My dad is a professional evangelical - gets paid for writing books and going around debating people. I didn't realize until after I lost my faith how that approach to information was so radically different to the non-religious - not just in content but the narratives around (cont
In the evangelical world, information is not just pure information, it's weaponry. It's impossible to look at a fact without being influenced by 'agenda' - is the fact a weapon for the evolutionary agenda? gay agenda? pro-death (abortion) agenda?
In this world, you can't just-
In this world, you can't just-
have 'a question' - questions are either threats against you or attacks on the opponent. Every piece of data has a moral flavor that contributes with no complications to a black and white world. Reality is partial, reality is war.
I didn't realize this when I was in it. The moral tinge to amoral statements was impossible to avoid; this was the way the world was constructed.
I was also completely blind to other people who participated outside this system. If you didn't see Reality As War, and you -
I was also completely blind to other people who participated outside this system. If you didn't see Reality As War, and you -
wanted to explore anything related to my worldview, I couldn't grasp it. It wasn't possible. You were either attacking or defending, and if you insisted you weren't then that meant you were just lying so you could sneak in an attack on the down-low. Any disagreement was threat.
This type of religious thinking isn't dying out - it's just transferring to fields of thought we don't typically title religious. Activists online, 'conflict theorists', SJWs, incels, most extremes on the political spectrum - all view Reality As War, and any discourse as battle.
And there's no way to get through to them by discussion - because they can't conceive that you're not at war with them, and if you're insisting you're not at war then you must be lying, pretending, and they need to call you out and shut you down before you can 'destroy' them.
This is why I typically *do not engage* with people who see Reality As War. The only way to win their game is to not play.
