Why Are People Conned by the Religious Right


These days there are many attempts by analysts who see through Trump and try to understand why people are attracted to him. Documented proof is available that he lies about everything including the amount of his wealth, what he did while in office and the 2020 election. It seems likely he will be convicted of one or more of current outstanding charges. The question is asked, "Why can't people recognize he is a nothing but a con artist?" The link concludes a broad cross section of the public are conned by Trump and others simple because they do not question or evaluate vulnerability within themselves.

We humans are vulnerable to con in ideas as well as personalities. False notions are presented and some of us will latch onto them. We can start will gods and spirits. Every reader will have her own belief about these--that they do or do not exist. While no one sees these gods or spirits there is a popular explanation as to why some believe they exist. It is because there is something we do not understood or something we cannot explain. It is easy to assign the cause as an invisible being. Patterns of stars, weather and animals were the original reason humans believed there were invisible beings.

Humans, then, are conned by a combination of con artists and false ideas. Preachers and politicians once told listeners all black men lusted for white women. Also, black people were not as smart as white people. When the book Uncle Tom's Cabin was published, portraying slaves as cleverly outsmarting slave owners, outraged white people wanted it banned. Perhaps even today it is on the list of books to be removed from school libraries.

In today's elementary schools children are taught "critical thinking." I would describe it as raising questions about the motives of writers and leaders. "Is there a self-serving reason for that?" is the question. While this seems simple and logical, it does not work unless it is applied to everything and everyone. That includes oneself.

I don't recall hearing of a leader on the religious right saying, "The 2020 election was legitimate. Joe Biden beat Donald Trump." These same leaders do not want certain books read in schools nor do they want critical thinking in the followers. When religious leaders are part of a political con, a country is in trouble.


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