Cognitive dissonance and religion

When someone feels something strongly opposed to our belief, we can experience self-doubt and cognitive dissonance. We know what our belief is but their depth of feeling is changing our perception.
I'm sure I would find it harder to sustain beliefs about homosexualtiy being OK, being against the death penalty etc if I was around hardcore reupblicans. Thats dissonance. Equally, I am not religious but when around someone christian who feels there is a hole in my life because of that I can't help feeling cognitive dissonance.

My question is this, is the dissonance regarding religion or things regarding your personal life to be viewed any differencently to when it reagdrs anything else?

Would a christian perceiving a hole in your life (and then you experiencing dissonance) indicate that that dissonance means anything or should be ignored?

Since I could still have spirituality in my life, such as taoism/buddhism, and have those regarding as trifling and that i was still missing out, I figure it should be ignored. People can also percieve you have a hole in your life not having kids but I wouldnt think most people would say even if they experienced dissonance with that that it would be wise to go and have them rationality aside. Is that case also comparable?

What do you think about this TSR? Christains ,non christians and all.

Is a belief being made doubtable ever a sign of something true within yourself, that you should change, or then would you just change for everything?

Is it just the conviction of their logic rather than the quality? Is it merely the power of a collective and the gravitas with which christianity has been imbued, whcih gives them their self-assurance, much like an aristocracy for example.

It seems so weird that you could tick so many of lifes boxes (money kids etc) and then always be told by someone you havent got something.

Reply 1

Chillaxer

This is something I feel I need to self-examine about.

Reply 2

Srxjer

You know that a religious person is grasping at a straw-man's straws when they play the 'hole in your life' or 'you're going to hell' card.

I think the cognitive dissonance you're describing suggests to me that you're not yet quite able to break free from the shackles of Pius ignorance which people carry with them throughout their lives -- through fear of course.

My advice is to read some respected science books, (it's nothing too difficult, they're made for the layman.)

Here's my recommendations:

Cosmos - Carl Sagan
In Search of Schrodinger's Cat - John Gribbin
A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
A Brief History Of Time - Stephen Hawking

Also, I recommend Philhellenes' and Thunderf00t's YouTube channels.

Reply 3

Chillaxer

Srxjer

You know that a religious person is grasping at a straw-man's straws when they play the 'hole in your life' or 'you're going to hell' card.

I think the cognitive dissonance you're describing suggests to me that you're not yet quite able to break free from the shackles of Pius ignorance which people carry with them throughout their lives -- through fear of course.

My advise is to read some respected science books, (it's nothing too difficult, they're made for the layman.)

Here's my recommendations:

Cosmos - Carl Sagan
In Search of Schrodinger's Cat - John Gribbin
A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
A Brief History Of Time - Stephen Hawking

Also, I recommend Philhellenes' and Thunderf00t's YouTube channels.

I really know the objective scinetific arguments, that's not a rpoblem for me, believing in the power of science.

But I think all of us experience some dissonance, no-one, regardless of what tehy say to the contrary is free of that feeling of believing something but then it changin with the force of someones conviction, when they feel it in their heart. I guess I'm saying I know things like my beliefs on social conservatism outside that context pretty firmly, but put in that socisl influence it's hard to maintain those beleifs. Not sure how to deal with the dissonance and want to know but as I reasoned above I don't think it's to do with power of logic but with collective power and the feeling of conviction it gives them, the gravitas and popularity of it, like i say it may be akin to aristocratic conviction. It's the organised religion aspect of it not spirituality, as I can feel my own spirituaty can feel great beauty in taoism etc but would feel their unspoken disregard for that. Am I dealing with a concealed spite and need for conviction in them, or is it just collective power and a flase gravitas it's been attributed?