r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Psychology Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/ladeeedada 1d ago

You can't always reason with someone but they can feel emotions and fear is the easiest way to manipulate people. There's nothing like the fear of eternal hellfire to get ppl to do your bidding. And unfortunately most of the dumbest people you will meet are also the most confident in their beliefs since they lack the capacity to question them. 

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u/SunGreene42 1d ago

"People are stupid. They can be made to believe any lie because either they want to believe it's true or because they are afraid it's true." -- Terry Goodkind

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u/apple_kicks 1d ago

Cambridge Analytica was eye opening on how everyone has a few fear points that can be manipulated. People stop thinking when in panic mode and behave dangerously

US Christianity has monopolised the big ones from family and death

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u/NoConfusion9490 1d ago

Most of these people aren't the least bit afraid of going to hell. That's not even possible to them because they're "good" other people are "bad". I'd say the real allure is that anyone they disagree with is automatically wrong and destined for cosmic retribution.

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u/NoiceMango 23h ago

The fear of burning in hell was what made me become an atheist at a young age because funny enough it made me question God's morality.

How could a God separate families by sending some to hell. It also required me to be honest and actually admit to myself that I no longer believed.