So I was reading in the
USA Today an article entitled "Identify - and protect yourself from - quackery" by Liz Szabo. Liz was drawing from the work of Arthur Caplan and others who offered advice on how to avoid being fooled by fake, ineffective, or even downright harmful health care providers. As I was reading, I couldn't help but notice a strong parallel to religion...
- They Claim to Have Cures No One Else Knows About - Only God can cure your heart and the deep spiritual ills of your soul, not to mention God can provide healing for physical ills without the need for traditional medical assistance.
- They Claim Others Are Trying to Suppress Their Discoveries - The faithful are persecuted for sharing their beliefs, mainstream science works to suppress the truths that bear witness to the accuracy of their holy books, and demonic forces work to hide and distort the truth.
- They Want Cash Upfront - Even though God has all He wants and needs, and can easily provide financial assistance to any one or any cause He chooses, God wants you to give up your wealth to His chosen religious institution.
- The Treatment Is Available Only Outside the USA, Such As in Tijuana, Mexico - Well, we all know that we will not be perfected here on earth, but rather in the afterlife in some form of Paradise, which I'm pretty sure is outside of the USA. (Not to besmirch the beauty of the USA!)
- They Make Amazing Claims - If you believe and obey, you will live in a happily-ever-after place with all of your other faithful brethren, where you'll have all you could ever desire and you'll never get sick or injured, never be sad, never make another mistake, never be tempted, never argue or fight, but you will still be you!
- They Rely on Testimonials - I know that God is real because I've felt His presence in my heart, because He helped me deal with a difficult situation, because it was His power that helped me change and overcome my problem, etc.
These tips go well beyond identifying medical quackery. They speak to how each of us may be susceptible to believing in something that just isn't so. It's not that we're stupid. It's that we want to believe. We all want a solution to our problems.
It's really funny how well scam artists parallel religion. But let's not jump to conclusions, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's just a coincidence too, Hausdorff. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI like their answers whenever someone asks how their quack product works. You heard every unquantifiable and poorly understood concept from good vibes to quantum mechanics.
ReplyDeleteIt sure can be entertaining, huh Grundy? :-)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I haven't really been suckered 100% into any of this medical quackery, but I've come close. It's amazing sometimes just how willing the mind is to suspend disbelief when there is a big potential benefit to gain.
At my gym, I saw those wrist bands being demonstrated that are supposed to better your balance because they have a hologram on them. I was shocked that people were interested in them...and very little shocks me in regards to belief considering how long I've been covering religion.
DeleteHa! I saw a version of those without the hologram. The guy had (at least) two "demos". One involve you twisting without the band, then twisting with the band, showing greater range of motion with the band. (Duh! You always can stretch further on the second attempt!) The second one he had you cup your hands behind your back, why he pushed on them. The first time you lose your balance. Then, with the band, you are able to withstand even his enhanced pushing. (Of course, he pushed at a slightly different angle, which gave the appearance of better stability.)
DeleteI was shocked when my coworker bought not one, but two! I was pretty close to revealing his fraud, but did not want to embarrass my coworker, plus the ten or so other people in the room who had bought the bands!
To be fair, if I thought they could work I'd have about 10 of them going up my arm. :-)
DeleteMe too! How else am I going to get super powers!?!?
DeleteGrundy and Wise Fool -- Those wrist bands remind me of the magnet bracelets that I've seen people wearing. Allegedly, the magnets cure migraines, but I suspect it's a placebo effect.
DeleteYeah, I think you're right, Ahab.
ReplyDeleteWow, I think you nailed it on the head. This is perfect. It shows exactly how religion works.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christian!
ReplyDelete