Since the early 1800's in America a number of new religions have appeared.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints (Mormons), Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, etc.
There are elements in common.
Some individual makes unprovable claims, untestable assertions and crafts unusual doctrines which dovetail in some ways with established beliefs while
simultaneously and radically replacing them.
Mormons produce a better and purer revelation in their Book of Mormon.
Scientologists piggy-back off of psychiatry and Gnosticism while inventing a new technology which eliminates infestations by alien beings trapped inside humans.
Jehovah's Witnesses claim leadership by a Governing Body as a sole channel of communicating escape plans from the imminent war of God on humans.
And so forth...
Practioners of these religions must sooner or later grapple with disproofs which include discoveries made public of lies, misrepresentations and duplicity.
Yet, the majority of adherents selectively dismiss such revelations as a test of their own faith and an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity.
A close examination of this self-reinforced refusal to confront disputatious rebuttal of doctrine I choose to call STUPIDOLOGY.
What is STUPIDOLOGY? A study of how people of faith who are otherwise intelligent can deliberately make themselves utterly stupid!
In no particular order here are elements of this process.
1. Blanking out discussions which contain critical or skeptical questions about doctrine or leadership.
2. Automatic identification of such critical queries as the work of diabolical enemies.
3. Labeling crtics as malevolent and personally corrupt in intention.
4. Dismissal of uncomfortable facts as forbidden, off-limits and grounds for treason if viewed or heard.
5. Deflecting honest questions into tests of Loyalty to God, the bible, the leaders or the Truth in some way.
6. Retreat into a passive "faith it will all be worked out in the long run" by some force greater than man.
7. Desperate clinging to the social benefits of the religion no matter how odious or irrational the belief system.
Of particular note is the status of former members who have escaped to repudiate false elements within the religion.
The strategy most often employed in dealing with those who know the most damning facts is to attack them and destroy their credibility.
By instructing inside members to break off communication and regard former members as defectors who are damned--a stigma of repugnance makes anything said by apostates too contaminated to confront with conversation, examination or even common courtesy.
Finally, Stupidology reveals that the counter-intuitive result of repeated attacks on a person's devotion and loyalty to a group is to drive the adherent
deeper into denial, greater solidarity and dependence on absolute authority. In short, the true believer becomes more and more STUPID.
What is often referred to as cognitive-dissonance (holding contradictory beliefs simultaneously) creates depression, unhappiness and a strong urge for CONFIRMATION.
The odd result of this driving hunger for confirmation, affirmation and total vindication of beliefs leads to UNWARRANTED TESTS made public.
These unwarranted tests are proposed to demonstrate to the world at large "we are right and you are wrong!"
This takes the form of
1.Predictions of a date certain which will bring proof, yet, utterly repudiate instead
2.Demonstrations of power or abilities which result in embarrassment when they fail
3.Assertions of authenticity tests which turn out to disconfirm instead
L.Ron Hubbard produced for "testing" his first "Clear" Scientologist who was said to be able to remember any and everything that ever happened.
The public laughing stock when this test failed caused a huge financial blow to his Dianetics scam. He subsequently sought refuge in transforming it into a Religion instead and a shelter behind no taxes and church privacy.
The Mormon church was caught buying forged documents which the church feared would reveal disproof of historical claims for their founder. Buy buying off these disproofs and hiding them in their archives the damage they feared could be kept under wraps.
Jehovah's Witnesses' leaders periodically made "date certain" claims which did not produce anything other than humiliations. Yet, again and again they ocurred.
All the above examples are the result of one thing: STUPIDITY seeks relief by testing its own premises.
You would have to be stupid to set a date that will certainly prove you wrong.
You would have to be stupid to offer a "clear" example who couldn't answer test questions.
You would have to be stupid to hide actual documents because you knew they'd sink your credibility.
And yet, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES. (thank you Forrest Gump!)
Praying for an event which does not occur never breaks the spell of faith. It leads to stupidity which, then, seeks to create a plausible "reason".
The reason is the result of stupidity and is itself stupid.
Fred Franz protested that 1975 did not bring Armageddon "because you believed it!" Which was an incredibly stupid chain of reasoning which goes like this:
"No man knows" and by your believing 1975 would bring what "no man knows" you forced God to change the event--otherwise, you really DID know!"
When you attack a person's core beliefs you cause a chain reaction that makes them more bull-headed and eventually STUPID.
The more religiously stupid a believer becomes the more detached from reality their language and "reasoning" is driven compulsively.
The ADVENTISTS in the time of William Miller set date after date for the advent of Christ. Time and again they were wrong. Each incident was based on the torturing of bible passages and dumb arithmetic.
So, what were these disconfirmation's result?
Making the Adventists more and more stupid until, finally, in desperation to retreat inside a bubble that could not be assailed---they switched from bible arithmetic to "visions" or direct communications FROM GOD to ELLEN WHITE.
Ever heard the old expression "From God's lips to your ears"?
Now, who can refute a person who claims God is speaking through her?
Charles Taze Russell's wife, Maria, witnessed the effectiveness of Ellen White in putting faithful believers in thrall and crafted her own version of the "mouthpiece of god through direct contact" when she invented the doctrine (still useful to the Governing Body) of the "faithful and discreet slave".
The Adventists and the Russellites became so stupid by repeated disconfirmation of predictions of Christ's 2nd coming they invented the ultimate
idiotic doctrine: INVISIBLE JESUS! This was a desperate "proof". Instead of pointing to a living Christ on a throne in Jerusalem the Adventist mindset was "World events prove Jesus is back." Any sign could now "prove" their assertions.
If you hear any devout believer offer ridiculous rebuttal when their wacky doctrines are exposed as fraudulent you are encountering STUPIDOLOGY's basic premise: people of faith who are otherwise intelligent can deliberately make themselves utterly stupid!
In fact, it is unavoidable.