In Pierce’s four methods of fixing belief, I’d like to talk about the methods of authority and tenacity and how they relate to my experiences growing up in a Southern Baptist church. The method of authority is just as it sounds; it relies on an institution to obtain and maintain a level of authority as, essentially, the head honcho. Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church, I saw a ton of this used, but looking at it now, it seems like the method of tenacity -- the holding to a belief almost blindly -- goes hand in hand with authority. I will pull a couple of Pierce’s quotes and bring together my thoughts with my experiences.

Pierce says the method of authority requires an institution “which shall have as its object to keep correct doctrines before the attention of the people.” (117) Essentially, you have to teach the stories, the tales, the beliefs The Young. Young children ask a lot of questions, sure, but they’re malleable and easy to convince (manipulate), which reminds me of the years I wasted my summers on Vacation Bible School, or VBS. Every Summer for a week, churches go all out to teach bible stories to children. The entire church gets decorated in elaborate ways, snacks are prepared that match the themes, volunteers prep the stories months in advance -- think of it as one big Southern pageant. For my church, Wednesday is the Family Nite which means they use bouncy houses and free dinner as a way to get parents to the church so they can tell them the redemption story and “win them over to christ.” On Thursday, the same is done for the children. Grades 1-8 sit together as the preacher talks about everlasting life, sin, and hell. The entire week is about showing these young, impressionable children these beliefs, but anytime a child asks a question the answers are typically the same: “Pray about it and He’ll tell you the answer” “We aren’t as smart as God, we can’t understand that” “Hey, I’ll ask God and I’ll get back to you on it.” This feeds into a key component in control of any kind: ignorance. Also, it’s imperative to note that in my church, and others in  town, we were taught The Bible as literal. So, not only are they telling these kids stories and closing off the road of inquiry, but they are telling them absolutely insane stories -- like my favorite of Lott and his daughters, which is a whole different kind of paper, but cliffnotes: a woman turns into a pillar of salt, a father offers his virgin daughters to random men in lieu of a male angel, and then the daughters attempt procreation with their drunk father… moving on. This story is one told in Sunday school’s across the bible belt, but if you’re confused, worried, have questions, there will be no clarification or answers. Just take it as fact and God’s will.

Now, let’s circle back to my ideas on tenacity going hand in hand with authority. The authoritarian method almost requires a tenacity element in a way that they are feeding these children stories and quips that they will regurgitate for years to come. They offer these people a sense of community and comfort while telling them that those who oppose or differ are wrong, sinful, or evil. In doing so, they’re closing the road of inquiry off completely by scaring children into the idea that if they stray from this path they’ve begun, or in most cases been born onto, they will rot in a lake of fire for eternity -- literal. Now, I have to acknowledge the fact that TikTok has proved to be an incredibly useful tool for outreach, community, and even knowledge. The issue with the church now is, how do we keep them ignorant when the truth, or even just new information, is at their fingertips? Admittingly, the algorithm works in a way that the chances of an uber religious person will somehow stumble upon an Atheist Den, but the algorithm utilizes a person’s likes, comments, how long they watch a video or go back to a video, and their searches to decide what they see on their feed. So, what of the Christains interacting content or content they see that raises suspicion or encourages inquiry? Surely, somewhere, somehow, you stumble upon something that makes you question or wonder, something that causes that itch of unknowing. In this world, where it is next to impossible to ignore other’s perspectives and new ideas, how does The Church still hold so much power? Tenacity. I think people are so comfortable in their bubbles, believing their silly stories, having a mythical answer to all of their problems, that they can’t even acknowledge another point of view any longer. As Pierce says, “If it is their impulse to be intellectual slaves, then slaves they ought to remain,” (118)