Authoritarians suspend critical thinking specifically for claims tied to their religious beliefs

Evidence

But when it came to “evidence” connected to Highs’ religious beliefs, their critical thinking took a hike. They might have been as skeptical as others about ghosts, the Bermuda Triangle and ESP, but to their minds common legends about a big flood proved the story of Noah. If one finds a fallen wall at Jericho, that proves Joshua’s horns brought it down. ‘“‘Near-death experiences” prove the teachings of Christianity. And scientific analysis be damned, High RWAs know the Shroud of Turin was miraculously created by God. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1339

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels motivated cognition and the work of Kahan on cultural cognition — evidence filtered by identity commitments.
• DEFINE: Illustrates the defining feature of ‘double-standard evidence testing’ in authoritarians.