Genesis: An Introduction and CommentaryWacky and ridiculous belief systems abound. Members of the Heaven’s Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 heavenly virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6,000 years old. Of course it’s not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs. Significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids, that the Holocaust never happened, and that the World Trade Center was brought down by the US government. How do such ridiculous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, college-educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap? How, in particular, do the true believers manage to convince themselves that they are the rational, reasonable ones and that everyone else is deluded? This book identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. The author suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes—belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in. While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world’s greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape. This witty, insightful critique will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, promoters of flaky alternative medicines, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and maintained. |
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Common terms and phrases
A. R. Millard Abimelech Abraham Abram Adam Additional Note angels appears AV's Babylonian Beth-el Bible biblical blessing brothers Cain Canaan Canaanites commentary context covenant creation creatures D. J. Wiseman death divine E. A. Speiser earth Edom Egypt Egyptian emphasizes Esau Esau's expression fact faith Flood further Genesis give God's grace Hebrew Horites human Hurrians implies Isaac Ishmael Israel Jacob Joseph Judah judgment king Laban Lamech land literally living Lord man's marriage meaning Mizraim Moses narrative Noah Noah's Note to chapter Old Testament opening oracle passage patriarchs pattern Pentateuch phrase present promise Psalm Reuben reveals RSV's Scripture seems sense Shechem Shem shows Sodom sons speak Speiser spirit story suggests term translated tribe Tyndale Press verb Vergote verse W. F. Albright whole word Yahweh