What made you change your views?

[Alex K]

I really thought all those high end audio magazines knew what they were talking about when they dealt with expensive cables and power conditioning. When I read that there are no measurable effects that could account for the claimed audible differences, I made rationalizations about how effects could still hide in subtle ways in the data that hadn't been considered yet. But skeptics making physics arguments, as well as James Randi's challenge, convinced me that my beliefs were wrong and that I had been fooled for a decade by unreliable ideologues.

[brewer]

I am working on a research dealing with religion, conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. The goal is to find out what factors play the key role in deconversion from such ideas.

If you dropped your religious, conspiracy or pseudoscience beliefs, what made you change your views? I know it is usually very long and complicated journey, but try to zoom out on the main factors.

I am also interested whether any kind of ridicule / poking fun / comedy or calls for self-deprecation played any role?

The church leaders stopped being able to provide plausible answers and said you just have to believe because we tell you to. I stopped. I suppose that's logic/skeptic. 

bold mine: On the part of the church or me?

[GrandizerII]

I am working on a research dealing with religion, conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. The goal is to find out what factors play the key role in deconversion from such ideas.

If you dropped your religious, conspiracy or pseudoscience beliefs, what made you change your views? I know it is usually very long and complicated journey, but try to zoom out on the main factors.

I am also interested whether any kind of ridicule / poking fun / comedy or calls for self-deprecation played any role?

Learning critical thinking skills I didn't previously possess, reading books written by atheists, debating with atheists online, disillusionment with Christians I once idolized, reading the whole Bible one last time, studying psychology, realizing arguments for God did not support the necessity of God's existence, appreciating arguments against God, commitment to intellectual honesty, etc.

[vorlon13]

anyone answered divine revelation yet?

[Crunchy]

I really thought all those high end audio magazines knew what they were talking about when they dealt with expensive cables and power conditioning. When I read that there are no measurable effects that could account for the claimed audible differences, I made rationalizations about how effects could still hide in subtle ways in the data that hadn't been considered yet. But skeptics making physics arguments, as well as James Randi's challenge, convinced me that my beliefs were wrong and that I had been fooled for a decade by unreliable ideologues.

I remember they used to try to convince people that gold contacts were the best conductor. Turns out silver is a better conductor than gold but not quite a lucrative to sell.

[Minimalist]

I reached the Age of Reason..... which for ex-catholicks is about 10.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I am working on a research dealing with religion, conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. The goal is to find out what factors play the key role in deconversion from such ideas.

If you dropped your religious, conspiracy or pseudoscience beliefs, what made you change your views? I know it is usually very long and complicated journey, but try to zoom out on the main factors.

I am also interested whether any kind of ridicule / poking fun / comedy or calls for self-deprecation played any role?

I lived through an event that brought up questions about the problem of evil, and realized that what I'd seen didn't comport with the loving god I'd been taught to worship.

As almost everyone here knows, religion doesn't survive questioning. Mine sure didn't.

[emjay]

This question is asked a lot on this forum

That's true about how people stopped being religious, but I was hoping to hear more about conspiracy theories or pseudoscience.
I don't think I've ever seen that asked in a forum, or maybe it's just never answered due to embarrassment? Who wants to admit they thought the moon landings were fake.

If you want to learn about the psychology of conspiracy theories and paranoid delusions, I'd recommend reading a Mafia game    We have plenty here for you to choose from... and it's pretty much part of the job description to be able to have the most insane theories on a regular basis (or maybe that's just me ) - which are only right 99 times out of 100 - much to the enjoyment of the game mods - who are the only ones who know who's who - who get to read them. Seriously though, you can see the psychology of them in full swing in a game, depending on how into it people get. Bearing in mind that a game lasts several days of real time play, fitted around RL, it's an immersive experience requiring a lot of emotional investment, so when these effects happen, they happen for real, because the game becomes as if it was real.

But if you're more interested in the content of specific ones... like the moon landings... then obviously that wouldn't help. But for the psychology, it's a goldmine

[pulzar]

Thanks to everyone for your answers! It is really interesting to read through so many different stories.

...gradually dropping exotic beliefs with highly questionable substantiation along the way.

Was that caused by reading books, talking to friends, listening to debates, watching videos ... or whatever else?

It was the facts that changed my mind.

Where did you find those facts?

On the part of the church or me?

For example, friend of yours - or some stand up comedian - would talk about how ridiculous the believes were and you'd slowly realise "Yes, that is actually pretty laughable to believe that".

[brewer]

Thanks to everyone for your answers! It is really interesting to read through so many different stories.

[edit]

On the part of the church or me?

For example, friend of yours - or some stand up comedian - would talk about how ridiculous the believes were and you'd slowly realise "Yes, that is actually pretty laughable to believe that".

Friends or others in the community, nope. To this day the majority remain brain washed. 

That was the 1970's in the middle of Nebraska. Media/entertainment ridiculing religion did not exist, except for maybe this:





At most, it was the music of the times. And not the crap available on our one radio station.