Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
quite frankly I am astonished that so many supposed intelligent people can accept such tosh.


Cognitive dissonance. Humans are irrational, and have become adept at holding contradictory viewpoints.

A literal belief in the Bible would require one to also believe in Noah's ark, talking serpents, Moses parting the Red Sea, etc. But if you went out today and said "God told me to build a rocketship out of spare Mazda parts," even religious people might think you're bonkers. But why is that more crazy than the stuff you hear about in the Bible, presented as fact?

For a very recent example, look at the Presidential candidates. Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and for some reason that makes him unsuitable in the eyes of some Christians. But really, is the stuff Romney believes any less crazy-sounding than some of the stuff Rick Perry or even President Obama allegedly believes?

"Do you really believe all humans came from Adam and Eve?"
"Do you really believe the Earth is only 4000 years old?"
"Are you wearing your Temple garment right now?"

These are questions you'll never hear at a political debate.

We've had this argument for decades (and probably centuries) but it doesn't matter a bit. People are raised to believe, others are bullied or scared into it, others seek it out because it's a true source of comfort and hope, and others simply adhere to it out of tradition even if they don't truly believe. Like I said, humans are masters of cognitive dissonance. Present all the evidence you like, point out all the contradictions you want, people can and will find a way to hand-wave it away.