> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 1 topic, 23 evergreens, 2 sources</em></s> #### [[Faith is an abstraction of cognitive dissonance]] > [!summary] > > An [[abstraction]] is a way to remove complexity of operation without losing functionality. > For example, a coffee maker removes the complexity of heating and distributing water at just the right temperature, without you doing it manually, while still making a good cup of coffee. > [[Faith]] removes the complexity of having to contrast your [[religious belief]] with contradictory evidence, without having to go through the stress of [[cognitive dissonance]], while still reconciling those ideas into your [[worldview]]. "Be in the world not of the world," because if you are of the world you start believing worldly things like [[evolution]] and that people who don't believe the same thing as you aren't inherently inferior. [[Christianity]] expects you to accept that your [[worldview]] doesn't line up with the facts of your everyday existence. This creates [[cognitive dissonance]] as your understanding of the teachings of [[Christianity]] clash with your understanding of the world. "Have faith and you will be saved," is the [[belief]] a Christian's eternal destiny relies on, and if their [[faith]] wavers, it is no one's fault but their own. What other choice do Christian's have but to live with their [[cognitive dissonance]], lest their eternal [[salvation]] be jeopardized. Of course, this is an impossible situation to be in. Most Christian's will put lots of energy into either ignoring the state of the world as sinful or non-existent, or by crafting [[rationalizations]] that balance their Christian and worldly beliefs. Christian's use faith as a shield to protect themselves from the horrors of the real world, and of their own creation. ^[[[The Politicization of the Christian Church]]] You cannot fully [[blame]] them for this, as our brains are not really built to handle a world that is this painful or to think far enough ahead to understand the full extent of our actions. ^[[[Human's will find explanations for inexplainable things]]] We are built to believe in something better: [[Humans have decided to reject an unjust world]] This trait is part of:: [[What are the blindspots of the Christian worldview]] This has been built into our psyche for millennia. ^[Which means this trait is something that is selected for because [[Humans are a product of evolution]]. This has lead to a variety of scientific views of religion, including [[Religion as a rational bid for supernatural reward]] and [[Religion as a group level adaptation]]. ] Our brain created these stories to help us understand the thunder and lightning, push ourselves to survive, and to find meaning after we have lost loved ones. [[The brain is powerful enough to create supernatural experiences]] %% #TO/TEND/MULCH #TO/PONDER/IDEA something about how we are born into this world not knowing anything, and are repeatedly told that everything has a meaning when it doesn't unless we give it a meaning The cognitive dissonance is that there is a loving god that has created this world, but the world we live in is unjust. [[The ego is the brain's response to the realization that we are just another individual in the world]] [[Faith can be a useful tool for grounding yourself]] because it answers [[The three main questions of life]], but in doing so it ignores the [[What is the cognitive effect of living in an unjust world|The cognitive effect of living in an unjust world]]. ^[This is why [[Christians struggle to feel empathy because they must believe that non-christians are going to hell]], because believers and non-believers have fundamentally different ways of thinking about the world.] %% ##### Counter:: [[faith]] is no longer enough to satisfy people's [[cognitive dissonance]] #TO/EXPLORE/RESEARCH does the rise in access to information through the internet impact [[belief systems]] and [[Christianity]], with the [[Rise of Conspiracy Culture]], people are turning to conspiracies instead of [[faith]] to satisfy their [[cognitive dissonance]], [[Q justifies conservatives discontent]], [[Humans are primarily irrational, illogical, emotional beings]] ^128168 ### <hr class="footnote"/> **Status**:: #EVER/GREEN *edited 7:35 AM - July 08, 2022* **Topics**:: [[cognitive dissonance]], [[faith]]