I seem to lay almost all our present day problems on the MAGA cult and particularly those who are evangelicals among them. I realize that is just too easy to do. It is painting with too broad a brush. Saying they all think alike is like saying all progressives have the same priorities, and I know for a fact that is far from the case. Like everyone else, I am always looking for that non-existent silver bullet that will take care of what is probably a thousand different causes.

But what causes a person to disregard the obvious truth in front of their face to cling to whatever a charismatic leader, whether he is political or religious, proclaims? That question totally befuddles me, but I will never stop trying to understand it.

I’m sure I didn’t invent it, but I did adopt the phrase “Lazy Minds” a few years ago to explain why there so many of the solvable problems that remain unsolved in the world and especially in the US. My posts on this topic spread the gamut of ranting to philosophical. I detest rants, even when I do them, so I usually try to stay on the philosophical end of that spectrum. With that in mind I will try to look at this from a different angle on this post.

It might be more about “stifled minds” than “lazy minds”

Many of us, especially in my generation were told when they were young that children are to be seen but not heard. That certainly implied that anything we said was of no account to others. Another way to maybe explain it from an evangelical standpoint is that we were told from a very early age and then throughout our lives that our bible is never to be questioned, it must be taken as being from God, and who are we to question God?

“You have nothing valuable to say” & “Never question what we tell you to be true.”

That seems like a double whammy to young tender minds. Maybe even the beginning of a lifelong brainwashing. Fortunately, not everyone who grew up in this type of environment stayed there. Most of us, at least I hope, outgrew that stifling logic to go on to looking at the facts to determine what to believe. Told you have nothing valuable to say is not very conducive to self-esteem and confidence.’

I know the logic “you have nothing valuable to say” has been used throughout history to enable the powerful to keep a stranglehold on their slaves/serfs/subjects. It in one form or another is still being used by some of the world’s largest population. The caste system in India is a prime example. People who are not born into an upper caste have no hope of ever moving up in society. While the Indian system has been officially refuted it is still common practice in the country.

Could stifled minds be that is one of the reasons for lazy minds in this country? Too many kids have been told they are not to speak out but to believe what you are told, and they never outgrew that mentality.