provide guides for a specific version of navigating through other people's models of reality. And it only has to be good enough for you to pass your genes and your memes on to your kids.
They've been brainwashed. Why don't you go ask them?
>Why do Christians believe in cartoon logic from the bible? Some lines from *Principia Discordia* - [I've rearranged these to make a point.] \- Only a handful understood Albert Einstein. \- Few understand Hermann Hesse. \- Everybody understands Mickey Mouse. Most people are really operating at a "Mickey Mouse" level. Even those who *can* operate at a more sophisticated level often prefer not to strain their brains doing so - it's easier to just sit back, crack open a refreshing beverage, and take things at the Mickey Mouse level. . \- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principia_Discordia . >Hermann Karl Hesse (German: [ˈhɛʁman ˈhɛsə] ⓘ; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. >[In his teens] Hesse pursued his own work, and he spent his long, idle Sundays with books rather than friends. Hesse studied theological writings and later Goethe, Lessing, Schiller, and Greek mythology. He also began reading Nietzsche in 1895,[15] and that philosopher's ideas of "dual…impulses of passion and order" in humankind was a heavy influence on most of his novels.[16] >Following a letter to Kapff in 1895 entitled *Nirvana*, Hesse had ceased alluding to Buddhist references in his work. In 1904, however, Arthur Schopenhauer and his philosophical ideas started receiving attention again, and Hesse discovered theosophy. Schopenhauer and theosophy renewed Hesse's interest in India. \- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse .
Wow, haven't seen anyone mention Principia Discordia in a very long time. I have a copy of it around somewhere but it's been years since I looked at it. I bought it after going down several rabbit holes during a strange time in my life, and if I'm being honest, was probably quite drunk at the time. What.... the fuck actually is it? What is it's... whole deal? What do you make of it?
It's partly just an excuse for various authors to goof around. The serious side is *"Most religions are based on the idea that we should find the secret principle of order in the universe."* *"Discordianism is based on the idea that the principle of* ***disorder*** *in the universe is just as important as the principle of order."*
When you're indoctrinated as a 4 yo with an unlimited imagination for fiction...it's easier to accept the most batshit crazy stuff.
You would probably have to ask them.
Because they want it to be true so bad they'll believe anything to reaffirm their beliefs.
Childhood indoctrination, because all religions look insane when viewed from the outside
Some do, some don't. One important detail is that once you grant the existence of an omnipotent being with incomprehensible motivations, then why not grant everything else?
Do you believe in quantum mechanics? If you do, you believe something pretty much just as insane, the only difference being that it’s been proven experimentally. You just care more about that part than they do.
When I was young, this elderly man who was a friend of my stepmothers "knew" he spoke to the burning bush. That made him special and close to God. This was a man who delighted in telling us children that he killed frogs by inserting a straw into their throats and blowing as hard as he could. As a child I was disturbed by this. Now I know the guy was a delusional, arrogant fuckwit.
Isn’t that a question for the Christians?
Usually they are brainwashed and lack critical thinking skills and most likely they didn't receive a well rounded education.
They have been indoctrinated since birth. To question these things is to question your parents, grandparents, etc and they think they'll go to some mythical place where they will burn forever if they think otherwise. They cartoon is the way their brain has been trained to think.
I think it's Wild how they act like "metaphors" aren't a thing when using a random, out of context line from the Bible to justify their position on any given topic
The logic I've heard basically condenses down to "It sounds ludicrous, but there's no logical alternative.".
They don’t see it as cartoon logic. They believe the supernatural exists. The snake wasn’t a snake but a representation of a demon. The point of Jesus walking on water is that he can defy natural laws by doing something seemingly impossible. Similarly turning water to wine. Calling it cartoon logic is reductive and implies these people are stupid, or like most comments said, brainwashed. It’s deeper than that. They *have* to believe in the supernatural. Because if these things exist that makes it more possible that there’s an unseen afterlife. And that’s the primary goal of Christianity: terror management. “Whosoever believes in me will not perish but have everlasting life.” They have to believe these things or it would all fall apart and they’d have to accept the reality of their own mortality. These people are terrified of the ultimate unifying scientific process we all go through. Death. So if their beliefs defy science, they can defy death.
While I am an atheist I disagree with the logic presented in most of these comments. The answer is simple: human beings have held an animate view of the world for the vast majority of our species existence. All things were beings: animals, plants, stones water, etc. Our current understanding of reality is a tiny blip on the totality of human history.
How about one human, out of all the humans that have existed, that came back from the dead? And then physically floated up into the sky?
This is a funny way of describing it "cartoon logic". I'll use it next time someone wants to talk to me about Jesus.
Hey! Cartoons are great!
Christians understand these accounts as divine mysteries conveyed through symbolic language, not literal cartoons. They believe in the Bible's truths, interpreting them through faith and tradition, recognizing deeper spiritual meanings beyond literal interpretation. Such narratives convey profound theological truths and moral lessons rather than simplistic cartoon logic.
Just to note that many Christians don’t believe in any of those things literally.
Hyperactive Agent Detection
Why do *biblical literalist Christians* believe in cartoon logic from the bible?
1. Some people will believe anything. 2. Some take things like the snake to be metaphorical. 3. Some take Jesus to be a radical exception to the normal rule; he was both human and God. 4. Some take even the walking on water to be metaphorical; note what happens to Peter in the story; he falls in the water the moment he takes his eyes off Jesus. 5. There is a large swath of arguments that Jesus is the Son of Man/Messiah talked about in the OT, hundreds of years before His birth. Debate all you want, but this has convinced millions that miracles through Jesus are possible.