Thread by @JuliusGoat

Conservatism is a religion. Unfortunately the faithful's glazed globby God spent the last year telling them that Covid is a hoax that will simply go away someday, and that all attempts to combat it with science are acts of apostasy against His Greatness. nytimes.com/2021/04/05/us/…

Something in the white church in America sure does teach people that anything they do is moral as long as it springs from a deeply held conviction—as if the most horrendous acts of human atrocity weren't carried out by people with deep convictions.

Very tired of having people's beliefs reported or discussed t as if the simple fact of holding a belief lends it credibility or relevance.

"Yes but *they* also sincerely believe *we're* wrong."

So what? Of course they do. They're still wrong.

One's beliefs doesn't make one any more special than anybody else. Everyone has beliefs, and acts from them.

If someone's beliefs are wrong, then they *they are wrong.* The fact that they *believe* the wrong thing doesn't protect them from that.

The story is: they are wrong.

Yes, the fact that their positions are based in sincere belief is the most banal and ultimately meaningless point that can be made; they aren't being criticized for insincerity, but because they're *wrong.*

https://twitter.com/bimbocatfood/status/1379395228126347266?s=20

Even when people are clearly acting out of hypocrisy and bad faith, the main point isn't that they lack conviction or beliefs, just that they are hiding their true convictions and beliefs.

Which should lead to discovery about what their true convictions and beliefs are.