That was great when the interviewer produced the "Bishop's Records" showing the 16 year-old wives, but the Jessop guy wouldn't even look at it. It's like "Dude, they're your own records!" I can't believe Texas CPS screwed this up so badly, but something needs to be done about that community.
I was also struck by that. He refused to look at it. It was bizarre, and yet it is the same behavior I’ve seen demonstrated online by defenders of the faith.
It reminds me of Eric Hoffer’s astute observation about True Believers:
So tenaciously should we cling to the world revealed by the Gospel, that were I to see all the Angels of Heaven coming down to me to tell me something different, not only would I not be tempted to doubt a single syllable, but I would shut my eyes and stop my ears, for they would not deserve to be either seen or heard.” (Luther) To rely on the evidence of the senses and of reason is heresy and treason. It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible. What we know as blind faith is sustained by innumerable unbeliefs. The fanatical Japanese in Brazil refused to believe for four years the evidence of Japan’s defeat. The fanatical communist refuses to believe any unfavorable report or evidence about Russia, nor will he be disillusioned by seeing with his own eyes that the cruel misery inside the Soviet promise land.
It is the true believers ability to “shut his eyes and stop his ears” to facts that do not deserve to be either seen or heard which is the source of his unequaled fortitude and constancy. He cannot be frightened by danger nor disheartened by obstacles nor baffled by contradictions because he denies their existence. Strength of faith, as Bergson pointed out, manifests itself not in moving mountains but in not seeing mountains to move. And it is the certitude of his infallible doctrine that renders the true believer impervious to the uncertainties, surprises and the unpleasant realities of the world around him.
One of the more frustrating aspects of online exchanges between believer and nonbeliever has to do with this very phenomenon – the ability of the True Believer to “shut his/her eyes and stop his/her ears”. After having interacted with defenders of the faith on a couple of different boards over the span of several years, I noticed this repeatedly: solid, reliable information would be presented that directly contradicted or undermined a particular defense of some aspect of the faith. Certain believers would act incapable of allowing that information to register in any meaningful way, no matter how simple the information actually was. Here’s my favorite example that involves the lack of evidence for the horse in ancient Mesoamerica:
When discussing not only the lack of archaeological and artistic evidence of the horse, but also the lack of sociological evidence of the impact the horse has on evolving cultures, several defenders of the faith would respond that the geography of Mesoamerica was not conducive to the use of the horse, hence, the lack of impact. Over and over, I saw this assertion directly and simply refuted (mainly, Mesoamerica is so geographically diverse that, while some mountainous regions would not be conducive to the horse, there were other areas that were flatter and would be conducive to the horse). At one point I even offered a statement by John Sorenson that directly refuted this (he mentioned a particular plain contained in the Book of Mormon region that he thought was particularly conducive to the horse in battle). Yet, time after time, I would see the same apologist (in this particular conversation, it was cdowis), trot out the exact same argument months later. It was like he had done just what this Jessop person did – refuse to even LOOK at the information. Certainly it did not register in any meaningful way. This was one of the repeating phenomenon that eventually made me generally give up on these sort of discussions – it was usually a complete and utter waste of time. “Jessop” wouldn’t even LOOK at what you were offering.
I think it is a remarkable demonstration of Hoffer’s assertion. And he's correct - it is an absolute waste of time to try to reason with people who have already decided to "see no evil".
