When I was young, there were three channels on TV and anything other than an hour of news was obtained by gossip with those at some social gathering, usually church. If you wanted information about science, or about dinosaurs, or about the beliefs of those in Iran, it was necessary to go to the library and look up that information in an encyclopedia or find a book about the subject and read it. This meant that only fairly dedicated people had the time and energy to really explore different ideas and other cultures, or even, truthfully, their own.
Now, we have a LOT of information at our fingertips. We have trolls coming through giving any number of off-the-wall ideas and kooks on TV saying pretty much anything for a dollar. So when the local preacher sounds like the internet troll that has been bothering everyone, there is a natural response against the local preacher. When we realize that gays are pretty much just like everyone else, we realize the unfairness of the religious injunctions and start to question the morality of those whose authority was unquestioned before.
When we realize that McDowell's Liar,Lord, or Lunatic is a silly trichotomy, and we have the range of views presented in a variety of forums, we learn that the superstitions and apologetics of the past just don't work any longer.
So, yes, people are learning to think for themselves. Some are very poor at it, but they are still more likely to be able to ferret out the BS of the preachers than they were 50 years ago.Teenagers have always rebelled, but now they have more facts at hand to ponder in their rebellion.
And this is a good thing. Sorry, Josh.
Now, we have a LOT of information at our fingertips. We have trolls coming through giving any number of off-the-wall ideas and kooks on TV saying pretty much anything for a dollar. So when the local preacher sounds like the internet troll that has been bothering everyone, there is a natural response against the local preacher. When we realize that gays are pretty much just like everyone else, we realize the unfairness of the religious injunctions and start to question the morality of those whose authority was unquestioned before.
When we realize that McDowell's Liar,Lord, or Lunatic is a silly trichotomy, and we have the range of views presented in a variety of forums, we learn that the superstitions and apologetics of the past just don't work any longer.
So, yes, people are learning to think for themselves. Some are very poor at it, but they are still more likely to be able to ferret out the BS of the preachers than they were 50 years ago.Teenagers have always rebelled, but now they have more facts at hand to ponder in their rebellion.
And this is a good thing. Sorry, Josh.
