One thing very few people do is sit down with a given amount of time and a pile of facts and think things through. The result of such an exercise is quite often a reversal in what was previously believed ? which may be one reason why such an activity is so seldom pursued! But isn't it more important to know the truth, than to cling to error?
Most people look for data which will confirm what they already believe, and ignore or rationalize what we do not want to believe. All of us are prone to this bias in our thinking ? even the most sincere Christians, and open-minded scientists. It is part of our human nature to build up a personal base of what we consider to be solid facts.
In a survey of Americans, a few years ago, it was found that about 30% believed UFOs were space vehicles from other civilizations, 60% believed in ESP, 40% thought astrology was scientific, 32% believed in lucky numbers, and 70% believed magnetic therapy was based on good science.
The Bible counters the natural bias of . . . One thing very few people do is sit down with a given amount of time and a pile of facts and think things through. The result of such an exercise is quite often a reversal in what was previously believed ? which may be one reason why such an activity is so seldom pursued! But isn't it more important to know the truth, than to cling to error?
Most people look for data which will confirm what they already believe, and ignore or rationalize what we do not want to believe. All of us are prone to this bias in our thinking ? even the most sincere Christians, and open-minded scientists. It is part of our human nature to build up a personal base of what we consider to be solid facts.
In a survey of Americans, a few years ago, it was found that about 30% believed UFOs were space vehicles from other civilizations, 60% believed in ESP, 40% thought astrology was scientific, 32% believed in lucky numbers, and 70% believed magnetic therapy was based on good science.
The Bible counters the natural bias of human nature to select facts and interpret them subjectively, by setting everything it says within the framework of the recorded and verifiable ?road? of history. Every revelation of God to Man, as recorded in the Bible is related to a time, a date, or a person in real time history. In other words, the Bible is a reliable history of the world. It tells us the truth about geology, geography, climate change, customs, cultures, languages and so on. Unlike many other 'religious? books, the Bible stands or falls on its history, and if any error was ever found in the Bible's record of history, the whole basis for believing the revelation would be undermined.
Richard Gunther, Copyright 2005