Born again christians

[stamenflicker]

Plutark...

And might I reccommend a similar and perhaps counter-source, a book called Battle For The Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing, which connects conversion and brainwashing experiences and practices in disparate fields (politics, law, religion, etc) to exceedingly well researched and verified physiological occurrences, originally discovered and elucidated by the works of Pavlov.

What difference would physiology make? Unless you are contending points of origin, or referring to states, who cares? On the point of origin, all you've done is pointed to an indicator, in which anyone could just say, well that's the way god made it.

The purpose of understanding conversion must be product based. What does conversion offer us, or take away from us as social and psychological creatures?

Unless of course you'd like a conversion pill, in which case sure physiology might be of some use. I still fail to see where it matters too much.

Flick

 

[Plutarck]

Plutark...

What difference would physiology make? Unless you are contending points of origin, or referring to states, who cares? On the point of origin, all you've done is pointed to an indicator, in which anyone could just say, well that's the way god made it.

The purpose of understanding conversion must be product based. What does conversion offer us, or take away from us as social and psychological creatures?

Unless of course you'd like a conversion pill, in which case sure physiology might be of some use. I still fail to see where it matters too much.

Flick

Simple, the physiology of conversion points out precisely how it is accomplished in the first place, and what it is that is actually going on. It shows that what is actually being said makes little to no difference whatsoever. It doesn't matter how stupid or crazy the story, or how smart or dedicated an individual might or might not be, and yet people can still be made to believe it, even against their will and even without them knowing what is going on.

What it "gives" or "takes" is irrelevant, but is in fact merely a side-effect of an actual verifiable physical breakdown in the functioning of a biological system, and it works regardless of intent (or lack thereof).

It further informs as to the following:

1) As to cause, there is nothing "special" or "mysterious" going on, no more than the reaction one has to being beaten with a baseball bat is "special" or "mysterious".

2) Further, what is being said or believed isn't special either. The process works just as well no matter what is being said, whether the conversion is to believe in God, the evils of Capitalism and the perfection of The Party, one's own guilt, or any such thing. It works regardless of truth or falsehood.

3) It is a human universal. It simply doesn't matter who or what you are, so long as you are human and clinically sane.

4) It is a pretty well unavoidable biological reaction of the human body to certain extraordinary stimuli.

As such a physiological process it's evolutionary origins and uses can be more rigorously studied and the answer as to its reason for existing can be made clear, such as whether or not is serves an actual purpose or if it merely is a failure or degradation of the system (like death, for instance, which is largely a neccessity of the fragility of physical systems, not an intended or evolutionarily selected for attribute).


Every single one of which has a major effect upon what conclusions one can logically derive or conclude from studying or undergoing conversion experiences (ie- one cannot reasonably think something true merely because of an experience).