Why will fundies not listen to reason?

Question

Wise Guy: Popularity does not hold to reason, and most definitely not fact.

One thousand years ago nearly 100% of humans believed that the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around it.
Also I am not some infallible egomaniac who thinks everything I say is right. One should have an open mind or one will never learn anything except bias.

Answer 1

"One should have an open mind or one will never learn anything except bias." very wise.

Their faith is a fragile house of cards supported by blind faith that they've spent their entire lives building. If you attack one card, it risks bringing the whole thing down and will render their lives useless, hence the defensiveness and aversion to logic.

Answer 2

Actually, a thousand years ago most people believed that the earth was not flat but was spherical in nature... and even two and three thousand years ago--the pyramids prove that--they all have measures specifically about the motion of the earth around the sun.

Sure, some people thought the earth was flat--some still think that today. But the ancient man was much more intelligent than a lot of people give them credit for.

Answer 3

Not all "fundies" are closed minded. I have had many a pleasant conversation with some that come to my door. It is usually the over zealous ones that cannot see beyond the words of thier bible. All they need is a bit of experience under their belts for their eyes to open and for their ears like a kitten or a puppy to open as well. Here is a link for you that I will think you will enjoy. It is off of the Pagan Library site in the section reading room1 sub section dealing with fundies.

Answer 4

People rarely listen to things that clash with their world view, even if it's reason. In a sense, reason is the world view that you and I choose, but not theirs. So it's really just you attempting to impose your world view (reason) onto them. Why would you want to do that? Well, any support for using reason has reason as its, well, reasoning. "We use logic because... well, logic is self-evident!"

I don't think the average intelligent person would say logic is something that's not a good idea, but from some weird deeply philosophical (and irrelevant) point, logic is, by logic's own rules, faulty. Proving you should use logic is "begging the question" : you have to accept the rules of logic (thus saying logic is right) in order to make a logical arguement to use it. So, on a deep fundamental level, religion isn't supposed to be logical, and that's okay. But the way that your religion can be both illogical and logical (sort of), is if you're agnostic. That way, you don't have to make conclusions of the illogical sort, but netiher do you dismiss such things as possibilities.

So everyone else just eschews that principle, and that's their right... I don't think there's much any arguement that it's more productive to do otherwise.

Answer 5

Oy, such lies I'm seeing in answers here.

How about a little truth?

"Most respondents said it's possible to believe both in God and evolution, 67 percent of those polled believe it is posible to believe in both God ***AND*** evolution." (Naturally, more than half of white evangelical Christians say that is not possible.) - a CBS News poll from October 2005

"Adults are evenly divided about whether or not apes and man have a common ancestry (46 percent believe we do and 47 percent believe we do not). Again divided, 46 percent of adults agree that "Darwin's theory of evolution is proven by fossil discoveries," while 48 percent disagree." - from http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=581

Answer 6

I am not sure as I qualify as a "fundy," although I am a Christian and I don't dispute anything in the New Testament.

To answer your question: I will, and do, listen to reason. I just find some people's reasoning to be imperfect, full of holes, and unwilling to consider the supernatural where a supernatural "explanation" clearly fits.

Reason is a limited thing. A limiting thing. This isn't to say I am ant-reason. Just anti-disorganized-church-of-reason.

There is more to life, my friend. May you find it.

Answer 7

Because the nature of their religion curses them as fithless heretics should they even question any of the doctrines in their book, no matter how ridiculous.
Hence if 'reason' is contradictory to their doctrines, they're in the wrong.

Clever, eh?

Reason needs no justification, just clarification. Faith, by its very nature, rejects reason.

Answer 8

And who elected you God??

Your question assumes you and you alone are in posession of reason, and are exasperated that "fundies" won't listen to you.

92% of Americans belive in God and believe God created the heavens and the earth. 60% of them believe in a young earth, that evolution never happened.

Sounds to me like you're the one who won't listen to reason.

Answer 9

Is "fundie" a derrogatory term? If so, wouldn't one be more apt to listen to and apply reason if approached respectfully, and not addressed with a put-down?

Answer 10

Because they are scared of the truth. But in the end, the truth will set us all free.