Psychologists have listed a hierarchy of emotion/attitude a person goes through when they are faced with devastating news.
1.Denial
2.Anger
3.Fear
4.Bargaining
5.Acceptance
1.Denial
When any True Believer is faced with the news that their denomination or Bible isn't reliable as a word for word, account by account, saying by saying record of something God wants us to know---they go into denial.
2.Anger
Usually anger is directed at the messenger breaking the bad news to them. Argumentation, debate, and close-minded refusal to listen kicks in.
3.Fear
Then, if they don't shut the trapdoor on their brain they become fearful of what it might mean for them to question "faith" and "belief." What are the implications of having completely trusted an authority source, and having been misinformed, led astray or lied to?
4.Bargaining
Next, they go to a Discussion Board and begin the bargaining try to buy back some credibility for their Faith. Failing that, perhaps go doctrine shopping or trade their previous belief system for another one.
5.Acceptance
At some point, if they stick with it and refuse to fall into the easy trap of Intellectual Dishonesty---they finally accept the facts as they are rather than insisting on their own wishful-thinking-"facts". The ability to be skeptical without being cynical is a healing process. Listening, testing, questioning and researching is a life long pursuit. Only those really dedicated to an honest, testable and falsifiable foundation will go the long haul.
The lazy person simply lapses into bitterness, denial and pejorative negativity.
REAL HEALING does not come easy.
Healing is based on finding the positives to counter-balance the negatives.
Instead of throwing everything out, replacing one thing with another (a tested substitute) requires time.
Staying clear of polarizing preachments is very tough.
But, healing does come to those who refuse to accept anything on authority. In effect, the HEALED person becomes their own physician.
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1. Determine what your "automatic" or knee-jerk habits are when presented with information you don't want to hear.
2. Remind yourself that intellectual honesty is a WILLINGNESS to BE WRONG if the facts go against your version of "truth."
3. Continually check--not just the facts of an argument--but the PREMISE underneath (presuppositions).
Example: Instead of arguing for an interpretation of scripture, question the premise of inerrancy of scripture itself.
4. Don't read ONLY the writers who already agree with your position. Confirmation Bias will keep you in the dark. Read the best authors who totally disagree and learn their arguments and proofs. Be able to argue both sides of controversial matters with equal strength and comprehension.
5. Discover what logical fallacies are, learn them and their definitions, apply them to your reading material.
6. Carefully define important words. Learn the difference between fluffy concepts and ironclad factual concepts.
Example: Why is there no distinct agreement on the definition of SPIRITUAL, for instance? A word that can mean anything really means nothing in particular.
7. Don't be quick to jump from the frying pan into the fire. When you turn away from what comforts you--a large empty space is created!
Don't trade Heroin for Methadone, so to speak. Substitute being a slave to a belief system by becoming a self-directed helper of others. i.e. visit the elderly, volunteer for Meals on Wheels, step outside your own world of SELF.