Christian Psychology

[Joeman]

Christianity is one big mind control cult. The biggest reason, IMO, that mainline denominations and dying and fundamentalist denominations are thriving is because conservative denominations have much more vicious mind control mechanism.

Christianity is maintain by two things. First, faith in all biblical claims is the most paramount and virtuous act of moral righteousness and will be rewarded with eternal bliss in heaven. Second, doubting biblical claims is the greatest evil imaginable and deserves eternal punishment in hell. Those two believes acting in tandom allow Christians to keep believing in the face of any reason, logic, scientific discovery, and modern scholarships in history, mythology, archaeology... When Christian believe is challenged, they dismissed the event as a stratagem from Satan or a test of faith from God, and they know that the mockery and persecution have been predicted by the bible. If you show them a biblical contradiction, they belittle it as the depraved, unelected, spiritually dead heathens blinded by their sin.

This psychological defense mechanism is what kept the ancient, bizarre, and terribly outdated Christian faith alive in this modern world.

 

[Ozymandias]

First, faith in all biblical claims is the most paramount and virtuous act of moral righteousness and will be rewarded with eternal bliss in heaven.

The act of believing Biblical claims is not a virtuous act in itself. Acting in ways as described by Jesus Christ during his ministry (and as recorded in the Bible) is what is virtuous.

Second, doubting biblical claims is the greatest evil imaginable and deserves eternal punishment in hell.

Actually, I could have sworn that not forgiving someone (Matthew 6:15) was a worse transgression than doubting the veracity of the Bible. In fact, I'm not even sure there are any Biblical passages ensuring the inerrancy of the Bible.

Those two believes acting in tandom allow Christians to keep believing in the face of any reason, logic, scientific discovery, and modern scholarships in history, mythology, archaeology...

How would any of these things conflict with the Christian faith? All of those things could very easily have a problem with literal interpretations of the Bible, but, with knowledge given to us by those sources mentioned above, we can be sure that the stories which conflict with "reason, logic, scientific discovery, and modern scholarships in history, mythology, archaeology" are to be taken figuratively, as that was how many of these events were described if taken in their cultural and historical context.

Look at the Psalms. God is our fortress, our rock, etc. It is plainly obvious that God is not just the name of a castle or that God is actually just a boulder somewhere. These are figures of speech.

Look at these two famous passages from Corinthians 3:

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

Corinthians 3:2

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

Corinthians 3:6

Paul does not literally mean that he planted a seed. He did not go to everyone and give them milk instead of solid food. These are metaphors.

Where do Christians shirk from reason and science? What about the Christian faith conflicts with it?

When Christian believe is challenged, they dismissed the event as a stratagem from Satan or a test of faith from God, and they know that the mockery and persecution have been predicted by the bible.

Mockery and persecution have been predicted and undergone by Christians. This does not mean that a challenge of a Christian belief will never lead to a refinement thereof. Additionally, to say that every challenge to Christian faith is meritorious is ridiculous (this thread is testament enough to that): there are many conflicts which should be viewed as tests of faith.

This psychological defense mechanism is what kept the ancient, bizarre, and terribly outdated Christian faith alive in this modern world.

<b><i>What</i> psychological defense mechanism?</b>