WHY BELIEFS ARE SO HARD TO SHIFT

1. EMOTION Beliefs are directly associated with emotion. When someone tries to tell people they have the wrong beliefs their feelings are deeply hurt. All information not consistent with cherished beliefs leads to feelings of discomfort and insecurity.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL There is a psychological principle called 'cathexis': a powerful psychological bonding with a belief which evidence and logic often cannot penetrate.

3. BIOLOGY Beliefs have biological and spiritual consequences. A particularly strong belief will form neurological connections in the physical brain and will encumber the spiritual brain, the mind.

4. ADDICTIVE CONDUCT Just as someone with very high addiction to cigarettes finds it virtually impossible to resist smoking, a person with embedded beliefs can find reading about them very strongly addictive.

5. SELECTIVE MEMORY The mind can play tricks on us by filtering out memories which don't match our beliefs. We cherish those memories and repress other information as if it never existed.

6. EARLY ENVIRONMENAL CONDITIONING This is a most critical and powerful influence on on what beliefs we will have. Sociologists claim that you can predict the behaviour of a person if you know his/her place of birth, religion, education and critical influences.

7. ATTITUDE TO EVIDENCE Those who accept unreasonable beliefs have not been taught to value evidence. They are not applying the objective-subjective test of validity.

What is really sad is that far too many people go into denial, not wanting to change their beliefs once they cross over into the afterlife. They needlessly find themselves in a very limiting environment and resist opportunities for help and growth.