Ignorant Christians like leaving comments on articles accusing my criticism of Christianity as angry lies, but any fact check of the Christian Pollution’s articles readily shows this claim’s falseness. Clearly, ignorant Christians are literate enough to understand the article, so why post lies about Christian Pollution?
Because they fear overturning their worldview and reality.
Ignorant Christians entrench their lives in a belief system that tells them they are good people following their faith’s tenets, regardless of the degree of orthodoxy. They judge themselves, each other, and everyone else on these tenets, forming not just a moral worldview but a reality. Any challenge to this reality and view of life unsettles the ignorant Christians and makes them retreat further into their faith. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as motivated reasoning, which is an umbrella term for a host of cognitive biases, and appearing most notably amongst ignorant Christians is confirmation bias, which defines as “favoring ideas that confirm preexisting beliefs.”
Ignorant Christians believe they are honest good people; therefore, critics of Christianity must be liars.
Conflated with confirmation bias, ignorant Christians often suffer from a form of self-serving bias, which reveals when the ignorant Christian attributes success to himself (Christianity) and failures to external forces (non-Christianity).
The rise in school shootings resulted directly from the removal of prayer in public schools, not kids ostracized by dominant groups.
I got fired because God has bigger plans for me and doesn’t want me working for that terrible company, not because I didn’t work hard enough.
I’m more successful than you because I’m a good Christian, and you’re not; never mind, I’m white, privileged, and come from an affluent family.
Most people experience similar biases, albeit not so absurdly obvious as the ignorant Christians, and when confronted with facts, most release their erroneous beliefs. Ignorant Christians cannot relinquish their beliefs because that would mean abandoning a way of life, however hypocritical. More than upsetting their worldview, admitting their biases means upending their reality.
- Mom and dad didn’t go to Heaven.
- God doesn’t have a personal plan for my life.
- Sleeping with my neighbor’s wife wasn’t forgiven after going to church and praying.
- I really am a shitty person who supports a racist, violent religion.
Rather than face such a reality, ignorant Christians choose to maintain biases in a state of “willful ignorance.” This ignorance is the only way to explain how Christians, when presented with enormous evidence that contradicts the nature of their religion, can shrug and say, “They’re lying about Christians.” As such, the willingness of Christians to remain ignorant makes them ignorant Christians.
