II Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NIV)
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness…
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Song “Blinded By the Lies” by Carl Klang
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The Illusion of Choice and Truth
By SonOfTheLawOfOne Topic started on 1 Sept 2012
You may think it’s all conspiracy, or you might not believe it’s possible that there are true villains in this world the likes of which you’ve only thought were possible in big Hollywood movies.
But “they” are real.
In order to have an illusion, you must distort the perception of the viewer. Choice is an illusion created between those with power, and those without.
There are 3 types of choices:
Hobson’s Choice: A free choice in which only one option is offered; i.e., “take it or leave it”.
Morton’s Fork: Is a choice between two equally unpleasant alternatives (in other words, a dilemma) or two lines of reasoning that lead to the same unpleasant conclusion. It is analogous to the expression, “between the devil and the deep blue sea,” and “between a rock and a hard place”.
Buridan’s Ass: is an illustration of a paradox in philosophy in the conception of free will. It refers to a hypothetical situation wherein an ass is placed precisely midway between a stack of hay and a pail of water. Since the paradox assumes the ass will always go to whichever is closer, it will die of both hunger and thirst since it cannot make any rational decision to choose one over the other. The paradox is named after the 14th century French philosopher Jean Buridan, whose philosophy of moral determinism it satirizes.
Left, Right, Democrat, Republican, it is all AN ILLUSION OF CHOICE!!! (specifically, all 3 of the above!)
As long as you BELIEVE you have a choice, you will never revolt (Hobson’s Choice)… even if the choice is between two horrible things (Morton’s Fork)… because you’d rather choose something, than choose nothing and suffer from the pain of not choosing anything at all. (Buridan’s Ass)
Thinking “outside of the box” is KNOWING that you are not limited to the choices presented to you. This is where YOU CAN make a difference.
There are well understood aspects of human psychology that show how easy it is to create the illusion of something being true. You see it everyday of your life, but hopefully, this will help you understand WHY.
The Illusion of Truth Effect
Easy to understand = true
This is what psychologists call the illusion of truth effect and it arises at least partly because familiarity breeds liking. As we are exposed to a message again and again, it becomes more familiar. Because of the way our minds work, what is familiar is also true. Familiar things require less effort to process and that feeling of ease unconsciously signals truth (this is called cognitive fluency).
As every politician knows, there’s not much difference between actual truth and the illusion of truth. Since illusions are often easier to produce, why bother with the truth?
The exact opposite is also true.
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In other words, it’s no good repeating a weak argument to people who are listening carefully. But if people aren’t motivated to scrutinise your arguments carefully then repeat away with abandon—the audience will find the argument more familiar and, therefore, more persuasive.
This suggests we should remain critical while watching TV adverts or the message will creep in under our defences. You might think it’s better to let the ads wash over you, without thinking too much, but just the reverse is true. Really we should be highly critical otherwise, before we know it, we’re singing the jingle, quoting the tag-line and buying the product.
When the argument is strong, though, it doesn’t matter whether or not the audience is concentrating hard, repetition will increase persuasion. Unfortunately I find it’s often people with the best arguments who don’t repeat them enough.
Source
We NEED to stop fighting over the illusions that “they” want us to believe!!! As long as we fight amongst ourselves, and the ILLUSIONS, “THEY” WIN and we continue to be their pawns and slaves!
We need to STOP BICKERING OVER THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE and start looking at why we are only being given those choices!
We CAN make real change. It has to start somewhere.
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Related posts…
Good example of the Hegelian Dialectic…
Not a dime’s worth of difference…
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Luke 8:10 (NIV) If you don’t want Jesus Christ then He does not want you…
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
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John 6:44 (NIV)
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day…
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James 4:8 (ESV)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded…
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Revelation 22:15 (ESV)
Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood…
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Deuteronomy 32:47 (NLT)
These instructions are not empty words–they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”
