Moving from Blind Belief to Wisdom

By George A. Boyd © 2021

Q: What locks people into blind faith? How do they move out of this mindset into a more realistic perspective?

A: You have to first understand how people come to believe in fantasy and conspiracy theories.

Reality is based on facts and evidence.

Facts are objects that can be weighed and measured. These are verified events for which there is a record.

Evidence is a statement or documentation that truthfully and accurately attests to facts and events.

Conjecture extrapolates from facts and evidence to explore inference and speculation.

Inference examines what can be reasonably deduced after examining evidence.

Speculation examines what if scenarios, and imagines possible outcomes that might occur if certain actions took place, or alternate explanations for the evidence that is presented. [When speculation becomes untethered from reality, it moves over the threshold into fantasy.]

Fantasy steps outside evidence, and asks you to believe what you are told without examining or questioning it. Fantasy appears as allegation and innuendo.

Allegation is based on what you heard, read, or watched on visual media from someone you believe is a convincing or trustworthy source, but there is no verifiable evidence to substantiate it. [Many conspiracy theories operate at this level; blind faith is also anchored at this level.]

Innuendo imputes evil intentions and clandestine illegal or corrupt behavior to others, often citing spurious or uncorroborated sources.

Manipulation is based on a purposeful intention to distort and deceive. At this level, someone is disseminating false information with an aim to spread allegations and innuendo to defeat an opponent or competitor; or to convince others of the superiority of their candidate, product or service. [Unfortunately, many political communications utilize manipulation to help their candidate to win, as do companies that seek to keep a dangerous or toxic product on the market.]

It appears that those that embrace blind faith believe allegation and innuendo. They are motivated to believe these things because it taps into their desires, fears, and anger. Those who are afraid… those who are made to feel outrage… those that are desperate to achieve their desires… alas, can be easily manipulated.

Q: How do people get out of this blind faith mindset?

A: This appears to be a process of discovering flaws with the beliefs they hold, searching for the truth, and discovering wisdom. There appears to be seven major steps in rising above blind belief:

Blind Belief Phase

  1. Blind faith believes without questioning because you trust the source of the information you believe.
  2. Dawning of first awareness occurs when you believe what you hear, read, or view, but you note that some aspects of the message don’t make sense. At first, you ignore these doubts, hoping there will be an explanation of the discrepancy at a later time or as you learn more.

Quest for the Truth Phase

  1. Questioning arises when there are a sufficient number of discrepancies to warrant re-examining your belief. You begin to question the facts of the message and scrutinize your doubts.
  2. Research studies the sources of the information that are presented, and checks each one to see if it is verifiable and accurate.

Wisdom Phase

  1. The step of Implications surface when you look at what might happen if the contentions of the source of your belief actually played out in reality, and whether the predications or expectations of this belief have come true. [Wild speculation and allegations have a way of not coming to pass.]
  2. The step of Intention considers what impression the communicator is trying to make, and how he or she is trying to influence your beliefs and values.
  3. The step of Motivation inquires why the speaker is attempting to make these impressions and to impact your beliefs and values—what he or she is getting from communicating this message. [This is the level you discover whether the source of the communication is attempting to manipulate you.]

Because people who hold the same beliefs surround those who are locked into a blind faith mindset, there is nothing to spark questioning of the belief—so they simply remain in that mindset, and the light of wisdom never illumines the truth. Moreover, those that attempt to point out the falsity of their beliefs are regarded as emissaries of evil, sent to dissuade them of their truth—as those who might attempt to change their belief have been painted with the dark brush of innuendo.

So it is not easy to for people to break out of the perceptual filter of blind belief, but it is possible. If you understand the steps of how you can become locked into blind faith perspectives and study the beliefs that hold them in place, you can dismantle them and get free of their hypnotic thrall.

Those of you who have had your rationality and your life taken over by involvement in a religious or political cult may find that our Cult Recovery Coaching Program will help you find your way out of this manipulative programming and reclaim your own life, and independent thinking and choosing again. We stand ready to support you regain your freedom again.