Distinguishing Fact From Fiction...

[_zeezrom]

Quas,

You dressed like the 1975 Jesus. :)

[_GR33N]

This story is a little late for the thread "Explaining the Book of Mormon". http://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35162&p=834159#p834159, but I think it applies in many ways.

Young children who are exposed to religion have a hard time differentiating between fact and fiction, according to a new study published in the July issue of Cognitive Science.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/children-religion-fact-fiction_n_5607009.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

I think it might hold some explanations for many of our TBM friends, as well.

Which source should we accept as authority of fact vs. fiction?

[_Some Schmo]

Which source should we accept as authority of fact vs. fiction?

Science.

[_zeezrom]

Which source should we accept as authority of fact vs. fiction?

I use Yahoo Answers myself.

One time, I asked if the Greek gods were real and I got my answer! Well, once she started into the thing about nuclear destruction, I started to wonder... but yeah, they are real and that is my source and I'm sticking to it!

Joanna:
Of course greek gods are real. Look. Ancient greek civilization was soooooo advanced. Do you really believe that those clever people were fantasizing things?! That just makes no sense. I believe their gods were super-advanced human that survived after a nuclear destruction of previous generation or maybe some demonic spirits transformed into humans... and what about mythological creatures? The same applies there. They would probably be some genetic experiments...Look. just think of that for a moment. Did you know that the nuclear weapons that exist nowadays is confirmed that they can cause total earth distraction? What if... this actually happens?! Do you wanna know whats next? THE whole damn knowledge dissappears and the last few survivors start from zero.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/inde ... 538AAS9K5A

The Internet is just full of so much useful information. It really is a wonder.

[_huckelberry]

I do not think six or seven year olds have highly developed analytic abilities for distinguishing fact from fiction. There are times I have real difficulty with that process and I am older and tolerably intelligent with a curiosity about make such distinctions. Now if somebody tells a child that talking animal stories are imaginary that does make it easier to pass the test which the article considers. There would then be be little analysis needed to determine if realism is involved.

I can think of simple problems which still puzzle me. One fellow I know tells of coming back from Vietnam and being spit upon in California. I have another friend who upon hearing that story decides he is sure the story must be a false urban legend fueled by political emotions. Myself I have some doubts about the story but also doubt the good sense of California enough to give the story possible credence. But there are no talking animals, how can I tell for sure?

[_Jesse Pinkman]

As far as the study goes, I would be interested in seeing what factors in general child development that they took in to consideration. There are very specific stages of brain development in children that occurs at different ages. I'm just curious as to how that was factored in.

[_Themis]

I do not think six or seven year olds have highly developed analytic abilities for distinguishing fact from fiction.

I would say at that age they are starting get the hang of it. You can try to pull a fast one and get caught lots of times by kids this age. I suspect this is why they were looking at 5-6 year olds. Later ages may not work as well as people learn which supernatural claims are the only ones to take seriously.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

I use Yahoo Answers myself.

You used Yahoo? Shame on you, Zee! Don't you know that Google is the one true God of the Internet?