Theists, are you immune to being decieved?

[The Reality Salesman01]

In recent conversations with a few of our resident Theists, I've been asking them a question that has yet to be answered.

How do you know you are not delusional?

I can see how somebody would find this to be a question intended to offend. Theists are convinced that the feelings they derive from their belief confirm the truth of the God they associate them with, and so to them, of course it's not a delusion.

They feel it in their hearts, and their mind backs it up. It all falls in line with exactly what they've been told to expect. All one has to do is expel all doubt and give in to the truth of their God, and others would experience what they experience. (coincidentally, this would be true for any God claim). The fact that so many others make exclusive and yet incompatible claims makes no difference. The others must be mistaken because the convinced Theist needs only to know what they feel personally about their God to know that they are right, and the others are wrong. Their subjective experience of the belief they hold in God could not allow them to misconstrue the truth.

But the question remains...How do they know they're not delusional? How can they trust what they've attributed to this personal experience that creates an unwavering conviction? I saw this video today and a creepy feeling came over me. I recommend it to Theists and Atheists alike. It's provides some interesting insight on the mind of the believer. As usual, I look forward to reading everyone's feedback. See ya around the forums!

[MindForgedManacle]

Strictly speaking, "How do you know you're not delusional?" can only be responded to with an assumption by anyone. If you were delusional, you might not know it. You could be undergoing an extremely potent hallucination, after all.

[The Reality Salesman01]

Strictly speaking, "How do you know you're not delusional?" can only be responded to with an assumption by anyone. If you were delusional, you might not know it. You could be undergoing an extremely potent hallucination, after all.

I disagree. I think that by being willing to revise one's beliefs in the face of new evidence, and being aware of personal biases that may blind one's ability to change are good ways of knowing if a belief is a delusion or not. That is, if a belief doesn't accurately represent reality.

That's the difference between being delusional and misconstruing reality. A religious nut would not change their belief under any circumstances. There is nothing that would cause them to revise it unless the signs that point to self deception are too much to ignore. I think it depends with how long it's been apart of their psyche, and whether or not they are surrounded by those that reinforce the concepts by using the same faulty circular logic.

I am not delusional because I'm not married to any belief that I have. I am willing to revise them, and that is something that no Christian can say.

That's not to say they can't revise them, but in the state in which they defend them, that's not an alternative they're able to consider. It's a belief blinded by confirmation bias that is immune to criticism or revision.

[thesummerqueen]

There is no spoon.

[Lion IRC]

How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

[Silver]

[thesummerqueen]

How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

Majority view doesn't equal reality.

[The Reality Salesman01]

You could be undergoing an extremely potent hallucination, after all.

This is true, and while I can only speak about personal experiences of such things. There is a state of awareness during hallucinations that lends to one recognizing that things are different than "normal". Even in the state of experiencing a hallucination, and especially after, rationality can be applied. It is the ability to reason with the phenomenon in question that allows one to arrive at it being a "hallucination", or an inaccurate representation of reality.

When reason is chucked out the window, it is not perceived as a hallucination, it IS REALITY to the one attempting to make sense of the experience. This is somewhat the crux of religion and its associated claims. It's the line between fantasy and reality; Theism Vs. Atheism. IMO

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How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

Did you watch the video? It may be helpful if you make an argument against some of the things being said in it. It's only 6 minutes or so. Surely you have the time.

Secondly,

How do you know that God doesn't merely exist only in the heads of people that think there is a "God Antenna" extending from them?

I'm not saying that God doesn't exist. I believe he does. He's in your head. I also believe that he's as subjectively real to you as your favorite food. But, how do you know it's anything more than that? Surely you must have evidence for such an objective claim. No?

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How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

Again, I'm open to the idea that there's a God. I'm genuinely willing to revise my stance on God and adopt the one that you have. But if you think that it's a reasonable position, you have to provide evidence for it.

A lot of people thinking something is true, doesn't make it true. Do you really not understand that?

Your same question could be directed at you toward Allah, and yet, you are not convinced. Why do you think that is?

[Ryantology]

How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

I know this is asking a lot out of you, but would you mind showing me a map of human anatomy with the "God antenna" clearly identified?

[Minimalist]

How does someone with a broken "God antenna" know that their minority world view isn't the deluded state?

Majority view doesn't equal reality.

Usually quite the opposite.